The Papua New Guinea Women’s 3x3 Basketball Team has departed Port Moresby for Gold Coast, Australia, for the Final Oceania Development Camp which started on May 22nd and will conclude on May 28th. The Team members taking part are Jacky Asiba, Philomena Isei, Normalisa Dobunada and Lynnette Tongia along with their two coaches Garvin Dela Cruz (Head Coach) and Fenimore Salilum (Assistant Coach). The development camp is part of the team’s major preparation for the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July. Speaking to PNG HAUSBUNG, President of Basketball Federation PNG, Mr. David Peter wished the girls well and emphasized the importance of the opportunity. “My only message for the team is to grab hold of this opportunity to improve your individual performances and as well as the team performance.” “It will be a good learning experience for the girls. As they prepare for the Commonwealth Games.” According to the President, the list for Commonwealth Games has not been fully finalized as yet. The high-performance training in Gold Coast will help firm up their trainings and team in the coming weeks.

In a major boost for rural connectivity, residents of Danu in New Ireland province are now officially connected to the digital world following the successful installation of a new community Wi-Fi network recently. This initiative was made possible through a collaborative effort between the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) and Offgrid Master, who successfully completed the installation project on the ground. Prominent New Ireland local leader and advocate, Jonathan Mesulam, confirmed the successful rollout, expressing gratitude for the partnership that brought the project to life. He emphasized that the newly established network is a cornerstone of a broader, long-term vision to deliver four essential pillars of development directly to the community: Education, Health, Financial Services, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). ​The immediate impact of the Wi-Fi setup is already being felt, with the service expected to improve educational opportunities and administrative efficiency in the area. Beneficiaries from this successful project implementation are New Ireland’s Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE) students, who can now have reliable, high-speed internet access to support their online learning modules, research, and distance training programs. Banking and Financial Institutions can now provide other services such as Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS) machines and support agency banking services, bringing financial access to a traditionally underserved population. ​At the same time, local businesses and residents can now access online ticketing, Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) registrations, and Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) tax services without the need to travel into town. This is Digital Transformation removing barriers and bringing essential services right down to the doorstep of communities that have being without such services for years. Furthermore, the Niu Ailan Savings and Loan Society (NASALS) will utilize the connectivity to streamline its agency services, ahead of their official opening of their new building, scheduled in June 2026. The newly connected infrastructure ensures that the facility will be fully operational and digitally equipped from day one, providing seamless financial services to the people of Danu. ​The network will be open, allowing community members to access the internet for personal use, connect with family, and stay informed on national and global news. “We are currently using this Wi-Fi connection today. The infrastructure lays the groundwork for sustained socio-economic growth in Danu,” Mr. Mesulam concluded as he extended his sincere gratitude to NICTA for the WiFi support.

The Hiri-Koiari District Development Authority (DDA), under the leadership of Keith Idihu, donated a new police vehicle to Biura Police Post recently, to boost policing work along the Motuan coastline. At the presentation ceremony of the vehicle, Central Provincial Police Commander, Chief Inspector Joseph Salle expressed his appreciation to the Hiri-Koiari DDA for their continuous support to the police. As it clearly shows the importance of police presence in maintaining law and order in the Hiri West sub district and Central province as a whole. When being interviewed by PNG HAUSBUNG, Chief Inspector Salle said the current number of vehicles presented to Police by the respective Electorate Parliamentary Leaders is eight. Hiri-Koiari DDA has the most vehicles donated to respective police post with a total of 4 vehicles so far. He said, Laloki, Sogeri, and 15 Mile police stations, had previously received police vehicles from the DDA, which are currently serving the people in the district. He also stated that Hiri-Koiari is a large district therefore, mobility is a problem, which is why the DDA saw the need to provide these vehicles. “This vehicle donated by the Hiri-Koiari DDA to Biura Police Post will now serve the people of Hiri West, which covers the Motuan coastline from Manumanu to Papa-Lealea villages,” said PPC Salle. PPC Salle also said that it has always been the geographical setting of Central province, with its wide stretched land mass which makes police movement more difficult when responding to distress calls or attending law and order matters. “With the support we are getting from the local MPs with the vehicle donations, it will help us to move quickly and on time to respond to issues and also, help us to carry out our policing work more efficiently and effectively.” PPC Salle has urged all police officers to be responsible when using these vehicles. He said, these vehicles must be well maintained and used only for policing work in their respective areas. Moreover, PPC Salle has also extended his appreciation to Digicel PNG, for their support through its mobile and other digital services that they continue to help the police with. “Using Digital technology and other ICT tools in this time and age is very vital, with the rapid growth in the ICT and Digital sector.” “What Digicel has done for us over the years, through their variety of service and products.” “This is an essential means that we really need to help with the delivery of our policing responsibilities in the province.” Meanwhile, the PPC is calling out to the people of Central province, especially the villages and communities living along the Magi and Hiritano Highways, to be always vigilant and avoid walking or sitting on the roads or roadsides. “Accidents happen all the time, we have no control over it. As police we cannot stop accidents from happening.” “We can only raise awareness to protect you from accidents and deal with the offenders when the actual accidents happen,” PPC Salle concluded.

