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The Goss
Railways
The thought of a railway from Lae to Vanimo has been thrown around. Interested consultants from major companies specialising in railway construction are currently investigating the viability of it. Other railway possibilities have been cited as being in Bougainville, Gulf and Western Provinces.
Opponents of the idea say that upgrading and maintaining the existing road structure would be of more benefit and cheaper.
Fuel
The price of fuel has gone up again. Petrol now costs K1.807 at the bowser whilst diesel sells for 1.187. These prices are for the main ports of Lae, Moresby, Madang and Rabaul.
Peter Peipul
The Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Peter Peipul, has been sacked from office for appointing his brother to the Public Services Commission in 1998
Car Ship
It has been reported by The National (http://www.thenational.com.pg) that the Golden Dawn that was anchored off Port Moresby with a load of cars for so long is now anchored off Jayapura waiting for possible clearance back into PNG?
Ok Tedi
Landowners from around the Ok Tedi area want the mine to continue until the anticipated end of mine in 2010. This is despite the environmental concerns that have indicated that BHP might close the mine earlier.
Madang Market
The market at Madang has recently undergone a facelift costing about K45,000. Sellers have now been divided into different categories such as produce, artefacts and clothes.
Madang Rural Communities
Four rural communities in the Madang province are set to benefit from a donation of K96,000 from Japan. The communities will use the money to meet the costs of growing rice.
Madang Hospital
The Rotary club of Australia has donated an electrically operated patient hoist, four adjustable beds, six children's beds, boxes of medicine, linen and first aid equipment to the Modilon hospital in Madang province.
Enga / Mambisanda
The provincial government of Enga and the Gutnius Lutheran Church have come to an agreement to upgrade the Immanuel Lutheran Hospital located at Mambisanda in the Wapenamanda District and make it into a provincial hospital after the closure of the Sopas hospital in the Wabag district.
Three Peaks Yacht Race
The overall results of the recently held Three Peaks Yacht Race are:
- 1st QBE Primitive Man - 2h:47min.
- 2nd Yellow Pages Instinct
- 3rd Claimhor
- 4th Sneekers
- 5th Ella
- 6th Zurich Otis Scorpio
- 7th Babylon by Bus
- 8th Ariel
- 9th Currency Lad
- 10th Deloitte Farrgo Express
- 11th RadTel More Bar Talk
- 12th Greyhound
- 13th Gentle Giant
- 14th Kilmanoi and Upstart (equal)
- 16th Siduri
It looked as if the start of the three peaks classic was going to see pouring rain and limited visibility but with only minutes to go the rain stopped along with the wind. With mere seconds to go the wind sprung up again making for a spectacular start.
Air Niugini Coral Sea Classic
The Coral Sea Classic will be held soon from Townsville to Cairns and eventually to Port Moresby followed by several races around Port Moresby
Fishing Boats
Two trawlers have been apprehended in a joint PNG / Australian exercise. The trawlers were caught illegally fishing in the Gulf of Papua and have been escorted to Port Moresby where they are causing great concern to residents of Airvos and Port roads as they are running their freezer motors 24 hours a day to keep the illegal haul of fish fresh.
Tufi
A proposed K2.4 million 50-bedroom resort for the fjord lands of Tufi is looking for investors. Tufi has gained an international reputation for its breathtaking scenery and beauty. It also has colourful traditions, wonderfully friendly people along with pristine diving conditions that rival anywhere else in the world. It is hoped that the proposed resort will make use of existing village guest houses to help facilitate the viewing of World War Two relics, fishing trips, diving and hiking.
Progressive Dinner
The Holiday Inn (ex Islander Travelodge) has held a progressive dinner on the hotel grounds. The dinner started at their sports complex and then moved on to around the poll before having the main course at the VIII Bells Grill. Dessert was served at the Cassowary Park.
Travelodge / Parkroyal
It is official the old Port Moresby Travelodge which was renamed to the Parkroyal last year is now called the Crowne Plaza. The re-badging became effective on the 18th of April.
Provincial Treasurers
The treasurers are planning to meet in Vanimo for four days in July from the 16th to the 20th.
Medical and Health Sciences
Following on from the successful National Health Expo the school of Medical and Health Sciences is planning to have an open day in October.
