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PNG in the News
Cholera Outbreak Worsens in PNG -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=50886
PNG yet to release aid earmarked to combat cholera -- http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/200912/2769802.htm
PNG's Huge Gas Profits at Risk -- http://giaman.com/pg/?f5731d
Exxon Mobil makes $29B bet on natural gas -- http://giaman.com/pg/?e38472
PNG well placed to absorb GFC -- http://giaman.com/pg/?961e30
Blogs about PNG
BSP Capital's blog: Market Commentaries -- http://bspcapital.blogspot.com/2009/12/market-commentaries.html
Little Green Palai - Copenhagen is not enough -- http://giaman.com/pg/?5e5f69
Guy Fawkes in PNG -- http://giaman.com/pg/?440588
A PEAS of My Life: Cooking Up Whole New Traditions -- http://giaman.com/pg/?e007dd
The beauty of communication in PNG - Gone to the Hut for a few days -- http://www.trupela.com/2009/12/13/gone-to-the-hut-for-a-few-days/
Last day and night. - Northwest Rambler's Blog -- http://giaman.com/pg/?fc5a22
The Choates and the Solomons - Finding Joy in PNG -- http://giaman.com/pg/?73fc54
Malum Nalu: The World visits Milne Bay -- http://giaman.com/pg/?e02ac3
Old Blog in Tok Pisin -- http://glmai.blogspot.com
Random PNG Links
Adaptation Atlas -- http://giaman.com/pg/?642e6a
The power of many - Waste management in Wewak -- http://giaman.com/pg/?699e88
PNG rainforests under threat -- http://giaman.com/pg/?86ca15
PNG Entry Permit Application form -- http://traveldocumentsystems.com/pg/visa.pdf
PNG Trip -- http://www.ski-epic.com/2008_papua_new_guinea/index.html
Papa Bilong Chimbu -- http://www.papabilongchimbu.com -- Papa Bilong Chimbu is a one-hour documentary on the life and work of missionary John Nilles in PNG.
Department of Education -- http://www.education.gov.pg
Momase Cultural Safari -- http://www.letpng.com/MOMASE_SAFARI.pdf
Air Niugini -- http://airniugini.com.pg/
PNG Weather
Travelling around PNG during the festive season then you may find the following links useful -
Agaun -- http://giaman.com/pg/?8325d1
Alotau -- http://giaman.com/pg/?b548fd
Bougainville -- http://giaman.com/pg/?d87d16
Erave -- http://giaman.com/pg/?7c4be4
Goroka -- http://giaman.com/pg/?077ee8
Gurney -- http://giaman.com/pg/?1ca8cd
Hoskins -- http://giaman.com/pg/?bb34fb
Jinjo -- http://giaman.com/pg/?88e63f
Kainantu -- http://giaman.com/pg/?a52324
Kavieng -- http://giaman.com/pg/?114afd
Kerema -- http://giaman.com/pg/?fbaeac
Kikori -- http://giaman.com/pg/?8bbde1
Kiunga -- http://giaman.com/pg/?74bbfa
Kokopo -- http://giaman.com/pg/?4535fa
Kurada -- http://giaman.com/pg/?091980
Lae -- http://giaman.com/pg/?ab038e
Madang -- http://giaman.com/pg/?efd505
Mendi -- http://giaman.com/pg/?6b28b0
Misima -- http://giaman.com/pg/?7f3cfc
Momote / Lombrum -- http://giaman.com/pg/?ab1b07
Morobe -- http://giaman.com/pg/?598b34
Mount Hagen -- http://giaman.com/pg/?71c59e
Nadzab -- http://giaman.com/pg/?d0d5a4
Nimona -- http://giaman.com/pg/?82d816
Port Moresby -- http://giaman.com/pg/?981280
Samarai -- http://giaman.com/pg/?526b02
Tokua -- http://giaman.com/pg/?c1d33a
Vanimo -- http://giaman.com/pg/?5d22f4
For a graph of the PNG Climate load the following page and then scroll down to find a graph showing Average Temperature, Relative Humidity etc.. -- http://www.climatetemp.info/papua-new-guinea/
News Items
Hug-A-Banker
The BSP, formerly Bank South Pacific and the nation's largest bank, recently held a fun and exciting promotion covering its network of branches nationwide. On Tuesday 17th November from 11am until mid-day, each branch held a promotion called "Hug-A-Banker." For every hug received, BSP agreed to donate K1 to charity. For every new account opened or new SMS Banking Registration made during the promotion, BSP agreed to donate K5 to charity.
