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PNG in the News
HIV has no cure: O' Neill -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111201/news09.htm
Deep-sea mining project threatens communities - environment groups -- http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201112/s3381502.htm
PNG has hurdles before women MPs voted in -- http://giaman.com/pg/?f2a849
Logistics woes for Kerema CoI hearings -- http://giaman.com/pg/?d70ff3
Rugby League Princes -- http://www.bigpondsport.com/princes-of-png/tabid/91/newsid/80924/default.aspx
Tests identify 18 bodies -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111130/news10.htm
PNG lacks skilled workers -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111202/news01.htm
Many flock in for HIV tests in Lae -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111202/news12.htm
PNG Images
P2-ANP at Perth airport, Australia -- http://giaman.com/pg/?df044e
Air Niugini F100 -- http://fnqskies.blogspot.com/2011/11/air-niugini-f100-in-new-scheme-today.html
Kimbe Bay's Zero Wreck -- http://giaman.com/pg/?f68da8
Ukarumpa Summer Fun 2011 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfcoRPMFQJ0
Vanimo Surf Lodge PNG -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fko6EajXXaU
Air Niugini's Year in Review advert -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WIEuLR4zMs
PNG Blogs
The Edebamona Blog - What's going on? -- http://edebamona.blogspot.com
The Somare family and the K96m Woodlawn scam -- http://giaman.com/pg/?37e473
Namorong Report -- http://giaman.com/pg/?dce0bb
PNG Warrior -- http://pngwarrior.wordpress.com
PNG Misc Links
Rapopo Plantation Resort -- http://www.rapopo.com
Port Moresby Grand Papua Hotel -- http://www.summithotels.com/luxuryhotel/Grand-Papua-Hotel/
Pre-Entrance Exam - short list for Unitech -- http://www.unitech.ac.pg/entrance%20exam%201st%20sem%202012.pdf
Goilala -- http://www.goilala.com
the Gallery PNG -- http://www.thegallerypng.com
War mystery - Lost Without a Trace -- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8382624
PNG High Commission, Canberra, Australia -- http://www.pngcanberra.org
Papua New Guinea Tourism -- http://www.pngtourism.org.pg
Rotarians Against Malaria -- http://www.ram.com.pg
PNG Institute of Directors -- http://www.pngid.org.pg
Highlands to Islands -- http://hailanstoailans.com
News Items
Hagen Market Criminal Hotspot
Former city mayor and current councillor, Joseph Nikints, has described the main Mt Hagen market as a criminal hot spot.
-- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111202/news09.htm
Hello Greetings
The linked page contains greetings in many of the languages spoken in Papua New Guinea. Ethnologue lists 841 languages spoken in Papua New Guinea. There are 178 of these languages on this page -- http://users.elite.net/runner/jennifers/Country%20Greetings%20PNG.htm -- Can you help add to the list?
Shortfall
The PNG Govt is facing a US$400 million shortfall. The Post Courier reports former State Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare obtained the loan, from a little known investment company IPIC based out of Abu Dhabi in the Middle East.
-- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=64676
Government Watch List
A corruption task force has placed 33 prominent citizens - including politicians - on a watch list, advising Air Niugini chief executive, Wasantha Kumarasiri, to monitor their travel.
PX probes leaked list -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/26264
Armed Robbery Unit
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (Police) have set up a special unit to combat armed robberies. Armed robberies are known to increase in the lead up to the Christmas holidays especially in the National Capital District of Port Moresby.
Probe PNG Chancery Funds
The Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo, has instructed his Foreign Affairs Minister, Peter Shanel, to liaise with his PNG counterpart to deal with the controversial issue surrounding the PNG chancery in Honiara. The Chancery building came to a halt last year not long after Transworld Construction ran out of money to pay its employees and meet other contractual obligations.
-- http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/12967-pm-probe-png-chancery-funds
NASFUND
After nearly thirteen years Rod Mitchell is leaving NASFUND in the capable hands of the current co-CEO, Ian Tarutia, who will become sole Chief Executive Officer. In a letter to all members Mitchell has detailed many achievements and reported an annualised growth rate of 27.5%. Since privatisation in 2001, NASFund has not looked back. From a net asset balance of K125 million, NASFund is now worth in excess of K2.3 billion.
-- http://www.nasfund.com.pg
Kavieng Hospital
Medical staff at Kavieng Hospital have staged a sit-in protest over what they have described as a "decreasing level of medical services delivery" at the hospital's in-patients and out-patients departments. The medical staff have blamed hospital management for the improper prioritisation of hospital funds that have resulted in poor medical service delivery at the hospital.
-- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111128/news15.htm
Maternal Health
Decades of neglect, a failing health system and remote mountainous topography have created a "crisis in maternal health", according to a government taskforce in PNG. Maternal mortality rates in PNG doubled from 1996-2006, states the government's most recent national health survey, which prompted the government-appointed taskforce to find ways to make pregnancy less deadly.
