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PNG in the News
PNG opposition boycotts recall of parliament over legal issues -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=49809
PNG Scouts attend Malaysian meet -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/2020
ABBA fever hits UOG campus -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/2018
Mega tuna plant plans in PNG draw lively protests -- http://giaman.com/pg/?1c85e1
Poor sanitation blamed for continued PNG outbreaks -- http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/200910/2721538.htm
Huli Helicopter pilot -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/1862
Dysentery outbreak kills two children in PNG highlands -- http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=49862
The spread of Islam in Melanesia -- http://giaman.com/pg/?8d939d
PNG Blogs
Never give up on your dream! -- http://giaman.com/pg/?d3788d
Kokopo 2010: Upgrading of the Existing Vunapope to Takubar Road -- http://giaman.com/pg/?f1a5f3 -- see also -- http://giaman.com/pg/?3ada21
Dustin, Sarah, and Abigail: Two Weeks in Ukarumpa -- http://giaman.com/pg/?72d38b
Malum Nalu: World Bank has conflict of interest on Bougainville -- http://giaman.com/pg/?deead3
PNG - A culture in transition -- http://saturnic.livejournal.com/341576.html
Hermit Crab Survives Earthquake -- http://giaman.com/pg/?2a8459
Jane Tompsett's diary from PNG -- http://janeinpng.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/wewak-week-2/
Matt in PNG - Mt Wilhelm -- http://mattinpng.com/2009/10/18/mount-wilhelm-2/
China: It's A Foreigners' Thing -- http://giaman.com/pg/?b33d4d
Today in Lae -- http://giaman.com/pg/?7c6c4b
Poverty Reduction in Small Communities -- http://giaman.com/pg/?aa7a46
Random Links
PNG Language Resources -- http://www.pnglanguages.org
Tok Ples Baibel -- http://tokplesbaibel.org
SIL International -- http://www.sil.org
Ambogo Sawmill Popondetta 1989 -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/30134768@N07/4017984269
PNG Tourism Promotion Authority -- http://www.pngtourism.org.pg
National Statistics Office Website -- http://www.nso.gov.pg
Travel Advice for travellers to PNG from the Aussie Government -- http://giaman.com/pg/?a51745
Caving in PNG
Summer Caving in PNG -- http://www.ee.usyd.edu.au/suss/Bulls/43(4)/batespng.html
Caving in PNG -- http://garamut.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/caving-in-papua-new-guinea
National Geographic - PNG caving -- http://giaman.com/pg/?20e9a7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_caves_in_Papua_New_Guinea
http://giaman.com/pg/?d74ba8
News Items
LNG Under Threat
Over 200 landowners from the Southern Highlands province have met up at the ExxonMobil HQ in Port Moresby and caused damage by smashing glass. The angry landowners also demanded the ExxonMobil executives return the Benefit Sharing Agreement (BSA) agreements signed in Kokopo, East New Britain so that they could be burnt. The leaders said they were suspicious that ExxonMobil had secretly signed agreements with other landowner companies without the knowledge of the affected landowners.
LNG Web Site -- http://www.pnglng.com
See also -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/1998
Bougainville Bridges
Next year the Japanese government will fund 15 new bridges in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville at a total cost of K95 million. Construction has been scheduled to start in January next year. The bridges will be constructed between Kokopau in North Bougainville and Arawa in Central Bougainville.
Buka Home Brew
Authorities in Buka say the illegal making and consumption of homebrew is undermining the province. Consumers are happy to pay for the homebrew as they say it is the cheapest way of getting drunk quickly but it shows disrespect to the law makers in the province who are trying to maintain law and order in the society.
European Aid
The European Commission has approved K2.6 million to help victims of cholera, dysentery and influenza outbreaks in the country. The funds will be managed by the Commission's humanitarian aid department and are likely to be channelled through non-government organisation such as Doctors Without Borders, the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.
