New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan has strongly condemned the recent rise in criminal activities in the Province. During a special Government situation group meeting on Friday 20th January, he called on the Police force in the Province to use whatever force necessary to catch the criminals and contain the law and order situation in the Province. “Do not leave any stones unturned. Arrest all of them and make them pay for the pain and loss they have caused. If it means severe punishment, then so be it. We must never normalize the actions of these animalistic criminals. No criminal is welcome in New Ireland,” said Sir J. Sir J said his Government takes the safety of its citizens, visitors and business houses seriously and no one should ever have to go through such monsterous ordeals. “New Irelanders are peaceful welcoming people. I don’t want to put the blame on people from other provinces, but when there is a threat, we have to protect New Ireland from outside elements.We must take whatever action possible. We already have a vagrancy act in the Province, we will not hesitate to activate it,” said Sir J. Sir J is calling on all New Irelanders and the general public to work together to maintain Law and Order in the Province. “ Don’t harbour any of these criminals and report any sightings of known suspects to the police immediately.” “The Future of all New Irelanders depends on the actions we take today. Evil Triumphs when Good men do nothing.

Influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan will remain in police custody until February 27 after a Romanian court on Friday extended their detention, Tate’s lawyers told CNN affiliate Antena 3. The brothers are being investigated on allegations of human trafficking and rape. Authorities in Romania said police served search warrants at five homes and took four suspects into custody – two Britons and two Romanians – as part of the investigation. Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) initially said the four suspects had been detained for 24 hours. A Bucharest court accepted an application by DIICOT to hold Tate and his brother Tristan in custody for a further 30 days, their lawyer Eugen Vidineac said on December 30. This has been extended again to February 27. DIICOT alleged that the four suspects formed an organized criminal group that stretched from Romania to Britain and the United States, for the purpose of committing the crime of human trafficking. The agency said last Thursday that seven more properties had been searched as part of the investigation, bringing the total number of properties probed to 12. The authorities allege that two of the suspects misled the victims “into believing that they intended to enter into a marriage/cohabitation relationship” while transporting victims to Romania and later sexually exploiting them with physical violence and coercion. Authorities also said one of the suspects raped a victim on two separate occasions in March 2022. At least six victims were allegedly “sexually exploited by the organized criminal group,” the DIICOT statement said. On Monday, Romanian authorities said they had seized nearly $4 million worth of assets belonging to Tate over the past week. Among the 29 seized assets are motor vehicles, luxury watches and sums of money in several different currencies, the country’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ANABI) said. Tate, a former professional kickboxer, is known for his viral rants online about male dominance, female submission and wealth. He openly advocates violence against women, and had previously been banned from every major social media platform until Elon Musk reinstated his Twitter account after taking over the company. He rose in prominence earlier this year, with many adults including school teachers voicing alarm about his misogynistic ideas taking root in the minds of countless young boys. Before it was taken down, his TikTok account racked up about 11.6 billion views. He made headlines the week of his arrest for a Twitter interaction with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who told Tate to get a life after he tweeted about his numerous cars “and their respective enormous emissions.” Source: CNN

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been fined by police for failing to wear a seatbelt while riding in a car. Sunak, who was filming a social media clip at the time of the offense, received a “conditional offer of fixed penalty” by Lancashire Constabulary. A Downing Street spokesperson on Friday said the British leader “will of course comply” with the penalty. “The Prime Minister fully accepts this was a mistake,” the spokesperson added. Sunak’s spokesperson had previously said on Thursday that Sunak apologized for a “brief error of judgment” while he filmed an Instagram video in northern England, and urged people to wear their seatbelt. Lancashire Police said: “You will be aware that a video has been circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seat belt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire. “After looking into this matter, we have today (Friday, January 20th) issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.” In the UK, failure to wear a seatbelt when one is available can result in a fine of up to £500, unless you are covered by a valid exception. This is the second time police have fined Sunak while he holds public office. In August 2022, Sunak, then finance minister, and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson were fined by police over lockdown-breaking parties held on UK government premises. Source: CNN