The public has expressed outrage on social media following the upload of a particular team from the Electoral Roll Display and Verification Exercise carried out by the PNG Electoral Commission in Port Moresby on the evening of Wednesday, May 20th. PNG HAUSBUNG reached out to the PNG Electoral Commission to get clarity on the content of this video which shows a unanimous man arguing with the electoral officials on site as to why they are conducting this exercise in the night. According to the Assistant Election Manager Alfred Laho, the team leaders are given strict instructions and also guidelines to follow. While all the other teams in the North-East and North-West electorates are complying to the instructions, this one particular team, especially the team leader decided, by himself to allow the exercise to continue into the night. “For this particular team leader, we will deal with him administratively,” said Mr. Laho. “We are trying to identify which laws in the election offence to charge him.” “We are also trying to set some precedents to arrest and charge electoral officers who misconduct by not following our instructions to carry their task in the field.” An agitated Election Manager, Mr. Roney Hawengao told PNG HAUSBUNG that the team leader’s actions were completely out of compliance with the standards the PNG Electoral Commission is establishing for the roll display and verification process. “I just want to make it clear that what happened that evening is not from us, the PNG Electoral Commission,” said Mr. Hawengao. “This team leader knows very well the operating time for this exercise, and the exercise stops at 4pm and not beyond that.” He added that his decision and action to work into the night is a decision from himself, and they are not sure what was his intention to do what he did, as the instructions were straight and clear that 4:00PM sharp is the finishing time for all sites. Mr. Hewangao, further stated that they have reported the matter to the police to also make arrest the person in the video, who threatened the officials and kept on saying stuff which is not true. “What the person was saying in the video is misleading and not true.” “The person that posted this video has to come forward and apologize for circulating falls information to tarnish the work we are doing.” “Such misinformation can have a negative impact on the bigger things we are trying to do, and that is the Electoral roll update which is scheduled to start in mid-June to July of this year and might extend to August.” “This is the most important part of the exercise.”  “But here we are, just doing the roll display and verification for people to come and see and check against your names, if some details are not correct.” “We want to collect and register your correct details, so that we capture correct stats.” “What we are doing also now with this exercise is to gain back the confidence of the people in NCD, particularly, the voters.” “That is why, I made myself clear during our briefings to adhere and comply with the time.” “If they don’t follow, they will face the full consequences. This will only set the precedence that we are serious to delivering results,” Mr. Hawengao concluded. Currently, 15 teams from Moresby North-west and another 15 from the North-East are rolling out the Roll Display and Verification Exercise. The exercise for Moresby South will be conducted after North-East and West complete, while Motu-Koita has recently and successfully completed their Roll Display and Verification exercise.

