The Local Level Government (LLG) elections will be conducted mid next year with funding to be made available for it. That was the confirmation from the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government (LLG) Affairs, Soroi Eoe when responding to questions from the Southern Highlands Governor William Powi, on the status of the long awaited LLG elections in the country. "This is an important election of the third level of government, which is an important part of our government system; therefore, funds will be made available. I know our government will make the funds available to fund this very important election,” said the minister. “As to how much it will cost, that will be subject to discussions between my department and the electoral commission to come up with a budget to conduct this very import election.” Governor Powi had asked the minister during question time in parliament this week on the funding aspect of the election as well because he was concerned about how the LLG elections, especially in his province, were conducted in the past and how this has become a major spender of funds despite it being a third-tier election. Powi is concerned that resources directed to the District Development Authority (DDA) might be used again for the hosting major campaigns and camps during the LLG election period. He has urged that this area should be also looked at seriously by the government. Meanwhile, the LLG elections will be conducted from July to August 2024.

The Port Moresby AFL (POMAFL) Association has decided against holding a grand final rematch, instead coming up with a decision to settle the match following the unfortunate brawl during last weekend’s A- Grade grand- final that disrupted the match. POMAFL President Mr. Douglas Lai in a written statement, said that the fight during last weekend’s grand final match involving supporters and players from both the Gereka Bombers and the Gordons Kokofas, was unfortunate. “On the matter, we regret that we have reached the end of this season with this reprehensible grand final result with the seniors’ game ending in the brawl. Hence, after postmortem of the debacle, a decision has been made to put this issue to rest.” The president said after a serious deliberation over the last three days, the executives of the POMAFL Association have decided to award a tie to both teams. The reasons for the decision are as follows. 1. It is important to acknowledge the outstanding commitment and performance of the two seniors (A- Grade) teams of Gereka Bombers and Gordons Kokofas in this 2023 season. 2. There were no clear winners as the match was incomplete. 3. There will be no rematch of the grand- final. “Again, our sincere apologies on the grand final brawl and we assure you that the matter will be addressed and sorted before the commencement of the 2024 POMAFL season,” said the president.

The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru has assured parliament that the Pacific Maritime Industrial Zone (PMIZ) Project in Madang is on track to commence construction by next year and onwards. Minister Maru, when responding to questions from the Member for Kundiawa on the status of the PMIZ project during question time in parliament this week, said the project is currently in the negotiation phase with RD Tuna Cannery, to partner with the government to develop the project. “So, the government’s plan is to go into a joint venture agreement with them, start the fishing and look at building a first big world class cannery in PMIZ next year using some of the funds that the government has provided for in the budget, K70 million for PMIZ and K30 million for the Manus province to go into fisheries,” said Minister Maru. “So, that’s where we are at. At this stage we are hoping that the State Negotiation Team and the RD team will conclude the negotiations over the next four weeks, and a proposal will come back to Cabinet to set up the first joint venture company.” Maru explained that once this goes through, it will for the first-time see Papua New Guineans be able to own fishing boats and fish their own waters, plus the country to have bigger and better fish processing facilities to process the country’s own catches and export to overseas markets in large quantities. “This is a very important step, and I am happy to inform parliament that in the next few weeks I should be bringing back a proposal to Cabinet on how we can go into a joint venture and by next year, start building the first fish processing plant within the PMIZ.” "If we get the first one up, I have no doubt many other investors will start looking at putting up processing facilities within PMIZ and then that’s how we’ll get it built at the cheapest cost possible.” He further explained that idea to partner with RD Tuna is that the company already has an existing fish processing plant in Madang next to the PMIZ project area and instead of building the PMIZ on its own and spend more money, a partnership with RD Tuna was the best option as it would cost less to develop the PMIZ project. Meanwhile, once completed the PMIZ Project is expected to create employment for 10, 000 Papua New Guineans.  

