“In our continued efforts to improving our ATM services, BSP is installing 120 new ATM machines and is working to ensure our ATMs are available for customers to easily access cash,” says BSP Retail Group General Manager Daniel Faunt. “So far, 27 old machines in the National Capital District (NCD) have been replaced, with 93 more to be installed by the end of March 2023 in NCD and in Lae. We have seen significantly improved performance from these new machines. Last week for example, the new ATMs installed at Vision City had an uptime of 91%. “These new machines have also been installed at Waterfront, TST 4 Mile, BSP Haus, Badili, Koki and Harbour City. Port Moresby General Hospital, BSP Gordons Commercial Centre and Port Moresby Branch ATMs will be replaced in coming weeks,” Mr Faunt said. In addition to installing new ATM’s, BSP has taken a number of other measures, which has seen an improvement in ATM uptimes. These includes software fixes, improved online monitoring capability, increased level of resourcing for ATM management and training for all technical staff. “ATM outages are invariably not related to cash availability as all BSP ATMs carry sufficient levels of cash and there is more than ample liquidity in the banking system. The quality of bank notes does however affect ATM uptimes and “whilst BSP does a significant amount of work to ensure ATM quality cash is available through our muting processes, unfortunately at times the poor quality of PNG bank notes does impact ATM hardware,” Mr Faunt added. BSP operates a fleet of 330 ATM machines in PNG including 121 ATMs in NCD. ATM outages can be caused by a range of internal and external factors. [caption id="attachment_34494" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] BSP Retail Group GM Daniel explaining contributing issues of ATM downtime while BSP Deputy Chief Operating Officer Guy Thomas looks on.[/caption] “Internal factors include ensuring the hardware and software components of the ATM machines are operational, ensuring there is sufficient supply of acceptable quality notes and ensuring there is available resourcing to manage ATMs both within bank premises and at our large number of remote ATMs. External factors can include general security environment, accessibility of remote premises where ATMs reside, power and backup generator power availability and cash denomination quality and quantity. The vast majority of outages continue to be caused both by note quality and due to more frequent and prolonged power blackouts throughout the country,” he further added. BSP Deputy Chief Operating Officer Guy Thomas said BSP monitors ATMs 24/7 to ensure BSP is aware of issues as soon as they occur. “Many issues are able to be reset remotely, so will result in only a short downtime. In instances where bank notes and cards are jammed, ATMs will require a maintenance engineer to attend to the machine. We have more teams of technicians now operating to ensure they can quickly get to the sites that need support.” Mr Thomas added that the high use of cash in PNG means that many bank notes tend to be of poorer quality than ATMs can handle and BSP tries its best to ensure there is an adequate supply of quality bank notes to minimise ATM downtime. BSP encourages customers to contact the BSP Call Centre if there are any ATM machines that are not operational and BSP teams will attend to them as soon as possible. BSP also encourages customers to utilise digital means to facilitate their transactions including BSP Mobile Banking which is a far more secure and convenient channel for customers to use. Should customers require cash, they can also access cash-back services at all EFTPoS merchants and via BSPs network of over 250 agents nationwide.

Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru welcomed Australian Government’s Commitment to work with Papua New Guinea on the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Minister Maru in his meeting today with the Australian High Commissioner to PNG, His Excellency Jon Philp said that he wanted to particularly work with the Australian Government and investors in the Manus Special Economic Region and the Western Province SEZ. Minister Maru also said that he wanted to work with the Australian Government and investors to look into the development of feed industry, cotton industry, cattle industry and the chicken industry of PNG. “We need to have more competition across all industries and new industries to replace imports, create jobs and create wealth for our citizens. I am committed to assist Australian investors to take care of issues like the land issues if they are keen to invest in these industries that are of great importance to PNG,” said Minister Maru. Minister Maru also requested the Australian Government to help PNG fund the development of hybrid electricity systems, especially solar farms, mainly at areas that were using expensive diesel generators, especially in provinces like Manus, New Ireland and East and West Sepik Provinces. “We cannot attract investors and grow and develop our economy without cheap and reliable energy. Apart from law and order, cheap and reliable energy is key to economic growth,” said Minister Maru. Minister Maru also added that Carbon Credit was one of the areas that Australia could help PNG with. “This can be our next biggest industry with the world heading towards total decarbonization by 2050,” said Minister Maru.

