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PNG News Links
US courage award for Dame Josephine -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/65146
Stop chopping people -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/65374
EU moves to fight PNG sexual violence -- http://giaman.com/pg/?1319ce
Attention NRL: A glorious future awaits in the Pacific -- http://giaman.com/pg/?d2cb87
O'Neill criticised for rejecting advice on Ok Tedi ownership -- http://giaman.com/pg/?3f818d
Who has the power? -- http://skerah.com/2014/whose-got-the-power
Namah wants PM to resign -- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/65378
Eaglewood Announces First Pipeline and Facilities Licences in Western province -- http://giaman.com/pg/?b10c21
Solomon Island students win award at PNG University -- http://giaman.com/pg/?25d8f6
New profit and ownership woes at PNG's Ok Tedi gold mine -- http://giaman.com/pg/?618d46
New business coalition in PNG set up to help women -- http://giaman.com/pg/?12c55c
Misc. Links
Woman pleads guilty to stealing mom's identity to send money to PNG man -- http://giaman.com/pg/?053f81
Air Niugini schedule -- http://www.airniugini.com.pg/flight-information/flight-schedule
Joshua Project -- http://joshuaproject.net/countries/PP
Bob Halstead's Coral Sea Fish Guide iPhone & iPad App -- https://www.facebook.com/coralseafishguide
PNG radio broadcaster right at home in Mildura, Australia -- http://giaman.com/pg/?ebf59b
PNG court to decide legality of destruction of parliamentary carvings -- http://giaman.com/pg/?88e519
PNG Images
Garry Lyon and Sam Newman walk Kokoda -- http://giaman.com/pg/?1f470f
A baby in a bilum -- http://giaman.com/pg/?024dd5
The Commonwealth: Gifts to The Queen -- http://giaman.com/pg/?2f89e8
Snow in PNG -- http://journal.davidhempenstall.com/?p=763
PNG Blogs
Has Nautilus Minerals got the money? -- http://giaman.com/pg/?ab4f7a
Adventure before Dementia -- http://giaman.com/pg/?77168d
Osborn House Building -- http://giaman.com/pg/?690ef3
News Items
Treasurer Sacked
Treasurer Don Polye and the Labour and Industrial Relations Minister Mark Maipakai have been sacked from cabinet by Prime Minister O'Neill. The PM said the removal of Polye, who is also chairman of the World/Bank/IMF board of Governors, came as result of him "causing instability in the Government" while the decommissioning of Maipakai as Minister was done to "preserve the integrity and public confidence of the Government after he was arrested and charged by police" - a matter which is now before the National Court.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?2d8e02
The real reasons why Duma and Polye were sacked -- http://giaman.com/pg/?01f2e5
Loan Unconstitutional
The Opposition is urging the Prime Minister to resign, after slamming the three-billion Kina loan deal, between the Government and U-S-B bank in Singapore. Mr. O'Neill signed off on an agreement with the private bank, to secure the loan to buy back 10 per cent shares of Oil Search. Opposition Leader, Belden Namah said the loan is unconstitutional and not in the best interest of the State and its people.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?d26c82
PDF Book
R. Wally Johnson. Fire mountains of the islands: a history of volcanic eruptions and disaster management in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. ANU Press, December 2013.
Available online at -- http://press.anu.edu.au?p=223471
InterOil Drilling
Drilling and Production reports InterOil has commenced drilling at the Bobcat-1 exploration well in petroleum prospecting license 238, located in the Gulf province following the approval of the drilling plan by the PNG Department of Petroleum and Energy.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?64b941
Australian PM to visit
Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says he is looking forward to welcoming his Australian counterpart, Tony Abbott to the country. It will be Mr Abbott's first official visit to the PNG since becoming Australia's prime minister last year.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?7a5f52
Manus Island the focus of Abbott's PNG trip -- http://giaman.com/pg/?3eba4b
Churches Concerned
Church leaders in both Australia and Papua New Guinea are voicing discontent with Australia's policy of processing asylum seekers at offshore camps with conditions condemned by human rights groups.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?04c73f
Smare Young Global Leader
PNG business executive, Anthony Smare, has won world recognition, being announced recently in Switzerland as a Young Global Leader for 2014. Those honoured already include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founder Larry Page and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?ef268c
Rugby Security
Former Australian SAS soldiers shadowed every move of Mackay Cutters players and Intrust Super Cup referees when the Queensland rugby league took an ultra-cautious plan for the debut game played in PNG.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?8e4a63
Mining Wildlife Management Area
A small Australian mining company has found 'bonanza' grade gold deposits at Crater Mountain in PNG and has lodged an application for a mining licence. But locals are concerned that the plan includes mining one of PNG's most important wildlife reserves and they are calling on the PNG government to live up to its obligations to protect the country's biodiversity.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?7bd8ce
Wahoo-1
InterOil has announced it has started drilling the Wahoo-1 exploration well in PNG following approval by the Department of Petroleum and Energy. Wahoo-1 is the second of four exploration wells InterOil plans to drill in the Gulf province over the next 12-15 months.
-- http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20140310-904606.html
2015 Pacific Games
The 2015 Pacific Games organising committee and the Pacific Games Council have expressed great satisfaction at the outcome of the first ever All Sports meeting held in Port Moresby to prepare for the delivery of the sports competitions during the Pacific Games in 2015.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?447561
LNG Project
The giant ExxonMobil liquefied natural gas project in PNG is months ahead of schedule and is expected to deliver first gas by mid-year.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?64af18
IT Revolution
According to Public Enterprise Minister Ben Micah, PNG is on the brink of an information technology revolution. Micah said the revolution of data will be through the commercialisation of the first PNG fibre network by the end of this month that will link from Madang into Lae and the Highlands region, including the LNG project area.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?8024e6
Hospital in Dire Straits
Maprik provincial hospital in the East Sepik province is operating just an outpatients and a labour ward after 17 clinical staff were retrenched. The wards closed are the paediatric, adult and mothers wards.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?f723cc
Suspects Escape
Suspects allegedly involved in the K6 million G4S robbery escaped from custody recently. The suspects were at the Waigani Committal Court for mention but escaped while being led to a police truck for their transfer.
-- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/65147
Escaped prisoners given ultimatum -- http://giaman.com/pg/?630526
PNG Hunters
Article about PNG Rugby League and the emergence of the Hunters -- http://bit.ly/1oB58E8
Hunters winning over rugby league fans in the Queensland Cup on and off the field -- http://giaman.com/pg/?aade3c
Hunters praised for lifting standards -- http://giaman.com/pg/?9f18c0
Mackay Cutters unforgettable experience in Kokopo -- http://giaman.com/pg/?377e0d
Hughie back to fire Capras against Hunters on weekend -- http://giaman.com/pg/?e9b450
Culture shock of footy in PNG -- http://giaman.com/pg/?745270
Betel Nut Raid
An early morning raid by police netted a vehicle carrying 12 50-kilogramme bags of nuts into the city from Porebada Village, Central province.
-- http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/65122
High Capacity Network
Telikom is rolling out a High Capacity Network (HCN) around the country and will deploy the first HCN microwave link between Madang and Hagen. This link will provide over twenty times the current capacity, be fully IP-based, and provide a more efficient means to carry broadband traffic.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?0aa449
Australian National Touch Competition
Papua New Guinea has proven to be the surprise package in the National Touch Competition underway at Coffs Harbour. They can't take the trophy home this time but have proven to the Aussie side they'll be back even stronger for the World Cup next year.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?7d42d4
PNG Charcoal Industry
Researchers from the University of Adelaide in South Australia are helping to develop a charcoal industry in the country. Rural communities in PNG are almost entirely dependent on firewood for their cooking and heating but charcoal is cleaner to burn and lighter to carry.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?2e3d70
PNG Games
For the first time since the commencement of the PNG Games, AFL PNG will be participating in this year's PNG Games thanks to the Host Organising Committee.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?4dd75a
AFL PNG out to reach 50,000 kids -- http://giaman.com/pg/?31f6a4
Hydro Project
A memorandum of understanding announced recently will allow for the construction of a long-discussed small hydropower project on the Divune River in Oro province. Funding for the project will come from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) via its Town Electrification Improvement Program (TEIP).
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?ba6b75
Maprik BSP
The people of Maprik District will now be able to do their banking closer to home instead of embarking on the long, expensive and sometimes dangerous journey into Wewak to do their banking. BSP opened a sub branch on the 13th of March 2014, two years after the last branch was forced to close in 2012.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?ce5f46
Manus Island Unrest
The Australian Broadcasting Commission has obtained audio recordings made inside the Manus Island detention centre before and after the deadly violence last month. The recordings suggest protests in the days leading up to the riot were noisy but non-violent.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?c5b3a3
Ex PNG Cricket Coach
Peter Anderson, the former PNG coach, has been appointed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board as the new coach of the Afghanistan National Cricket Academy on the 11th of March. He will take up his role on the 15th of April and will be based at the Academy in the Kabul Cricket Stadium.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?fbad17
UniTech Student Boycott
A student leader at the University of Technology in Lae is adamant that students will not return to classes unless the former vice chancellor, Dr Albert Schram, is re-instated.
-- http://giaman.com/pg/?a2beac
A reply to Minister Gore -- http://giaman.com/pg/?9339c4
Coming Events
Note: please verify any date mentioned as dates change and events can sometimes get cancelled. Of course I may also put down a wrong date.
Alliance Française AGM, 4 April 2014 at 5:30pm at Ela Beach Hotel, Ela Beach Room
Perth PNGAA Reunion, 11 April 2014, at Air Force Home Village Complex, Bull Creek 1:30am to 2:30pm
Softball championships in Kokopo, April 2014
5th Melanesian Festival of Arts, July 2014
Rabaul Mask Festival, 16 - 21 July 2014
Remembrance Day, 23 July 2014
Wewak Crocodile Festival, 5 - 7 August 2014
National Day of Repentance, 26 August 2014
PNG Medical Symposium, September 2014 - to be held in Goroka
Dedication of Plaque Commemorating Battle of Bita Paka, Saturday 6 September 2014 -- https://www.facebook.com/events/560048074067522
Goroka Show, 13 - 14 September 2014
Independence Day, 16 September 2014
PNGAA Symposium, 17 - 18 September 2014 -- http://www.pngaa.net/news/Symposium.htm
Morobe Show, 11 - 12 October 2014
Alotau Canoe and Kundu Festival, 7 - 9 November 2014
6th PNG Games - Lae - November 2014
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November 2014
Christmas Day - 25 December 2014
Boxing Day - 26 December 2014
Full Pacific Games - PNG 4 to 18 July 2015 -- http://giaman.com/pg/?081f78
Pacific Mini Games - Vanuatu 2017
2018 - APEC summit to be held in Port Moresby.
Do you have an event that you want advertised? - Use the submission form located at -- http://www.pnggossip.com/misc/ctc.html
PNG Media
Interested in having your own Web Site? Worried about the cost? It may be cheaper than you think. Take a look at pricing at the PNG Web Hosting site. Sites with space for unlimited data storage and data transfer per month start from less than US$5.00 per month. -- DOT COM Domains from US$9.00 per year. All plans come with 24 hour a day / 7 day a week ticket / phone support
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