PNG Power Limited (PPL) has confirmed that power supply has been restored to the Highlands Region after a fault along the transmission line from Ramu Hydro Power Station was fixed just recently. Previously, PNG Power workmen could not enter the area where the fault was located to carry out this urgent maintenance work last week because they faced some strong resistance from local landowners of the area, putting workmen’s lives at risk. According to PNG Power, arrangements had to be made with the police and military personnel on the ground to find an approach to the local landowners in order to allow PPL workmen to enter the area and carry out this urgent maintenance work. Fortunately, an understanding was reached and work started. It took more than a day to fix the fault along the line and once that was resolved, electricity was fully restored to Western Highlands, Jiwaka, Southern Highland and Enga provinces. Previously, these provinces had to undergo very heavy power load shedding from the 27th of September up to the start of the month of October.

PNG Power Limited (PPL) has been able to restore power supply to most parts of Madang that were affected by the massive 6.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked the province and neighboring provinces over the weekend. According to the State-owned power company, the focus was to restored power to the main areas like the hospitals, schools, police stations, provincial administration facilities and the local businesses. PNG Power also confirmed that there are still some areas that have no power yet like the areas along the main highways, but the company has assured that engineers are working on fixing that to ensure they too are restored with full electricity. PNG Power teams are now on the ground going round to inspect, identify damages and work on fixing them. There have been reports of fallen power lines and power poles that would require equipment and some time to fix them. The power company teams on ground will be supported by Port Moresby city and Lae city operational teams, whenever there is a need for specific equipment or parts, the Lae office should be able to send it over to the Madang team as soon as possible to use to restore full electricity to the earthquake affected communities. Meanwhile, PNG Power is advising the people to report any downed power poles or transmission lines immediately so to prevent any danger, and PPL teams can attend to it quickly. The public is urged to report these damages to PNG Power by contacting the National Call Centre on Toll- Free number 116, Email to callcentre@pngpower.com.pg or WhatsApp on 70001009.

Due to the damages caused to the airport runway at the Madang Airport from the 6.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked the province and its neighboring provinces over the weekend, airline services into Madang will be limited. For the national flag carrier Air Niugini, it has now temporarily downgraded its services to Madang to Dash 8 operations due to damage caused to part of the runway by the earthquake on Saturday October 7th. The airport authority, the National Airports Corporation (NAC) is currently working on a plan to fix the damages caused to the runway. Similarly, all Fokker and Boeing 737 flights to Mount Hagen have been downgraded to Dash8 aircraft due to maintenance works on the runway at Kagamuga airport. The airport runway is shortened to allow NAC to carry out maintenance and repair works on the runway. Air Niugini management will advise when jet operations into both Madang and Mt Hagen will resume. Air Niugini regrets the inconvenience caused to its customers, however the situation is beyond the airline’s control. Safety is always of paramount importance in the airline’s operations.

The OK Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) has thrown support behind the hosting of the big World Indigenous Business Forum (WIBF) coming up later this month with a K100, 000 sponsorship, recently presented to Department of International Trade and Investment. The OTML Manager Corporate Affairs, Mr. Dexter Wagambie said OTML was thankful for the opportunity to be part of WIBF. “OTML is a 100 per cent Papua New Guinea (PNG) owned entity with 67 per cent direct shareholding by the Independent State of PNG and the people of Western Province holding a 33 per cent interest." "This is a testament that we are a Papua New Guinean mine. We are having some challenges at the mine, but we still need to support our people, so we are coming on board as a bronze sponsor,” said Mr. Wagambie. “It is through hosting such an event that we will be able to give our SMEs and entrepreneurs the opportunity to participate in a global market." "We are privileged to participate in this event and to be part of the history." "If we did not come on board to participate then it would be an opportunity lost,” added Mr. Wagambie. Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru said he was extremely grateful for OK Tedi’s support. “OTML is the only mining company that we can say is ours. We need to build and own the next one; we cannot stop at one." "We are really hoping that one day OK Tedi will make a giant leap and 100 per cent own another mine; that will be really great for our country,” said Minister Maru. “OTML will have a booth and will nominate two delegates to attend the forum." "These are the benefits of being a sponsor to this event- you get to promote your company and you also get to attend the forum as delegates."