Pacific Industries Ltd has donated more than 320 cartons of Pepsi Max to “Friends of POMGEN” at the Port Moresby General Hospital. This donation continues Pacific Industries’ history of donating products to Papua New Guinea’s emergency services workers to thank them for the work they do in our community. “We’re very happy to make this donation” Pacific Industries director Everett Chue said. “Healthcare workers have had a busy couple of years, and they always work incredibly hard to give their best, we’re happy to donate to ‘Friends of POMGEN’, they are doing great things for the hospital.” Operations Coordinator for ‘Friends of POMGEN’ Grace Roland said they were extremely grateful for the donation. “Thank you to Pacific Industries, not just for this donation but all their support of our appeals” Now in its third year, ‘Friends of POMGEN’ is the charity arm of the Port Moresby General Hospital. “Donations that come in are based on our charity drives where we callout to the community to get their support to assist the hospital. The operations here need a budget and sometimes we get a little slice from the government but it’s not adequate enough” Grace said. “Donations like this will go to staff it would be nice to give to them to have with their lunch”. “They work so hard so it’s nice to be able to do something for them” she said. “We are always on the lookout for donations, this hospital has needs every day. People can drop by goods, PP supplies, essential supplies, blankets, pillows and what not for the patients.” The 320 cartons will go to doctors and nurses to enjoy on their lunch and dinner breaks.

A rights group wants to see the Papua New Guinea government make real progress in dealing with violence against women. Human Rights Watch, which released its 2023 World Report last week, said PNG remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for females, with weak law enforcement fostering a culture of impunity. It said more than 1.5 million people experience gender-based violence each year. The group's Asia director Elaine Pearson said laws designed to protect women and children are rarely enforced. "We have seen some movement in the PNG parliament to address the issues of violence against women, but frankly we need to see more than political will, we actually need to see perpetrators of these abuses, who've engaged in domestic violence, that has sometimes resulted in the killing of women in Papua New Guinea, to be held to account. "And that means prosecutions and that means convictions," she said. Human Rights Watch also said initiatives such as the Family Sexual and Violence Units within the police force remain limited, while the lack of services for survivors of gender-based violence compounds the problem. In February 2022, parliament passed legislation to strengthen criminal penalties for 'sorcery'-related violence, which the group said continues. Human Rights Watch said that last July, following the death of a prominent businessman, nine women in Enga Province were accused of "sorcery" by members of the businessman's tribe and were splashed with petrol, burned, and assaulted with hot iron rods. "Police rescued five of the women, but assailants killed four," it said. "Perpetrators of 'sorcery'-related violence are rarely prosecuted. At time of writing, it appeared that no arrests had been made in the case, although the police commander said key suspects would be arrested soon." The organisation also pointed that PNG has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with more than 2000 women and girls dying in childbirth each year. It said these deaths are largely preventable but the risk of maternal death is increased by limited access to hospitals, with more than 80 percent of the population living rurally. Source: rnz.com

Dozens of people have been killed after a plane with 72 people on board crashed near an airport in central Nepal. The Yeti Airlines flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara crashed on landing before catching fire. Videos posted on social media show an aircraft flying low over a populated area before banking sharply. At least 68 people are confirmed to have died, officials said. Several critically injured survivors were taken to hospital, unconfirmed reports said. Local resident Divya Dhakal told the BBC how she rushed to the crash site after seeing the aircraft plunge from the sky shortly after 11:00am local time (05:15 GMT). "By the time I was there the crash site was already crowded. There was huge smoke coming from the flames of the plane. And then helicopters came over in no time," she said. "The pilot tried his best to not hit civilisation or any home," she added. "There was a small space right beside the Seti River and the flight hit the ground in that small space." The flight set out with 68 passengers on board, including at least 15 foreign nationals, and four crew members. Hundreds of Nepalese soldiers were involved in the operation at the crash site in the gorge of the Seti, just one and a half kilometres from the airport. The search operation has been suspended for the day, officials say. Video taken where the plane came down showed thick billowing black smoke and burning debris. "We expect to recover more bodies," an army spokesman told Reuters, saying the plane "has broken into pieces". Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called an emergency meeting of his cabinet and urged state agencies to work on rescue operations. A panel to investigate the cause of the crash has been set up. Of the passengers, 53 are said to be Nepalese. There were five Indian, four Russians and two Koreans on the plane. There was also one passenger each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina and France among others. Aviation accidents are not uncommon in Nepal, often due to its remote runways and sudden weather changes that can make for hazardous conditions. A Tara Air plane crashed in May 2022 in the northern Nepalese district of Mustang, killing 22 people. In early 2018, 51 people were killed when a US-Bangla flight travelling from Dhaka in Bangladesh caught fire as it landed in Kathmandu. The European Union has banned Nepalese airlines from its airspace over concerns about training and maintenance standards in the country's aviation industry. Source: BBC