Part of the Theodist business model is to positively impact the communities where we live and conduct our business, which is why Theodist works closely with organizations and programs that have a positive impact on the community. One such partnership is with Cheshire disAbility Services, which has seen both organizations develop close working ties over the years. Theodist was pleased to renew the partnership with a K25,000.00 donation, which was presented in the main Theodist Showroom along Waigani Drive. The donation will go towards assisting in the various programs that the organization currently has running, especially those dealing with school-aged children. The aim of the majority of the programs is to improve the care and awareness of proper home care, of children and people in general who have disabilities so that they can be cared for at home. In his acceptance speech, the General Manager of Cheshire disAbility Services Mr. Benson Hahambu said that though the organization did receive assistance from the Government, it was the generosity of organizations like Theodist that helped to keep their programs running. Corporate Development Manager for Theodist Ltd Mr. Ryan Pini said that Theodist was proud to partner with organizations such as Cheshire disAbility Services and the great work they do in the community. “Theodist respects and admires the work done by Cheshire DisAbility services and we are honored to be able to assist. We look forward to our continued partnership for many years to come,” added Mr. Pini

BSP Life PNG Limited has provided life insurance cover to over 400 plus public servants in East Sepik Province effective 21st November, 2022. This is an initiative of the Office of the Governor of East Sepik Province Honourable Allan Bird and the Provincial Administration in pursuit of equitable allocation of resources for public service in the province who pass away whilst working in the province. East Sepik Provincial Administrator Samson Torovi in thanking the BSP Life team who visited his office on 30th November, 2022, said the East Sepik Provincial Government values its employees who are the greatest assets in the process of service delivery in the province. He further added that the East Sepik Provincial Government is committed to be accountable to the civil service of this province to deliver the expected service needs of the people. “In doing so, the East Sepik Provincial Government is accountable to give prominence and farewell its employees upon inflicting injury and death during the cause of employment. As a responsible provincial government, its employees must be given the recognition and salutation for their contributions to the development of the province.” Mr Torovi said their records have shown that there have been disparities in the distribution of resources (finance and physical assets) when it comes to funeral assistance to the employee at the time of death. “While some employees have benefited the most, others have not. These disparities depend mainly on the availability and non-availability of resources at the time of death and/or injury, and as well as seniority of the employee whereby senior rank employees are given more share of the cake than the junior employees. “Therefore, in the spirit of accountability, equality, justice and fairness, the East Sepik Provincial Government as an accountable government, has pioneered into entering the Group Term Life Insurance Cover with BSP Life PNG Limited. This we see as a way forward in addressing and remedying the disparities and unequal distribution of the provincial government’s resources in repatriating its deceased employees whilst in service,” Mr. Torovi further added. In congratulating and thanking the East Sepik Provincial Government and Administration for this great initiative, BSP Life Country Manager, Nilson Singh said taking up life insurance is one of the most important decisions an organisation can make for its staff because it provides peace of mind and a sense of security to employees should anything happen to them. “Employees want to protect their families and loved ones and having life insurance takes away that stress. If something were to happen to an employee, an employer-sponsored life insurance policy like this helps the family manage expenses, including mortgages, car payments, loans and everyday bills that often become a burden when a family member passes away,” Mr. Singh said. Mr Singh further stated that East Sepik Province is the first province to take up such life cover for its public servants, and hope that other provinces will do likewise for their public servants

As part of Kumul Petroleum's ongoing support to the health sector, the inaugural Kumul Petroleum Charity Golf for ANGAU Cancer Center was launched last Thursday 12th at the Lae Golf Club by Mr. Luke Liria - Executive General Manager, Corporate Affairs. Proceeds from the golf challenge will go toward supporting the Cancer Services at the Morobe Provincial Health Authority in purchasing critical chemotherapy drugs and consumables for ANGAU Cancer Services. KPHL has signed an MOU with the Morobe Provincial Health Authority to fund a total of K15m to refit the ANGAU cancer unit. The charity event will complement the MOU as this will be held annually. The charity golf event will be held at the Lae Golf Club on 03rd February with great prizes for the lucky winners. Kumul Petroleum is calling on all business houses in and around Morobe and elsewhere in PNG to support this worthy cause.

