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PNG News Links
UN calls on PNG to reconsider death penalty policy -- http://giaman.com/pg/?77b170
Alarm at drugs on streets -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63597
Catholic Archbishop urges PNG Government to be honest about land claim -- http://giaman.com/pg/?9d9079
Tribe gave girls as compo -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63594
Alarm at drugs on streets -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63597
POM PMV fares still 80 toea -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63589
Misc. Links
Institute of Internal Auditors PNG -- http://www.iia.org.pg
New visa renewal process affects students -- http://giaman.com/pg/?7c8ed2
International development aid: a 'hand out' or a 'leg up'? -- http://giaman.com/pg/?c3c3c6
PNG's capital considers ban on plastic -- http://giaman.com/pg/?59085b
WWII history in Papua New Guinea with a P&O cruise on the Pacific Dawn -- http://giaman.com/pg/?30a791
Do Kokoda -- http://www.dokokoda.com
Ambassadors Golf Day -- http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=258925
Carvings at the Louvre -- http://giaman.com/pg/?45544c
Rescuers ill-equipped -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63456
Babies born by phone light -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63359
PNG Images
A trek to the village time forgot -- http://giaman.com/pg/?658d37
Birds of Paradise -- http://www.youtube.com/embed/REP4S0uqEOc
The road from Aiyura to Kainantu -- http://vimeo.com/85704288
PNG Blogs
The Stamp on My Soul -- http://gracefabian.com/pages/the-stamp-on-my-soul
Where has the Panguna Landowners' Trust Money Gone? -- http://giaman.com/pg/?8bcea2
Three Month Countdown -- http://giaman.com/pg/?be9e6e
"Incompetent" Madang Mining Office fails to acquit funds -- http://giaman.com/pg/?ce3050
News Items
Cricket
Papua New Guinea has been the feel good story of the Cricket World Cup qualifying tournament and the side's coach believes they will continue to surprise. PNG proved they belong at the T20 qualifier, beating associate cricket stronghold Ireland in a warm up game and also securing victories against Kenya, the Netherlands and Namibia during the event proper.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?6752cd
PNG cricketers careful of a different kind of drive -- http://giaman.com/pg/?bbfd15
PM Visits ARB
Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, has made a historic visit to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB). It's the first such trip since the end of the civil war in the late 90s.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?ea2960
Bougainville and Port Moresby sort funding differences -- http://giaman.com/pg/?a8887a
Bougainville Mine
Bougainville is on the brink of reopening the controversial mining operation that sparked its civil war. With a heavily armed population and a generation of unemployed youth, conditions are ripe for violence.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?5927d7
National Fisheries
Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's government has removed the boss of PNG's national fisheries authority, Sylvester Pokajam. Pokajam transformed the fishing industry in Papua New Guinea attracting massive investment from some of the worlds major tuna processing companies. He worked closely with the Secretariat to the Parties to the Nauru Agreement - the PNA - on issues like enforcing the placement of pacific islanders as observers on tuna fishing vessels.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?abfeb0
Sub-Standard Drugs
An investigation into the standard of anti-malarial drugs being imported into Papua New Guinea has found examples of a sub-standard brand at all levels of the public supply chain.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?5eb212
Police Ministry
Re-elected Madang MP Nixon Duban has been re-appointed as Police Minister.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?e389a4
Population Growth
A spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands said that an increase in population, far from being a "nightmare," could mean social and economic growth for the country.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?68e8a6
Kokopo Stadium
A K2 million stadium with a synthetic track will be built in Kokopo this year. The stadium will be built at the Takubar Sports Ground. Minister for Sports, Justin Tkatchenko, revealed to the National newspaper that the funding from the national government through the PNG Sports Foundation is set to propel the East New Britain tourism hub to another level in sports.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?9c7b8f
British Actor Faces Terror
Actor Ross Kemp has been captured on camera in a terrifying face-off with armed guerrillas as he filmed his latest show in PNG. Kemp described PNG as "one of the most violent societies I've ever encountered" and said, while he tried not to be judgmental when making his documentaries, "when you look at the stats in terms of how much violence is committed against women in particular - there are some things that are unacceptable."
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?31a1e5
Air Niugini
The Government, under Prime Minister Peter O'Neil, has indicated the possibility of listing the national carrier, Air Niugini, on the Port Moresby stock exchange. The main reason behind this move is to raise more capital to purchase two more dreamliners.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?cc4adf
Sports Foundation Calendar
The PNG Sports Foundation has launched its calendar for 2014. Sports and Pacific Games Minister, Justin Tkatchenko, said the calendar was a first of its kind and an initiative by the Sports Foundation.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?ae55ed
PNG Games
The National Government commitment to the sixth PNG Games in Lae will be K8.5 million and not K23 million as expected by the Host Organising Committee.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?cbe186
Asylum Seeker Detention Centre
Non-government organisation Transparency International Papua New Guinea says there is a strong chance that asylum seekers held at Manus Island will be able to contest their detention.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?10bcbc
Asylum seeker protest on PNG's Manus spreads -- http://giaman.com/pg/?fd75ed
Transfield to look after detainee services -- http://giaman.com/pg/?62dc86
Japanese PM Considers Visit
Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is considering visiting South Pacific nations such as Palau and Papua New Guinea - gruelling battlefields of World War II - over the next two years.