The victorious PNG Barramundis returned home today, following their successful campaign at the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East-Asia Pacific Qualifiers in Japan, held from 8th-18th May 2026.The tournament champions arrived at the Jacksons International Airport, where they were welcomed by their excited family members, friends, and the media. PNG HAUSBUNG spoke to Barramundis Captain Assad Vala, who was really pleased with the team’s overall performance throughout the entire tournament especially, the senior players in the likes of Sese Bau, Tony Ura and Lega Siaka, who were all well supported by the young players. The skipper was very impressed with the debutants in the team, and how they handled themselves in the game, by playing to the structure of the team, which helped win their matches. “Overall, I was happy with the squad we assembled and the mixture of the players we have, and it looks really good for the future of the team as well,” said Vala. “However, there are some areas that we need to work on. Areas where we did not do well in the tournament against tougher opponents, still need a lot of work to be done.” He added that their focus now is to get back to training, work on areas to improve in the next coming months to get themselves prepared for the next Qualifier or any other ICC tournament. Meanwhile, Vala mentioned that the team is still waiting on the official final standings from the tournament in Japan to confirm whether they have qualified directly for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, or if they will need to compete in another qualifying round. The Barramundis players will now be taking two weeks break to spend time with their families before they get back into training to prepare for upcoming tournaments and matches.

The PNG Barramundis are the Crowned Champions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East-Asia Pacific Qualifier in Japan, following their all-round top-class performances that had them finish as the top team after the completion of the Super Six stage.The Barramundis produced a dominant performance throughout their campaign at the qualifying tournament by recording wins against Indonesia, Cook Islands, Samoa, and Vanuatu, while their only loss was to the host Japan in their final match yesterday (Monday 18th May). Both PNG and Japan finished with eight (8) points apiece; however, PNG had the highest and more superior net run rate of +2.1200 compared to Japan’s +1.4807, as PNG took out the honors of Champions. “We’re really happy; the team had prepared the opportunity to give themselves to play their best, and we’ve done that through different stages of the tournament, and we gave ourselves a buffer with the net run rate. So, I’m really happy for the team,” said Head Coach, Tim McCaskill. The Barramundis next assignment after this tournament is uncertain; however, McCaskill believes that they have secured a direct qualification spot for the T20 Men’s World Cup after their success in Japan. “With the win in this tournament, we’ve given ourselves an opportunity to go to the next qualification stage. And I’m really happy and thrilled for the team,” said McCaskill. The winning coach told PNG Haus Bung in an interview that the highlights for him and the team were the selection of four PNG players in the Team of the Tournament. “Tony Ura was terrific with the bat, Lega Siaka was the Lynch-pin to run chases and to setting totals at different stages, and Sese Bau was a big contributor with both bat and ball, and John Karioko has proven everyone that he is a real talent and a dangerous left arm spinner to lookout,” said the coach. The coach was very appreciative of the support they have received from back home in Papua New Guinea from all cricket supporters, as it really helped lifted the team. At the completion of the tournament, PNG scored a Total of 751 Runs across 100 Overs, while restricting opposition teams to 539 Runs scored against them from their allotted 100 Overs. The May 12-18, 2026, Qualifiers in Japan saw a total of six (6) Nations from the East-Asia Pacific Region competing for progressive opportunities towards the ICC Men’s T20 World cup. PNG’s strong all-round performances across the tournament highlighted the team’s consistency with both bat and ball, including dominant victories and disciplined bowling displays throughout the competition. Further details regarding the ICC qualification pathway and progression to the next stage are expected to be confirmed by the International Cricket Council in the coming weeks.

More than ten (10) Public Motor Vehicle (PMV) buses in Port Moresby city were removed from the roads and taken into the impound, as police continue the crackdown on road un-worthy and unregistered public transport buses.This morning the main Waigani-Morata bus stop was seen packed commuters scrambling about on any available buses to find their way to school and work, as police were on sight to remove buses breaching the traffic rules. Mostly, the old PMV buses that service the public on the Waigani-Morata route were removed by the police. PNG Haus Bung was on site and spoke to a Police Senior Constable from the Road Traffic Division. When asked what was happening? He said this was part of the ongoing operations to remove road-unworthy and un-registered buses on the roads in the city. He said apart from that, they were also looking at buses that were overloaded and continued to breach road safety rules. PMV buses that broke simple traffic rules were also taken off the road and were served with infringement notices according to the traffic offences they had committed. He added that they are also charging the bus crews that do not have the proper crew permit to operate. However, the general public especially the working population and school children were left stranded at the bus stop, to scramble for the few PMV buses that were given the all clear to operate. For those few buses operating, they were warned by the police to follow their correct routes and collect the normal approved bus fares from the passengers. Failure to comply will result in the buses remove and locked up, and the bus driver and crew charged.