-- http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=94352
Human Development Indicators
Each year since 1990 the Human Development Report has published the Human Development Index (HDI) which was introduced as an alternative to conventional measures of national development, such as level of income and the rate of economic growth. The HDI represents a push for a broader definition of well-being and provides a composite measure of three basic dimensions of human development: health, education and income. Papua New Guinea's HDI is 0.466, which gives the country a rank of 153 out of 187 countries with comparable data. The HDI of East Asia and the Pacific as a region increased from 0.428 in 1980 to 0.671 today, placing PNG below the regional average. The HDI trends tell an important story both at the national and regional level and highlight the very large gaps in well-being and life chances that continue to divide the interconnected world.
-- http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/PNG.html
Taiwan Files Lawsuit
The Taiwanese government has filed a suit in the United States to recover funds allegedly stolen by diplomatic broker Ching Chi Ju in a scandal involving PNG. The scandal broke during the final months of the administration of President Chen Shui-bian in 2008, when it became known that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had paid US$29.8 million (NT$1 billion) to two diplomatic brokers to persuade PNG to switch official relations from China to Taiwan.
-- http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1772804
Senior Officials Meeting
The 10th annual Senior Officials Meeting between PNG and Solomon Islands has recently concluded in Mount Hagen, Western Highlands province. The meetings were held between the 24th and the 25th of November 2011. The meeting brought together officials of the two countries to review and discuss their cooperative arrangements in their bilateral relations and suggest practical ways in advancing their bilateral interests.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?d12d2b
Harbour Cranes
PNG Ports has commissioned two new mobile cranes. One of the cranes will be used in Port Moresby and the other at Lae. Two more cranes will be commissioned in early 2012. The cranes are intended to improve the efficiency of cargo handling at the ports, including containers and general raw materials.
The cranes are equipped with technology that enables the manufacturer to access production and diagnostic data without interrupting the cranes operations.
-- http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/13688
Goroka Tech
Goroka Technical School in the Eastern Highlands has been earmarked to receive K2 million in the 2012 budget. This was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister Belden Namah on the occasion of the 52nd graduation of the school.
Govt to spend K1.2 billion on free education -- http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20111202/news04.htm
Sorcery Related Conviction
Two men, in Simbu Province, have each been jailed for 15 years for the murder of an elderly woman they had accused of sorcery. Justice Lawrence Kangwia, in passing sentence, said the courts must impose severe sentences to deter sorcery-related killings that he noted were rampant in the Highlands.
-- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/26194
A cleaner at the police barracks in the Kerowagi district of Simbu was recently hacked to death in a sorcery-related killing -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/26193
Aussie Judges
Two judges from Australia are now working in PNG. They have both been sworn in before Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio at the Government House and will each serve for three years.
New Goilala Web Site
The Goilala Foundation and Goilala District have recently launched a new web site. Goilala is about 26 minutes by air or 5 hours by road to the northwest direction from Port Moresby. The web site is located at -- http://www.goilala.com
Anglican Bishop Robbed
Only a few hours after the consecration of Bishop Lindsay Ihove as the new Anglican Church Bishop of Popondetta he was held up and robbed at gunpoint. Police have described the actions of the criminals as "lower than animals" and "unfit to cohabit among humans". They also said the robbery of such a senior church leader in Popondetta brought total shame to the people of Northern (Oro) province where the Anglican Church was the main Christian denomination.
-- http://www.abmission.org/news/view?id=7e5a298e5fbae768e99f67f95628d1eb&key=ICY6hW
Coming Events
Note: please verify any date mentioned as dates change and events can sometimes get cancelled. Of course I may also put down a wrong date.
Christmas Day - 24th December 2011
New Year's Eve - 31 Dec 2011
New Year's Day - 1 Jan 2012
Ride the Rivers Enduro - 24 and 25 March 2012
National Elections - Scheduled for June 2012
2012 PNG Games - Kokopo, East New Britain
Olympic boxing qualifying tournament - April 2012
2012 Milne Bay Critter & Adventure Expeditions with Bob Halstead & Graham Abbott
Milne Bay-Critters-Milne Bay: 17th April 2012 to 29th April 2012
Milne Bay-Critters-Milne Bay: 1st May 2012 to 13th May 2012
Alotau-Adventure Diving-Kimbe Bay: 15th May 2012 to 30th May 2012
-- http://diving4images.com/trips/milne-bay-critter-cruises
Mt Hagen Show - 11th and 12th of August 2012
Samarai and Milne Bay Reunion - Rydges Oasis Resort, Caloundra, Australia between the 7th and 9th of September 2012 -- http://www.loosenuts.com.au/www/index.php -- http://www.facebook.com/groups/121192744602253/
Pacific Mini Games - Wallis and Futuna 2013
2013 Pacific Netball Series (hosted by Fiji)
Full Pacific Games - PNG 2015 -- http://giaman.com/pg/?081f78
Pacific Mini Games - Vanuatu 2017
Do you have an event that you want advertised? - Use the submission form located at -- http://www.pnggossip.com/misc/ctc.html
PNG Media
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