A well-known riddle compares an egg to treasure, asking: A box without hinges, key or a lid, yet inside golden treasure is hid. What am I? And for archaeologists in Israel, eight prehistoric ostrich eggs – thought to be between 4,000 and 7,500 years old – proved as valuable as treasure when they were discovered near an ancient fire pit in the Negev, a desert region in the south of the country. They were discovered during an archaeological excavation in the agricultural fields of Be’er Milka, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Thursday. The eggs’ proximity to the fire pit suggests that they were collected intentionally by the prehistoric desert nomads who used the campsite, according to a press release from IAA, although further lab analysis will provide more information about their uses and age. “We found a campsite, which extends over about 200 sq. m (2,153 square feet) that was used by the desert nomads since prehistoric times,” Lauren Davis, the IAA excavation director, said in the release. “At the site we found burnt stones, flint and stone tools as well as pottery sherds, but the truly special find is this collection of ostrich eggs. Although the nomads did not build permanent structures at this site, the finds allow us to feel their presence in the desert.” Davis added that the campsites were covered over by the dunes, keeping the eggs exceptionally well-preserved. The IAA, which told CNN on Thursday the site had been excavated in the last week, said that ostriches were common in the region until they became extinct in the wild during the 19th century. Their eggs were ornately decorated and were prized items among the elite circles of Mediterranean civilizations during the Bronze and Iron Ages. As well as being used as decorative items, ostrich eggs were also used in funerals, as water canteens and as a source of food. “We find ostrich eggs in archaeological sites in funerary contexts, and as luxury items and water-canteens. Naturally, they were used as a source of food: one ostrich egg has the nutritional value of about 25 normal chicken eggs,” said Amir Gorzalczany, senior research archaeologist from IAA, in the release. “It is interesting, that whilst ostrich eggs are not uncommon in excavations, the bones of the large bird are not found. This may indicate that in the ancient world, people avoided tackling the ostrich and were content with collecting their eggs.” Source: CNN