What turned out to be an excellent exercise in Public Relations has also helped various PNG charity organisations as BSP will donate a total of K12,526 as a result of the "Hug-A-Banker" promotion. There were a total of 7,041 hugs at K1 each, plus 338 new BSP accounts were opened and a further 759 new SMS Banking Registrations received. At K5 donation each that added 1097 transactions. A great result!
Press release and photographs -- http://pnggossip.com/stories/bsp-hugs09.html
BSP Fiji
The sale of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s operations in Fiji to the Bank South Pacific (BSP) has been given the green light to go one step further. The deal with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia includes all the shares of the National Bank of Fiji Ltd, Colonial Fiji Life Ltd and associated companies. BSP will now need to seek approval from the Bank of PNG and the Reserve Bank of Fiji for the sale. The National Bank of Fiji trades as the Colonial National Bank.
Wara Bilong Life
The Wara Bilong Life (pidgin for Water for Survival) project for 2009, involving children from New Zealand PNG and Kenya, has been completed. The children, from school years 1 to 10 in New Zealand, were asked to assist with school health education for their peers in the highlands of PNG. The student solutions can be found under 'Solutions' on the project website. -- http://www.megabright.co.nz/WaraBlongLife/home.htm -- or -- http://www.megabright.co.nz/WaraBlongLife/solutions.html
Full story -- http://pnggossip.com/stories/wara09.html
OCC and ES Abolished
Just as the Prime Minister headed off to the big meeting in Copenhagen the PNG Office of Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability (OCC&ES) was abolished.
WWII Remains Buried
The remains of four Australian diggers killed in the country during World War II were laid to rest recently at Port Moresby's Bomana War Cemetery. Lieutenant Tim Logan and Lance-Sergeant Jim Wheeler were buried with full military honours while two other soldiers, whose remains were found near Isurava but were unable to be identified, were also buried in a single coffin.
Full story -- http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/200912/2758883.htm
Drug Bust
Police in PNG and Australia say they have busted a drug syndicate that allegedly planned to smuggle millions of Kina worth of cannabis into Australia. A New Zealand man, 29, and PNG woman, 30, were due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court over their alleged involvement in the conspiracy to import 500kg of cannabis. Two other men have also been charged - a 27-year-old New Zealander in Adelaide and a PNG national in Lae - following a six-month investigation by crime fighting authorities in both countries.
A recent raid by the Royal PNG Constabulary uncovered 18.9 kilograms of cannabis allegedly bound for Australia.
Chief Ombudsman Shot
There has been an attempt on the life of the Chief Ombudsman Chronex Manek. The three gunmen attacked Mr Manek in front of his Korobosea home, as he was returning from an official function. Mr Manek is recovering at his Port Moresby home.
Full story -- http://giaman.com/pg/?04a836
Sogeri Ambulance
The Kairuku Hiri MP, Paru Aihi, has donated an ambulance to the people of Sogeri and the Sogeri clinic. Sick patients will now be able to travel to the Port Moresby Hospital in comfort and safety. Mr Aihi also donated a double cab vehicle to the police at Sogeri.
Kenmore Steel
The Kenmore group is gearing up to build a steel plant in Tari, Hela province, to cater for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. A groundbreaking ceremony for the K30 million project has been attended by Tari / Pori MP and Education Minister James Marape and Allan Fleay, general manager Kenmore Industrial division at Piribu village, just outside of Tari town.