Young 24-year-old Shanelle Rahman, a recent graduate of the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) with a bachelor's degree in human resources management, is happy to be part of the 12 pioneer interns of the inaugural Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited (MVIL) Internship Program.The MVIL Inaugural Internship program was launched today at the MVIL Head Office in Port Moresby city. The inaugural program provides an opportunity for Ms. Rahman and 11 other interns who just graduated from various universities and tertiary institutions from around the country. The intern group consists of 6 females and 6 males. Speaking on behalf of the very first cohorts of the MVIL Internship Program, Ms. Rahman thanked MVIL Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Bafino Koi and his Executive Management team for their vision in establishing the internship program and providing such opportunity for her and the other interns. “Special thanks to our mentors and supervisors, who in the next 3 months will be opening their doors and their busy schedules to guide us through this program. Your willingness to invest in us, not just as interns but as future leaders, will not go unnoticed,” said Ms. Rahman. She called on her fellow interns, that as pioneers of this program, they hold a unique position as the first of MVIL’s internship program and it is their responsibility to set the benchmark, to learn and actively contribute to the principles and programs that defines MVIL. Ms. Rahman also expressed her deepest appreciation to MVIL for trusting them to bring their energy, fresh perspective, and dedication to serve in the organization. “This isn’t just a task-oriented internship; by inviting us into your professional world, you are showing a commitment to bridging the gap between academic theory and industry practice. And we appreciate this investment in our personal and professional growth,” said Shanelle. She concluded by emphasizing the importance of this program launch day, saying it marks the beginning of a legacy of excellence for the MVIL internship program. “We are ready to work, ready to learn and ready to contribute to the continued success of MVIL. And we are grateful and thank you again for this incredible opportunity.

Motor Vehicle Insurance Limited (MVIL) today launched its Inaugural Internship Program with the first 12 Interns as the pioneers, at MVIL head office in Port Moresby.The MVIL Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Bafino Koi welcomed the 12 university graduate interns into the organization and gave them an overview of the mandated functions and operations of the organization. “The MVIL internship program that we are launching today basically emphasize on MVIL’s commitment to young Papua New Guineans. We’ve seen a lot of applications coming through MVIL. But our workforce capacity is we can employ only up to 330 at the moment,” said Mr. Koi. The MVIL internship program is a means to also address the unemployment gap that continues to increase in each passing year. The aim is to give young graduates that come out each year an opportunity to start off their careers, a good way of giving back to the people. “Seeing that need, we decided as part of our plans and the way forward is to actually introduce this Internship program. We actually came up with this program last year and was included in our corporate plan this year. And with the necessary policies and guidelines put in place to operationalize it, we are actually seeing this internship program launched today,” said Mr. Koi. According to Mr. Koi, they are taking the first batch of 12 interns from the 30 or more applications they have received as they have met the criteria and passed the screening process. The program will carry on with another batch of interns to be taken in, once the first batch completes their internship after 3 months. The internship program will run for three (3) months. After completion, the interns will be given the opportunity to continue employment with MVIL or venture out to other organizations.

The final day of the 2nd Face-to-Face Pacific communities of Practice on Social Protection began with a knowledge sharing session on Digital transformation and how it can effectively improve implementation and strengthening of social protection programs across the Pacific Region.Fiji, Tonga and Kiribati, led the Discussion Panel by sharing some of their experiences with the use of Modern Digital Systems that has enhance the implementation of social protection programs in their respective country. The discussions centered around different digital systems or mechanisms that have helped them improve efficiency in the delivery of social protection programs. Some of the key digital methods shared by the panelists, received positive response and commendations from the other pacific island participants in agreement. With the transactions of payments to the beneficiaries through these methods, has made it safer, more accessible and more convenient. The participants were later divided into three discussion groups as they shared ideas on effective implementation, monitoring & evaluation, communications and data management. Some of the participants, especially from the smaller island nations, expressed gratitude to be part of such an important conference to share ideas and challenges, as well as learn from the other presentations on the positive outcome moving forward in addressing social protection across the Pacific Region. The event concluded yesterday, Thursday May 14th, with a certificate presentation for participation in the 3-day conference and the official closing dinner for the participants.