Around 2.4 million Japanese died outside Japan during the war, and more than 300,000 remains are believed to be buried in the region.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?94e2f5
Border Currency MoU
The governments of Indonesia and PNG have signed a memorandum of understanding on the use of the Indonesian rupiah and PNG kina in the two countries' border areas. Bank of PNG Deputy Governor, Benny Popoitai, said the MoU was very important for the central banks of both Indonesia and PNG as it would help them deal with finance-sector problems in border areas. The MoU would also allow people in both countries to enjoy a good exchange mechanism and facilities.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?411d40
Kokoda Accident Report
Aviation safety investigations and reports - Controlled flight into terrain - 11 km south-east of Kokoda Airstrip, Papua New Guinea, 11 August 2009, P2-MCB, De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?303135
Madang Politicians Jailed
Political rivals Anton Yagama and Peter Yama have both been jailed for nine and six months respectively for being in contempt of court. Yagama is the Usino-Bundi MP and Yama is a prominent businessman and a former MP of the electorate.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?fbdfff
Betel Nut Battle
Health officials in PNG are concerned over rising levels of oral cancer in betel nut chewers amid a controversial ban on its usage in the capital, Port Moresby. Upwards of 25,000 people die annually from mouth cancer, many more than the 15,000 just a few years earlier, according to the Department of Health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) cites the nation as having the highest incidence of mouth cancer - 32.3 cases per 100,000 men and 26 cases per 100,000 women - in the world. "It's the biggest cancer killer of men in PNG today," William Adu-Crow, the WHO country representative, confirmed. -- http://www.who.int/oral_health/publications/oral_cancer_brochure.pdf
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?3bf6ee
Penrith Sign PNG Youngster
A 19 year-old with size 15 boots has been signed by the NSW NRL Team, the Penrith Panthers direct from PNG. Wellington Albert who stands 194-centimetre and weighs 104-kilograms is the first Papua New Guinean to receive a NRL contract directly from his home country.
Since signing with the Panthers and joining fellow Papua New Guinean James Segeyaro at the club, the news has hardly made a noise in rugby league circles in Australia. But back home in PNG, the softly spoken Albert has become a household name.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?3dbf6d
PNG Football Association
The Papua New Guinea Football Association technical department is upping their efforts to increase the skills of its local coaches in 2014. PNGFA technical director Taku Niebo is leading the charge as the department looks to incorporate more coaches who have trained through the courses offered by FIFA and OFC.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?651685
Revoke Land Leases
The chairman of PNG's land scandal inquiry says flawed leases over millions of hectares of traditional land need to be revoked. Many of the leases are for 99 years. Hundreds of thousands of landowners and 5.2 million hectares of land are affected by the leases referred to the Commission of Inquiry.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?ce6c24
PNG NGO's question value of PM's land taskforce. The Chairman of the PNG Chapter of Transparency International, Lawrence Stephens, says logging companies are making huge profits and don't want the leases revoked.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?664602
Vale
PNG has lost lawyer Peter Donigi and women's leader, Scholla Kakas. Both were distinguished and pre-eminent Papua New Guineans who had served the nation and its citizens meritoriously as public servants and as leaders in their own right.
-- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63591
Nation mourns Kakas -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63536
Women want state funeral -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/63593
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.
The Community Coalition Against Corruption is hosting an Open Forum on the K71 million Health Contract that's still puzzling PNGeans everywhere. The Contract was awarded to Borneo Pharmacy. The Open Forum is on the 3rd of February 2014 between 10am - 12pm at the New Lecture Theatre, Medical Faculty, Taurama Campus (next to Port Moresby General Hospital) -- ccac.tipng@gmail.com
Perth PNGAA Reunion 11 April 2014 at Airforce Home Village Complex, Bull Creek 11.30am to 2.30pm
5th Melanesian Festival of Arts - July 2014
Rabaul Mask Festival 16-21 July
Remembrance Day - 23rd July 2014
Wewak Crocodile Festival 5-7 August
National Day of Repentance - 26th of August 2014
Dedication of Plaque Commemorating Battle of Bita Paka - Saturday 6 September 2014 -- https://www.facebook.com/events/560048074067522
Goroka Show 13-14 September
Independence Day - 16th September 2014
Morobe Show 11-12 October
Alotau Canoe and Kundu Festival 1-2 November
6th PNG Games - Lae - November 2014
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - 25 November 2014
Christmas Day - 25th December 2014
Boxing Day - 26th December 2014
Full Pacific Games - PNG 4th July to 18th July 2015 -- http://giaman.com/pg/?081f78
Pacific Mini Games - Vanuatu 2017
2018 - APEC summit to be held in Port Moresby.
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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