A total of 42 staff from the Public Solicitors Office successfully completed Nambawan Super Limited’s (NSL) Free Financial Literacy Training (FLT), conducted in Kokopo, East New Britain Province. The training participants included the Deputy Public Solicitor for Civil and Crimes, Solicitors in Charge of branch offices, Principal Legal Officers for each legal section in the headquarters, and Managers for corporate sections. The training was delivered over five days, covering all five modules of the FLT program. Participants learned about the importance of saving, budgeting, planning for their retirement, how to buy or build their own home, and how to start a micro, small medium enterprise (MSME). After completing the training, several participants immediately put into practice what they had learned and committed to increasing their retirement savings through Voluntary Contributions with Nambawan Super. Speaking to his managers during the training, the Public Solicitor Mr. Leslie Mamu, stressed that for there to be effective management of the Office, a manager must be financially grounded and sound. “Finance is a personal challenge. If you can manage yourself and your finances, that reflects on what you bring to the table in managing the Office”, Mr. Mamu said. The Public Solicitor expressed gratitude to NSL’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Paul Sayer, and the NSL Team for the exceptional delivery of the financial literacy modules. He added that the sessions were helpful and liberating because most of the managers were struggling financially. Mr. Sayer remarked, “We are very pleased that the Public Solicitors Office took the initiative to empower their staff through utilising our free Member FLT program. I am sure that the skills they have learned will prove very useful in their day-to-day lives whilst also boosting their performance in the Office”. “Nambawan Super encourages Members to think about saving more throughout their working life to ensure a more comfortable retirement. By learning how to manage their income and personal finances, Members will be better prepared to utlilise their savings to buy or build a home, run an MSME or simply enjoy their retirement.” “As the Trustee for 214,000 Members, our purpose is to help Members achieve their best retirement outcomes and retire with financial security and dignity.” “We aim to continue working with stakeholders and our employer groups to encourage more Papua New Guineans to prioritise their retirement savings and utilise our superannuation products to help build a better future”, he added Nambawan Super offers five modules of our FREE, fully certified FLT course including: Module 1 – Taking Charge of Personal Finances Module 2 – NSL Superannuation Products and Services Module 3 – Planning for Retirement Module 4 – Buying Your Own Home Module 5 – Financial Literacy Skills for Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME’s)

Kotoni Staggs is on track for a big 2023 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery in the off-season. The star centre carried a torn labrum for a majority of last season after injuring himself on debut for NSW in State of Origin. “I tore my labrum in Origin 1, I didn’t know much about it, I didn’t get scans until after the season and the scans showed that it was torn,” Staggs said. “I had to go in and get surgery and get it fixed up, it was good to get it done in the off-season so I could be right for this year. “It was sore after I did it, I just didn’t want to let my teammates down. I knew we were having a good season and winning some games, we were a good chance for finals so I didn’t want to get surgery midway through the season and miss the end of the year and let the boys down.” The 24-year-old’s recovery has been closely monitored in the off-season by Broncos high performance staff. “The body is feeling really good at that moment, I’ve come back and had the physio looking after me and they’ve done a great job,” he said. “The surgery takes my mind off something I was worrying about last year, I can focus on myself now and not the niggles in my shoulder. “I can focus on the way I am playing and also prepping my body and getting all the recovery I should be getting. “I’m on track to play in the trial matches this year and I should be right for Round 1. It’s gotten a lot better over the time.” Staggs dons a red bib at Red Hill training, meaning he’s not yet allowed to be in full contact, but he is hopeful to discard the last remnants of his injury in the next few days. “I should be out of the red bib in a week or two, just depending on how I go in our wrestle sessions this week,” he said. “I’m gradually getting better each week, hopefully it comes off soon, the shoulder is feeling good. I’ve had a lot of people supporting me right throughout the process, the best physios and best people looking after me. “It’s been a long couple of weeks and months, it all comes down to getting myself right physically and mentally for the season.” The Broncos have had a strong pre-season and are heading in the right direction according to Staggs. “This preseason we have gotten a lot stronger together,” he said. “Last year was an improvement on the previous years, we had seven wins in a row at one stage, which was pretty good from where we have come from. “We just want to improve on that, we don’t want to change much. “We just want to play for each other, go out there and give what the fans want, they are the reason we go out and do what we do, if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we are, so we want to give back to all the members and fans out there and we want to have a good season for them and also the organisation here.” Source: NRL.Com