With 2 runs needed from 1 ball remaining, PNG Barramundis Alei Nao, played the last and final ball of the innings to the boundary for a 4 to win the match for the Barramundis as they beat Samoa by 2 wickets in the ICC T20s World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier 2026. The Barramundis Right-Arm fast bowler not only won the match for his side but also took out the Player of the Match honors with an impressive all-around performance.With his final ball heroic play, Nao finished with 15 runs (not out) from 12 balls faced, with the bat.While he also took 3 wickets from his fast bowling, at the expense of 30 runs from his regular 4 overs.The Samoans won the toss and elected to bat first, and were bundled out for 112 runs, as their final wicket fell on the last ball of the final 20th over.PNG’s John Kariko, was the best bowler in the match, finishing with 3 wickets from his 4 overs with an economy rate of 3.73 runs per over. Aue Oru continued his consistency with the ball as he collected 2 wickets, while Kabua Morea contributed with 1 wicket.The Samoan bowlers started well by dismissing PNG’s Openers with both Sese Bau (9) and Lega Siaka (2). Skipper Assad Valla (26) and Batsman Boio Ray (22) tried to steady the innings mid-way through the match, but the Samoans had other plans as they reaped through PNG’s batting order.As the match went into the 20th and final over, PNG needed 8 runs to win from just 6 balls with Nao and Morea at the crease. With one final ball of the match remaining, PNG needed only 2 runs to win. Nao stepped up to find the boundary as the Barrramundis clinched their 3 wins in the qualifiers.Match statistics are as follows Samoa 112 all out (20overs) and PNG Barramundis 115/8 (20overs), as the Barramundis escaped defeat.

Delegates from twelve Pacific Island countries who attended the 2nd Face-to-Face Pacific Community of Practice on Social Protection Conference at Hilton Hotel, in Port Moresby, expressed interest in the Social Protection Policy Framework presented by the PNG Social Protection team.Assistant Director for Social Protection with the Department for Community Development and Religion, Mr. Allan Gene gave a detail insight of the Social Protection Policy Framework, that drew in few reactions from the other delegates, which was discussed in the Q & A session after his presentation. According to Mr. Gene’s presentation, the Policy Strategic Direction, is grounded on five Guiding Values which are, Inclusivity, empowerment, integrity, collaboration and sustainability. He said that it is all about building a just and inclusive nation, together. The Social Protection Policy also highlighted the social and economic issues faced, including, High rate of Gender-Based-Violence (GBV) & Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV), High rates of Child Nutrition & Stunting, poor enrolment in ECD & school dropouts, inadequate housing and homeless, lack of government services and infrastructure at the rural communities, lack of social and economic opportunities and uncontrolled rural-urban migration. The policy focuses on the vulnerable and disadvantaged group prioritizing seven key areas: 1. Children (0-18 years) 2. Child Nutrition 3. Youth (12-35 years) 4. Elderly (65+ years) 5. Persons with Disability 6. Survivors of GBV/SARV 7. Marginalized Groups/Communities Centered on these seven key areas, the proposed programs include services and infrastructure, pensions, public works income generation, free education and scholarships for tertiary students, early childhood care and development, maternal and child health and nutrition, food vouchers, and cash transfers. Mr. Gene stressed that the financing part of the policy programs is definitely a daunting challenge. However, the development of partners and donor agencies has been the main go-to partners in terms of the program roll-out. On behalf of the government, the department sincerely thanks the partners for their continuous support. “Great partnerships and collaboration are needed right across- starting with government agencies, corporate organizations, state-owned-enterprises, development partners, non-government organizations (NGO’s), faith-based and community-based organizations (FBOs/CBOs).” “Our goal is to leverage collective strengths and resources to deliver lasting impacts and improve lives and livelihoods.”