On- field spectator violence at the Moni Plus Port Moresby AFL 2023 Cup’s Senior Men's grand final match over the weekend resulted in the match being called off when things got really out of hand with police called in disperse the rowdy crowd. It was after the half time when the incident started, the match went on as normal with some intensity shown by the Gereka Bombers and the Gordons Kokofas. The match was going well, and the fans were all into it supporting their clubs but whenever the Kokofas boys ended up on the end of the field where the Bombers supporters were sitting, a hail of abusive comments were being hurled at them. From time-to-time small exchanges were made between the fans and the players on the field of play but nothing major at first. It was almost to the end of the third quarter when a few Gordons players were at the sideline next to the Bombers fans, some of whom were under the influence of alcohol. Some exchanges were made between some fans and even with some Bombers players that led to some push and shove. This then led to the Kokofas fans rushing onto the field from across the other side where they were at. Armed with sticks, plastic water bottles and other objects in hand, ran right to the center of the clash, putting everything into chaos. The fight broke out and some fans had to run for their lives, either by foot or in their vehicles. Others started attacking each other, running onto the field of play and across to the Gordons side to attack the fans on the other side. Things escalated quickly and despite the calls from the match officials to stop the madness, the fans and even some of the players on both sides joined in. Police had to intervene to stop it. A patrol vehicle with flashing lights and siren rushed onto the field from where it as parked at earlier to provide security during the match. However, with just one police vehicle and a smaller number of officers on board, they were even unable to disperse the crowd as fighting broke out to different parts of the Colts Oval. Police officers had to open fire into the air multiple times just to disperse the people. By then, the Gereka supporters were cased by all the Gordons supporters. Rocks, bottles, sticks and any object that can be held in hand and thrown were hurled at the poor retreating families on foot or in vehicles. Things cooled down afterwards when police reinforcement arrived. President of the Port Moresby AFL Association Mr. Douglas Lai, who was there in the middle of all the madness, said he was very disappointed with what had happed. “What we’ll do now is to have a meeting in the coming days to decide on what actions and steps to take. It’s very unfortunate what had happened towards the end of the quarter,” a disappointed Mr. Lai stated. Meanwhile, whatever the outcome of that meeting, will be made know hopefully by this week so fans can know whether to have a rematch or a tougher decision made to settle the match and a mutual agreement reached by everyone involved.

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has condemned the attack on Israel, saying war-related violence is out of place in this modern day and age. He said: “In this day and age, we condemn attacks on each other to resolve disputes." “In a world where the modern family of nations are coming together under the United Nations charter and rules on human rights, any issues we may have with each other must be resolved through peaceful means." “Papua New Guinea has shown this since 2001 when we came together to sit at the table in the Bougainville Peace Process." "We settled on a Peace Agreement and we are now working through this process to resolve our issues peacefully." “So we want to encourage Hamas and others who feel aggrieved in matters in relation to the Nation of Israel to resolve these issues through negotiations that can lead to a peaceful outcome." “If you engage in war and acts of terrorism, it has a response equal to the violence that you have perpetrated." "War begets war; conflict leads to conflict." Prime Minister Marape also cautioned Israel on its response, saying it must be one which should not lead to more loss of lives.