Barrick Gold Corporation Chief Executive Officer Mark Bristow has urged all PNG parties involved in the Porgera Mine reopening negotiations to complete the process by the end of the first quarter 2023. Bristow was in country as part of his quarterly visits to all Barrick owned and operated mines. In Port Moresby, Bristow met with Prime Minister James Marape, Mining Minister Sir Ano Pala, State Owned Enterprise Minister William Duma, Internal Security Minister Peter Tsiamalili Jr, Vice Minister of State Negotiations Jimmy Maladina, State Solicitor Daniel Rolpagarea and State Negotiation Team Chairman Dairi Vele. He also travelled to Porgera to meet with landowner and community leaders. This is Bristow’s 17th visit to PNG since joining Barrick as CEO in 2019. “The Porgera Mine has been closed for almost three years without good reason. When I visited the mine again yesterday, the landowners and community pleaded for the restart of the mine so that the local economy could be revived and put an end to their suffering. Despite the partnership with the State that we have built, it is unfortunate that certain critical issues remain to be resolved to enable the restart of the mine.” Mr. Bristow said. Porgera was placed under care and maintenance in April 2020. “Delaying the restart of Porgera is not in any stakeholder’s interest, especially the people of Porgera and PNG who have been deprived of the economic benefits of the mine for too long. It would be remiss of us to ignore the impact that the mine closure has had on the residents of Porgera Valley, local and national businesses, and the country’s economy as a whole. Barrick is ready to start the process of reopening the mine. What is needed is equal urgency on the part of all other parties to resolve the remaining issues,” Bristow said. While awaiting the restart of the mine, Bristow also urged government authorities to take necessary actions to restore essential government services to Porgera. Since the national elections of July last year, communities have been unable to access health, judicial, education and banking services in the Porgera Valley due to tribal conflicts, warlordism and ongoing law and order issues. Bristow was pleased with the news of the Ceasefire Agreement signed between the two warring clans this week in Wabag, and commended the Porgera Crisis Management team for their work in ensuring this important agreement was signed. Bristow agreed with the women’s group in Porgera that more action still needs to be taken by Government Authorities and local leaders to ensure security and normalcy returns to the district.

The Director for Crimes Chief Inspector (CIP)Joel Simatab presented a total of six new desktop computers worth K26,000 to the Provincial Police Commander (PPC) of Western Highlands Superintendent John Sagom on Wednesday January 18 at the National Police Headquarters in Konedobu in the National Capital District. CIP Simatab said these computers will aid the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in the province to do their job well and update the Crimes Division on crime reports and investigations. He said the initiative of providing logistical support to CIDs in all provinces will be rolled out with this being the first to polish up law and order in support of the Commissioner’s intent for 2023. “It’s a timely approach to back up our investigators in the provinces as it goes in line with the Commissioner’s intent for 2023 to be the year of Law Enforcement,” says Mr Simatab. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Crimes Hodges Ette said, “For many years there was no proper coordination between the provinces and the Police Headquarters, and it has come to our attention that we need to support our team in the provinces.” He said this will be the first of its kind to give out computers and there will also be a roll out of other programs such as the Crime Management System and Police Clearance capability in provinces. “A lot of times we do not get the updates of major cases on time from the provinces due to the nonavailability of computers, so we have decided that the time for excuses is over. With the presentation of these computers, we will be expecting proper reports daily,” says ACP Ette. PPC Western Highlands Superintendent John Sagom said that he is thankful for this great support and for being able to see the importance of having resources to conduct investigations. He said his CIDs in the province operate on one computer only which makes the workload quite a lot, but he is a relieved commander with this assistance from headquarters. “With this support, we will make sure that investigations are done properly, we will build up good cases and provide material facts to the court. The intent of the Commissioner for 2023 will be implemented at the provincial and district levels as well,” said PPC Sagom. Mr Simatab said the next province to get its logistical support will be the East New Britain Province.