New Ireland Deputy Governor Sammy Missen whose Provincial Government has been a strong advocate of greater Autonomy, has supported Enga Governor Peter Ipatas’ sentiments with respect to the failure of National Government to treat Provincial Governments with the respect due them under law. Missen said the Marape Government has shied away from the Greater Autonomy agenda and has ignored extensive policy writeups and well documented pathways submitted to National Government by several provinces for the devolution of powers to the Provinces. Enga Governor Peter Ipatas recently in Parliament, called on the Marape Government to stop undermining Provincial Governments as constitutionally recognized and mandated Governments in the Provinces. He said it seems the District Development Authorities are getting more attention from the National Government than the Provincial Governments, but that this is contrary to law. Governor Ipatas said “The Provincial Governments are there by law. For the last 4 to 8 years the Provincial Governments have been losing their mandated role. When we left the PNC-led Government we wanted to gain back that respect. We need to be very clear about the roles of DDAs and of Provincial Governments. I want to know when this specific demarcation of powers and responsibilities is going to be sorted out. Prime Minister please tell the nation what is your plan.” “Inap kam nau Giaman yah,” Governor Ipatas said. “We are mandated leaders to lead the Provinces. We are not going to be sitting down here and remain quiet. Our mandate is being robbed. I’m not against any Open member, but the attention is being given to the DDA’s and not to the Provincial Governments.” “I ask the PM to tell us very clearly - will there be a devolution of Powers or not? We need devolution to make sure we effectively perform duties as mandated by the Constitution.” In response, Prime Minister James Marape agreed that the Provincial Government system is a legislated system of Government and that the District Development Authorities were simply service delivery coordinating bodies and not Governments. “DDA’s are just a delivery mechanism and should be working with the Provincial Governments. I am a firm believer that the sub-national Governments are strong cornerposts of our county that house our sovereignty,” said PM Marape. On the devolution of powers agenda Marape remarked that there was no clear definition of what autonomy entails and more discussions need to be held. “My conversation was you cannot talk about functional autonomy without economic empowerment. What is the relevance of functional autonomy if you are still dependent on Waigani to support those functions, “ the PM said. However, Missen said “New Ireland and Enga and East New Britain have worked together to define exactly what Greater Autonomy will entail. We have submitted several detailed documents explaining exactly how Greater Autonomy should be structured. We have noted over and over again that functional or administrative autonomy is meaningless without economic autonomy, and we have detailed exactly how economic autonomy can be achieved. What we require now is a serious response by National Government to our detailed proposals.” “New Ireland is moving ahead with Autonomy. Enough talk and empty promises from the National Government!” said Missen Missen further called on Prime Minister Marape not to confuse Bougainville’s Autonomy with the Greater Autonomy aspirations of other parts of the country. “Bougainville is a totally separate matter,” Missen said. “They want to become a separate country. We do not intend to follow that path. Our intent is to give greater power to the Provinces as a means of strengthening the country.” “We simply want to have more control over our own affairs in our provinces,“ Missen continued. “We want to be able to raise revenue internally, administer our government services and have more power over our own resources. We don’t need Waigani managing our provinces remotely. Having responsibility devolved to the provincial level will mean greater efficiency and accuracy in delivering services, infrastructure and other needs. Over the past 47 years we have learnt that Waigani is an impediment to the progress of our provinces; they simply do not know the real needs at the local level. The time is now to change our course of history for the better,” said Missen. Missen encouraged the Prime Minister not to fear greater Autonomy and look at other country’s who have been practicing a similar type of Governance for hundreds of years. Pointing out that Federalism, which uses the same concept of increased lower level Autonomy, has been running well and protecting democracy in countries like Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, India, Switzerland, and the United States successfully. Missen concluded, saying “We feel that the evidence from the rest of the world is very clear. Just as in the United States or Australia, or Germany, stronger lower levels of government, stronger provinces, will make for a stronger country.”

Knights star Kalyn Ponga has commenced treatment on a calf injury suffered a training. The club reported on Friday that their main man's injury was calf-related but "not expected to be serious". Meanwhile, Sea Eagle Tom Trbojevic flew to the USA on Saturday to begin work with world renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles. The Sea Eagles reported on Thursday that Trbojevic will spend two weeks in Philadelphia with Knowles, who is currently working with Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen as he continues his recovery from a fractured kneecap suffered in July. Knowles will work on reconditioning Trbojevic's body over 20 sessions in 10 days, with particular emphasis on his hamstrings. Trbojevic suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain at training in December with a two-month recovery period expected. The star fullback was otherwise progressing well from shoulder surgery that cut his 2022 season short and remains on track for the season opener against the Bulldogs on March 4.     Source: NRL.com

China has reported 60,000 Covid-related deaths in just over a month, the first major death toll released since the country stopped its zero-Covid policy. China has been widely accused of underreporting coronavirus deaths, despite evidence of hospitals and crematoriums being overrun. According to officials, China recorded 59,938 Covid-related deaths between 8 December and 12 January. Most of those who died were over 80, with most having underlying conditions. The figures, include 5,503 deaths caused by respiratory failure directly due to the virus, and 54,435 caused by underlying conditions combined with the virus. The real total is likely to be higher because which the figures refer only to deaths recorded at medical facilities. Last month, Beijing changed the way it categorizes Covid deaths, only counting towards its total those who died of respiratory failure directly induced by the virus. The World Health Organization criticized the definition, describing it as "too narrow". Beijing has always contended that its figures are accurate, calling on the WHO to "uphold a scientific, objective and just position". Officials said that the peak of patients hospitalized with severe Covid was in early January, although the number subsequently remained high. They said that they would continue to monitor the situation in rural areas, focusing on early detection and prioritizing treatment of the most vulnerable.     Source: BBC