More than 200 Israelis died in a surprise large-scale attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday, the army said, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to reduce the group’s Gaza hideouts to “rubble”. Intense air strikes on the coastal enclave brought the Palestinian death toll to at least 232, Gaza officials said, following Hamas’s massive rocket barrage and ground, air and sea offensive, in the conflict’s bloodiest escalation in decades. Gun battles raged into the night between Israeli forces and hundreds of Hamas fighters in at least 22 Israel locations, including at least two where gunmen were holding hostages, the army said. “Terrorists rampaged and broke into homes, massacring civilians,” the army said, adding that more than 1,000 people in Israel were wounded by gunshots or the more than 3,000 incoming rockets. “We are at war,” Netanyahu told the stunned nation in the morning after Hamas had launched its multipronged attack at dawn, half a century after the outbreak of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. “I’m telling the people of Gaza: get out of there now because we’re about to act everywhere with all our force,” the premier said later. “We’ll strike them to the bitter end and avenge with force this black day they brought on Israel and its people.” He warned that “all the places in which Hamas is based, in this city of evil, all the places Hamas is hiding in, acting from — we’ll turn them into rubble.” “What happened today is unprecedented in Israel and I will see to it that it does not happen again.” As the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting for Sunday, President Joe Biden voiced “rock solid and unwavering” support for the US ally and warned “against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation”. ‘So many bodies’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke to Egypt, a key intermediary between Israel and Hamas about the “urgency in achieving an immediate halt” to the fighting, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. As night fell, the Israeli army said its forces were still engaged in live gun battles in a string of Israel locations, in an operation labelled “Swords of Iron”, as reservists were being called up. “There are still 22 locations where we are engaging with terrorists that came into Israel, from the sea, from the land and from the air,” said army spokesman Richard Hecht on what he labelled a “robust ground invasion”. Israeli army launched air strikes into Gaza later in the night while militants fired rockets, an AFP journalist reported. Hamas earlier released images of several Israelis taken captive, and another army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, confirmed that “there are kidnapped soldiers and civilians. “I can’t give figures about them at the moment. It’s a war crime committed by Hamas and they will pay the price.” Hecht said there was also a “severe hostage situation” in the Negev desert communities of Beeri and Ofakim east of Gaza. The Islamist group started the multi-pronged attack around 6:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) with thousands of rockets aimed as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some bypassing the Iron Dome defence system and hitting buildings. Hamas fighters — travelling in ground vehicles, motorised paragliders and boats — breached Gaza’s security barrier and attacked nearby Israeli towns and military posts, opening fire on residents and passersby. “Send help, please!” one Israeli woman sheltering with her two-year-old child pleaded as militants outside opened fire and tried to break into their safe room, Israeli media reported. Bodies were strewn on the streets of the Israeli town of Sderot near Gaza and inside cars, the windscreens shattered by hails of bullets. SOURCE: The Daily Tribune

Two former rugby union representative footballers and current political leaders have come out to call upon the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football Union (PNGRFU) to be transparent in its operations by providing a progressive report on the performance of the current Chief Executive Officer, and where rugby is now since the election of the new board and management. The two political leaders, the Member for Popondetta Open and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Mr. Richard Masere and the Member for Bougainville Regional and Internal Security Minister Mr. Peter Tsiamalili Jr, have come out to make this call following recent media reports regarding the Provincial Union’s petition to the PNGRFU. Both political leaders felt that there were lack of accountability and absence of leadership directions from PNGRFU to the provinces and this could potentially defeat any future development of rugby in Papua New Guinea. “Since the announcement of the K10 million three- year deal between Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited and PNGRFU in March 2022, there have been very little information and no tangible progress with the development of rugby in Papua New Guinea and we are very concern. If anything, we believe rugby has regressed and this is not good news for rugby enthusiasts and supporters in Papua New Guinea,” said the MP. The two MPs also said that the PNGRFU must provide a detailed acquittal of the K10 million through a reputable audit firm and similarly, must provide an immediate response to the 11- point petition delivered to them by the Provincial Rugby Unions. “We make a further call to Kumul Petroleum to institute and independent audit as sign of good governance to provide accountability and transparency in the use of the K10 million.” “For the good of rugby in Papua New Guinea, we appeal to the PNGRFU to work closely with the Provincial Rugby Unions to progress and develop rugby at schools and at the grass-root levels.”

The National Government has the resource to stand ready to assist places that will be hit by the El Nino. That's the assurance given by Prime Minister James Marape when responding to questions from the Member for Alotau on the government's capacity of respond to natural disasters. Marape said the government is aware of the National Weather Service forecast for the next couple of months and has asked the finance department to enable flexible access for provincial and districts to access funds to help the people affected when hit by El Nino. Marape said the government will be overlooking all the disaster assistance. "National Government will overlay support, that's our duty and responsibility," said the PM. "I want to give full assurance, the National Government will be standing by to assist." Meanwhile, the Member for Alotau stated that the National Weather Service indicated that the long dry spell has started for parts of Papua New Guinea and his district is also listed on the drought alert; hence the concern for disaster relief supply.