Rabaul Tavurvur Volcano
Based on analyses of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC (Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre) reported that on 15, 18, and 20 October ash plumes from Rabaul caldera's Tavurvur cone rose to altitudes of 2.7-3 km (9000-10000 ft)
Highlands Highway
The Highlands Highway at Aviamp in the newly declared Jiwaka province has become a hotspot for trouble. Public motor vehicles and trucks have been targeted by young men carrying illegal firearms. Local villagers have taken advantage of the situation and also rushed to loot the trucks. Police are investigating the looting.
See also - New provinces' bill passed -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/2074
Global Hand Washing Day
Over 25,000 students took part in celebrations for Global Hand Washing Day. A recent outbreak of cholera and dysentery in PNG has underscored the importance of teaching proper hand washing in the country's schools.
Full story -- http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/papuang_51475.html
Golf Course Diplomacy
Leaders from PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have met recently in Fiji to take part in the Ratu Mara Somare Cup golf challenge. Prime Minister Somare has said the weekend of golf is the equivalent to a "Melanesian Ashes series" as the 22 carat gold kundu (drum) trophy, worth thousands of dollars, never leaves PNG regardless of the cup's outcome.
Mobile Rates
The Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) has decreased the interconnection rate between telephone providers. The slight decrease is still seen as being expensive when compared with international interconnect rates. Telikom's bemobile has launched an appeal against the ICCC ruling. Presently Digicel PNG has 80 percent of mobile telephone users around the country. Due to this Digicel can manipulate the market by having cheap rates between their own customers while charging a higher rate for people wanting to connect into the Telikom PNG network.
PNG Anglican Church
Reuters has reported that disaffected Anglican Dioceses in PNG may switch to Roman Catholicism under a new constitution offered by the Pope. The Vatican has approved a document known as an "Apostolic Constitution" which paves the way for conversion while allowing Anglicans to maintain certain traditions.
Chris Luxton, general secretary of the Papua New Guinea Church Partnership in the United Kingdom insists this is untrue, that the province values its relations with the Anglican Communion too much to go. Mrs Luxton is adamant that the Province wanted to move closer to Rome as Anglicans, not to actually become Roman Catholic.
Full Reuters news article -- http://giaman.com/pg/?bf17eb
"We don't want to go to Rome!" -- http://giaman.com/pg/?cd8246
PNG Anglican Church History -- http://anglicanhistory.org/aus/png
Port Moresby Anglican web site -- http://portmoresby.anglican.org
Coffee Earnings
Coffee Industry Corp chief executive, Ricky Mitio, is predicting that coffee export earnings should reach record highs this year. He is confident earnings will exceed the record K500 million mark set last year. The cash crop of coffee affects 400,000 households and more than 2.5 million rural people around the country. Coffee production in PNG is mainly from smallholder farmers who make up 80 percent of the total 1.1 million bags produced.
Amelia Earhart Mystery
With the release of the movie "Amelia" recently there have been many stories about Amelia Earhart and her disappearance after leaving Lae in July 1937 bound for tiny Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean on her attempt at an around-the-world flight. Even long after her death, Amelia Earhart remains one of the world's most celebrated aviators and a symbol of power and success.
Here is a link to one theory by Dave Billings who has spent considerable time attempting to locate Amelia's wreck that he says was discovered by an Australian WWII patrol in East New Britain but as the wreck was not a war wreck it was ignored. -- http://www.electranewbritain.com
Here is another theory - Death by Parallax? -- http://giaman.com/pg/?4d58e8
Yet another -- http://www.post-trib.com/lifestyles/1842502,amelia.article
Another link of interest -- http://www.ameliaearhartmovie.com
Another Jail Escape
487 prisoners from Baisu jail near Mt Hagen have managed to escape from custody. This is over 50 percent of the jail population although the jail was initially built to hold around 300 prisoners. All the escapees were quickly rounded up after warders fired warning shots into the air and at prisoners but no one was killed or injured. The prisoners escaped to protest over not being given food for two days.