Jail Break
Eleven prisoners, five of them classified as high-risk prisoners, have been freed from Bundaira jail outside Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands province by a gang of armed men pretending to be visitors to the jail. One of the gang was later shot by police.
A similar incident happened in 1999.
Kandep By-Election
Electoral Commission officials in Goroka have confirmed that Ousted Kandep MP, Don Polye, will be declared the winner of the Kandep by-election after he collected 18,621 votes from the first preferences from the total of 36,304 allowable votes counted. To win, Mr Polye needed only 18,152 votes.
The by-election, especially the counting of the votes, has been very troublesome with loss lives lost, destruction of property and exchange of gunfire between locals and police.
See -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=50914
See also - Electoral Commission officials locked out of the vote counting venue in Goroka for non-payment of rent -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/4025
PNG Defence Force
The PNG Defence Force has a new commander. Col Francis Augwi, head of army intelligence, replaces Commodore Peter Ilau, whose second term had expired. Government sources said Col Augwi was among three nominees for the defence top job. The others were Cmdr Ilau and Col Tokam Kanene, the Defence Attache in Indonesia. The chief of staff, Tom Urr has also been replaced by Col Tokam Kanene.
Smoking Fokker
It has been alleged that a passenger dropped a cigarette in the toilet of an Air Niugini Fokker F100 plane on its way from Port Moresby (Jacksons) to Madang causing smoke in the cabin of the aircraft.
Wasantha Kumarasiri, the CEO if Air Niugini, has confirmed the incident stating that people who smoke during flights would be liable and could be fined up to K1000 or imprisoned. He also said smoking during flights is in breach of the Civil Act 2000, Section 318, which spells out that passengers shall not smoke while in flight as the action not only endangers the life of the smoker but everyone on board including the aircraft.
HIV/AIDS education
A new HIV/AIDS education program has been launched at the PNG Forestry Authority. The Forestry Authority's managing director Kanawi Pouoru says his organisation is committed to having a workplace HIV/AIDS policy in place for their human resources.
Laiagam Attack
Following an attack by angry locals in Laiagam, Enga province, a policeman is battling for his life in the Wabag Provincial Hospital. Several police vehicles were damaged in the attack that occurred after a police raid on a store in Liop near the Laiagam station. The store owner and his relatives retaliated with bush knives, axes and stones and attacked the policemen.
Alcohol is banned in Enga province.
Buk Bilong Pikinini
A library for children has been established in Lae near one of Lae's biggest trucking company yards. This is the first Buk bilong Pikinini library outside Port Moresby. The library is located in Montoro Street near the East West trucking company.
The Buk bilong Pikinini library is the brainchild of Anne-Sophie Hermann, the spouse of the Australian High Commissioner to PNG and Anna Mukerjee who set up the charity in 2007 when they realised there was an urgent need for children's libraries in PNG.
Coming Events
Christmas Day - 25 Dec 2009
New Year's Day - 1st Jan 2010
AFLPNG - PNG Scholarships / Under 18 Trials will be held in Australia. 8 x U18s are hoped to be provided with Country Queensland, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast Scholarships. -- February 2010
Women in Mining and Petroleum Conference - 22nd - 24th March 2010 - to be held at Divine Word University in Madang.
25th April 2010 - World Malaria Day. Malaria affects 90 per cent of the PNG population.
World liquefied natural gas (LNG) summit - Mid 2010.
11th Mining and Petroleum Investment Conference - 6th to 8th December, 2010 - Hilton Hotel, Sydney -- http://www.pnginvestment.cia.com.au -- This web site is out of date showing information abut the 2008 conference.
Full Pacific Games - New Caledonia 2011
National Elections - Scheduled for June 2012
2012 PNG Games -- Kokopo, East New Britain
Pacific Mini Games - Wallis and Futuna 2013
Full Pacific Games - PNG 2015
Do you have an event that you want advertised? - Use the submission form located at -- ../misc/ctc.html.
PNG Media
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