Milne Bay
The remains of a Boeing B17 Flying Fortress aircraft, which crashed in Milne Bay during the Second World War, have been positively identified. The names of the pilot and crew are known but will not be released until relatives are found and notified.
Unitech
The acting pro-vice chancellor - academic at the University of Technology has won a one-year research and development contract.
UniTech Tuition Fees
The Member of Parliament for Nawaeb has presented students from his electorate who attend the University of Technology in Lae with a cheque for K10,000 to help cover their school fees. The donation was timely as many students are facing difficulties in paying the fees for this year.
Softball Titles
The softball titles, which were supposed to be played over the Easter weekend, were postponed due to a lack of entries from the various playing centres. The championships may now be held in either June or September.
Olympic Chief
Juan Antonio Samaranch recently had a brief stopover in Port Moresby on his way to visit Palau the 199th and newest member of the Olympic community.
Sir John Dawanicura has been elected to the position of vice president of the Oceania National Olympic Committee.
Misima Mine
It has been reported in the Post Courier (http://www.postcourier.com.pg) that there is a less than two weeks to go before the end of digging at the Misima Gold Mine. Stockpiled ore will continue to be processed until 2004.
Fibreglass Fire
A large fire which consumed several buildings and fibreglass chemicals on Friday saw the city covered in thick black smoke whilst the fire engines took 20 minutes to get to the scene thousands of on lookers managed to get good vantage points within minutes of the fire starting. Even after the fire engines turned up it looked like nothing much was done until a National Capital District water tanker turned up as well as a fire tender from Jackson's airport. A contributor wonders, along with me, what would happen if a serious fire happened in a large residential complex? How many lives would be lost before the fire trucks turned up equipped to put out a fire.
Several businesses were burnt down. Some of them were - PNG Fibreglass, Amnol Lawyers, Puritau Real Estate, LCB Holdings, Jack's Tailoring and a gun shop.
Prices
Airfares
Air Niugini has advertised some fairly good weekend escape packages for Port Moresby residents including airfares and accommodation to various locations around PNG.
For example: Malolo Plantation Madang, K474, Travellers Inn Lae K445, Alotau International K512, Kumul Lodge Mount Hagen K537, Bird of Paradise Hotel, Goroka K568, Ambua Lodge Tari K700, Walindi Resort Kimbe K734, Hamamas Hotel Rabaul K639, Nus Island Resort K659. All prices are per person and based on twin share 2-night accommodation.
Doberman pups have been advertised for K850 each recently.
Fresh milk is selling for anywhere between K9 and K6.99 for two litres. A 100g packet of Sunshine powdered milk is selling about K1.60
Accommodation Sites
Computers
Comserv Computer Centre have come up with an option for consumers to pay a set fortnightly price to eventually pay off a new Intel Celeron. The PC is only a 500 Mhz PC but does give an opportunity for consumers to buy an entry level PC. This is the first time I have seen this option available in PNG although Courts may have allowed this with computers bought from Computers and Communications.
Camera Prices
Chin H Meen has advertised the following prices for cameras.
- Olympus Vectis K1,265
- Olympus Trip MD3 - K89
- Olympus MJUII Zoom 80QD - K799
- Olympus MUII Zoom 80 - K750
- Olympus MU2QD - K595
- Fuji Instant Instax100 - K179.50
- Minolta RIVA70WT - K654.50
Daltron (http://www.daltron.com.pg) have advertised a FujiFilm 4900 Zoom Digital Camera for K3,700
Interest Rates
The ANZ bank has offered the following rates for amounts from K10,000 to K50,000.
- 30 - 59 Days 7.00%
- 60 - 89 Days 7.00%
- 90 -182 Days 7.50%
- 183-364 Days 8.00%
- 1yr - 2yrs 7.25%
- 2yrs - 3 yrs 7.25%
The Finance Corporation have offered the following rates on amounts from K5,000 to K50,000.
- 1 month 14.00%
- 2 months 14.00%
- 3 months 14.90%
- 6 months 14.50%
- 9 months 12.00%
- 1 year 12.00%
Financial Sites
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PNG newspaper sites
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