A song by Shakira about her ex-partner Gerard Pique cheating on her has broken YouTube records. The video for Out of Your League has been watched more than 63 million times in 24 hours, making it the most-watched Latin song in that time period. Shakira, 45, separated from former Barcelona footballer Pique, 35, in 2022 after more than 10 years together. The pair also have two children together. The BBC has contacted Pique for comment . This four-minute pop song is the first time Shakira and Argentinian producer and DJ Bizarrap have worked together. Shakira joins a hallowed list of Latin performers to break YouTube records - including J Balvin, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. It's not her first song about the breakup - Monotonia came out three months ago, but was more of a heartbreak song than one vying for revenge. In the diss track, Shakira sings about Pique's new alleged 23-year-old partner. She says she is "worth two 22-year-olds" and compares the relationship to swapping "a Ferrari for a [Renault] Twingo" and a "Rolex for a Casio" in Spanish. The Colombian singer also references her run-in with the Spanish authorities, who claim she has failed to pay €14.5m (£12.8m) in income tax. Shakira appears to say in the song that Pique left her whilst all this was going on, with her in-laws as neighbours. She criticises his workout technique too - singing "lots of time at the gym, but your brain needs a little work too". Gerard Pique has not responded to the song online, but has been posting about his new seven-a-side project, King's League. The pair released a statement when they split in June last year, saying they were focusing on co-parenting their children Milan, nine, and Sasha, aged seven. Source: BBC

Japan says it will release more than a million tonnes of water into the sea from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant this year. After treatment the levels of most radioactive particles meet the national standard, the operator said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the proposal is safe, but neighboring countries have voiced concern. The 2011 Fukushima disaster was the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Decommissioning has already started but could take four decades. "We expect the timing of the release would be sometime during this spring or summer," said chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno on Friday, adding that the government will wait for a "comprehensive report" from IAEA before the release. Every day, the plant produces 100 cubic metres of contaminated water, which is a mixture of groundwater, seawater and water used to keep the reactors cool. It is then filtered and stored in tanks. With more than 1.3 million cubic metres on site, space is running out. The water is filtered for most radioactive isotopes, but the level of tritium is above the national standard, operator Tepco said. Experts say tritium is very difficult to remove from water and is only harmful to humans in large doses. However, neighbouring countries and local fishermen oppose the proposal, which was approved by the Japanese government in 2021. The Pacific Islands Forum has criticised Japan for the lack of transparency. "Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living," Forum Secretary General Henry Puna told news website Stuff. "Japan is breaking the commitment that their leaders have arrived at when we held our high level summit in 2021. "It was agreed that we would have access to all independent scientific and verifiable scientific evidence before this discharge takes place. Unfortunately, Japan has not been co-operating." North-eastern Japan was rocked by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake on 11 March 2011, which then triggered a giant tsunami. The waves hit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, flooding three reactors and sparking a major disaster. Authorities set up an exclusion zone which grew larger and larger as radiation leaked from the plant, forcing more than 150,000 people to evacuate from the area. The zone remains in place.   Source: BBC

Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited today announced that it is hosting its annual charity golf challenge in Lae, this year specifically in order to acquire very necessary chemotherapy drugs and other consumables used in cancer treatment. Luke Liria, EGM Corporate Services at Kumul Petroleum said, “KPHL has for many years had a focus on assisting the health sector in PNG, and in particular facilitating the construction of infrastructure and acquisition of services in relation to the treatment of cancer and heart disease.” “In 2020, Kumul Petroleum made a K15 million commitment over 3 years to support the Cancer Services unit of the ANGAU Memorial Hospital and additional commitment to sponsor eight radiation therapy graduates to help boost the National Cancer Services.. We now wish to enhance this ongoing support with proceeds of our annual charity golf event in February.” Mr. Liria explained that the Charity Golf Challenge proceeds would be used to acquire chemotherapy drugs for use by Lae’s ANGAU Memorial Hospital at their cancer services unit. “Today I am calling on business houses who are based in Lae or have operations in the city to join with us in supporting this charity golf event, through entering teams and meeting some of the costs of catering, entertainment and donating prizes.” “Already we have received a commitment from Travel Services, who have generously donated an airfare to Brisbane as a prize for the event.” Mr. Liria, outlined that KPHL was already providing significant support to the PNG health sector around the country, not just in Port Moresby and Lae but also to hospitals in Kiunga, Mendi and Nonga in East New Britain Province. Mr. Liria concluded, “I would like to thank the management of Lae Golf Club and ANGAU Hospital for working with the Kumul Petroleum working committee in organising this event. I look forward to receiving applications from business houses in Lae to enter teams in the golf challenge, which will be held on 3rd February.”