The National Parliament passed a landmark legislation yesterday when it unanimously voted for the National Trade Bill 2023. The bill was presented by the Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru who, in 2017 introduced the National Trade Policy and the SME Policy and Master Plan. Minister Maru said the National Trade Bill 2023 was one of the most important laws in terms of trade and investment because it was set out to achieving the PNG Vision 2050 which specifically notes the importance of diversifying the economy by promoting and expanding trade and investment in the country. “The Bill seeks to address the need for the anchorage of the trade policy function of the government, as well as giving the legal mandate to the newly established National Trade Office to carry out its powers and functions as envisioned under the Trade Policy. The Bill serves to clearly define the functions of the Ministry and the trade policy administration which has been lacking since independence,” said Minister Maru. “For the last 47 years, PNG has been making reactive, uncoordinated, and ad-hoc decisions on trade matters which have resulted in inconsistent, and at times even conflicting decisions on trade issues, duplication of trade roles and responsibilities, and wastage of government resources. Furthermore, the trade function has been continuously transferred between the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Commerce and Industry, as a division where its activities and programs were not a priority. These shifts in the Trade function between the Ministries occurred about fourteen times since independence which also resulted in the loss of institutional knowledge and memory, lack of proper coordination in trade negotiations, trade policy formulation and implementation and as a consequence, trade and economic interests of the country being compromised. This is one of the reasons why our friends from the Pacific are able to export their taro, ginger, and handicrafts to Australia and New Zealand while PNG which represents over 80 percent of the population and landmass in the region cannot get our agricultural and fisheries products into the Australian and New Zealand markets. This is because they have a coordinating entity with a legal framework unlike PNG,” said Minister Maru. “PNG’s reliance on a few export commodities for foreign currency earnings and the lack of import substitution on basic food items has caused the unbalanced trade performance that is weakening the country’s GDP growth and our foreign reserves. It is also contributing to the social fall-out that we are seeing where our young people who have their secondary and tertiary education cannot find jobs,” said Minister Maru. “This is an immediate and urgent call for PNG to have a competent and dedicated office with a clear legal mandate to identify, negotiate and secure new and better market access for our goods and services, and also promote transparency and predictability in trade policy formulation, trade negotiations, and trade policy implementation in the country,” Minister Maru added. Minister Maru said the National Trade Bill 2023 will ensure that the appropriate linkages are established between all relevant stakeholders both domestically and internationally, for PNG to achieve the National Trade Policy Vision of becoming an internationally competitive export-driven economy, that is built on and aided by an efficient and expanding domestic market. “In the long term, gains from a robust trade policy and this National Trade Bill 2023 will contribute to alleviating poverty and advance PNG’s social and economic well-being. Evermore so, trade has been identified by several international organizations such as the World Bank as a tool to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic going forward,” said Minister Maru. “The successful enactment of this Bill will be another legacy initiative that demonstrates that the Marape-Rosso Government is serious about its commitment to undertake reforms necessary for PNG’s economic prosperity,” said Minister Maru.

UNFPA has delivered 850 dignity kits for women and girls affected by election-related violence in Enga and Southern Highlands. The kits contain period essentials and hygiene items such as soap and a towel. For displaced persons, or communities isolated by violence, access to these basics can be challenging. The provision of dignity kits is a small step towards ensuring the health and hygiene of women and girls is protected, providing them with dignity and preventing secondary health issues such as infections. UNFPA works with partners in the region to ensure these kits reach the affected communities most in need. 300 kits were delivered to the Enga Provincial Health Authority, 300 to Mendi Hospital, and 250 to the Diocese of Mendi. Bishop Donald Lippert expressed his gratitude, sharing “many thanks to UNFPA for thinking of our displaced and struggling women at this time.” The work of our partners, their staff and their volunteers is critical to delivering assistance where it is most needed. UNFPA will be providing further assistance to women and girls affected by conflict in the region with the provision of additional dignity kits and reproductive health kits, including three delivery assistance kits for health care providers that can service up to 30,000 people for 3 months. These additional kits are being procured with support from USAID.