See also - Aimo reinstates food supplier -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/2073
School Food Shortage
Children attending school in the remote Kaintiba and Kotidanga districts of the Gulf province may have to stop attending school due to a lack of food. The food shortage is currently affecting over 1000 students from more than 20 primary schools in the area.
Illegal Entry
Police and immigration officials have been warned to be on the look out for people from African and Arabian countries attempting to enter PNG via the border post near Vanimo. Police have recently charged an African for trying to enter PNG with out a visa. Provincial police commander Chief Insp Sakawar Kasieng said the man came in through the border post where police and customs officials apprehended him when he could not produce a valid visa.
Buai Ban
Students and teachers attending primary and secondary schools in 20101 may face a total ban on betelnut / buai, cigarette and alcohol consumption during school hours and inside school facilities. It has even been suggested that teachers with long hair or dreadlocks will be asked to have their hair cut.
Seacology Prize
Filip Damen, a customary landowner and community organiser and a Wanang villager from Madang Province, has won the 2009 Seacology Prize for his efforts in helping conserve the forest around his province.
See -- http://giaman.com/pg/?6cd7af
http://www.seacology.org/news/display.cfm?id=4191
InterOil
The PNG Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) has rejected an application by InterOil Corp to purchase an aviation fuelling business in the country. InterOil was attempting to buy an aviation fuelling business located at the Jackson International Airport, in Port Moresby owned and operated by Shell Oil Products (PNG) Ltd. The ICCC said the move could substantially hurt competition in the market.
Full story -- http://giaman.com/pg/?53f930
Independent Consumer & Competition Commission -- http://www.iccc.gov.pg
Lae Power Problems
Under the shadow of a new outbreak of cholera, residents in the capital of Morobe have being faced with frequent power outages and no water to many parts of the city.
Full story -- http://giaman.com/pg/?4fd69b
Coming Events
Pink Brunch 2009 - RPYC - 9am - 11am - supporting all touched by breast cancer - 27th October 2009
PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum 2009 Seminars 27th to the 30th of October -- http://skerah.com/Venuecentral/Premiumlink/pngcmp.php -- or -- http://www.pngchamberminpet.com.pg/images/pdf_files/chevents.pdf
31st October and the 1st of November - Morobe Show - see -- http://www.morobeshow.org.pg/ -- and -- http://giaman.com/pg/?2f4583
6th to 8th of November - National Canoe and Kundu Festival, Milne Bay -- http://giaman.com/pg/?ab7f63
All Nations Women's Group - PNG Annual Bazaar at the Holiday Inn, Port Moresby - 7 November 2009
National Arts and Craft Exhibition - 13th - 15th of November
PNG Games in Port Moresby from 18th to 29th of November
World Aids Day -- http://www.baha.com.pg -- 1st December 2009.
AFLPNG Talent Camp will be held in Goroka with 120 under 17's, 15's, and 13's present -- 4th to 6th of December 2009
AFLPNG - PNG Scholarships/Under 18 Trials will be held in Australia. 8 x U18s are hoped to be provided with Country Queensland, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast Scholarships. -- February 2010
Women in Mining and Petroleum Conference - 22nd - 24th March 2010 - to be held at Divine Word University in Madang.
25th April 2010 - World Malaria Day. Malaria affects 90 per cent of the PNG population.
World liquefied natural gas (LNG) summit - Mid 2010
11th Mining and Petroleum Investment Conference - 6th to 8th December, 2010 - Hilton Hotel, Sydney - http://www.pnginvestment.cia.com.au -- This web site is out of date showing information abut the 2008 conference.
Pacific Mini Games - New Caledonia 2011.
National Elections - Scheduled for June 2012
Pacific Games - PNG 2015.
Do you have an event that you want advertised? - Use the submission form located at -- ../misc/ctc.html.
PNG Media
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