The Sports Minister, Don Pomb Polye has commended PNG's men side for having won the inaugural Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Prime Minister's XI Cup in Port Villa, Republic of Vanuatu on Saturday night. Papua New Guinea's MSG Prime Minister XI side beat the host Vanuatu Development Team 4-1 during their grand final match last night and claimed the 2022 inaugural cup of the MSG Prime Minister's XI Soccer tournament. Minister Polye equally congratulated host Team Vanuatu for being a strong, worthy opponent, representing their country well. Polye said PNG has maintained its supremacy in soccer in the region, citing PNG's female team earlier beat Fijian opponents in OFC, qualifying themselves for FIFA Women's World Cup next year. He said the former Melanesian Cup was revived by PNG Sports Foundation with renewed brand. On behalf of the Marape-Rosso Government, PNG Sports Foundation and the soccer fratenity, Polye dedicated the cup's victory to PNG as a 47th Independence gift. He said the cup must be seen as a premier tournament in the region. Polye noted that the cup was last played in Morobe's Lae two decades ago. Vanuatu won the cup then. In enhancing regional solidarity and Melanesian spirit through sports, Polye said he was planning to amplify dialogues with fellow Melanesian Sport Ministers to have other sporting codes into similar arrangements. Minister Polye reiterated that he would be facilitating the growth and development of soccer and many other types of sport in PNG as a national progess tool. "I am very keen to see sports flourish in the country," he said.

Pop star Ed Sheeran has been ordered to stand trial in the US over claims he copied his hit song Thinking Out Loud from Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On. A judge denied Sheeran's bid to dismiss the case, saying a jury should decide on the similarities between the songs. The move comes six months after Sheeran was cleared of copying his hit song Shape Of You at a trial in London. After that ruling, the singer hit out at "baseless" copyright claims, which he said were "way too common". The claim over Thinking Out Loud was originally lodged in 2018, not by Gaye's family but by investment banker David Pullman and a company called Structured Asset Sales, which has acquired a portion of the estate of Let's Get It On co-writer Ed Townsend. Seeking $100m (£90m) in damages, they allege that Sheeran and his co-writer Amy Wadge "copied and exploited, without authorisation or credit" the Gaye song, "including but not limited to the melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bass line, backing chorus, tempo, syncopation and looping". On Thursday, US District Judge Louis Stanton cited a disagreement between musical experts on both sides of the lawsuit as a reason for ordering the civil trial. The prospect of a jury trial will be an unwelcome one for Sheeran. Copyright lawyers have often argued that juries have difficulty understanding the complexities of copyright law, and why superficial similarities between two songs are not necessarily proof of plagiarism. In his order, Judge Stanton also ruled that jurors must decide whether SAS can include concert revenue in damages, rejecting Sheeran's argument that ticket sales weren't tied to the alleged infringement. Sheeran's 2014-2015 tour earned $150m (£135m), according to music industry trade publication Pollstar. His lawyers did not comment on the judge's ruling. A lawyer for Structured Asset Sales, Hillel Parness, told Reuters the company was "pleased" with the ruling. This is not the only trial Sheeran is facing over Thinking Out Loud, which went to number one in the UK in 2014 and won song of the year at the Grammy Awards in 2016. SAS has filed a second case, which is currently on pause, while a separate suit by another portion of Townsend's estate is awaiting trial. 'Coincidence is bound to happen' At the Shape of You a trial in March, the singer and his co-writers John McDaid and Steven McCutcheon faced accusations that a hook on their track ripped off Oh Why, a 2015 song by Sami Chokri and Ross O'Donoghue. However, a High Court judge concluded they had "neither deliberately nor subconsciously" plagiarised the earlier song, and awarded the star and his co-defendants £900,000 in costs. Afterwards, Sheeran declared on Instagram: "I hope that this ruling means in the future baseless claims like this can be avoided. This really does have to end." He added: "It's really damaging to the songwriting industry. There's only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music. Coincidence is bound to happen if 60,000 songs are being released every day on Spotify. That's 22 million songs a year, and there's only 12 notes that are available."   Source: BBC

Russia has formally annexed four occupied regions of Ukraine, in a move sparking international condemnation. President Vladimir Putin signed "accession treaties" with the regions' Moscow-installed leaders at a ceremony in the Kremlin's opulent St George's Hall on Friday. Watched by members of the political elite, he declared the regions would "forever" be part of Russia. Kyiv reacted by launching a new, fast-track bid to join the Nato alliance. Flanked by his prime minister and the speaker of parliament, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had long been a "de-facto" member of the security bloc, and accused Moscow of redrawing borders "using murder, blackmail, mistreatment and lies". "We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to Nato," Mr Zelensky said, speaking from the centre of Kyiv. Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was reluctant to be drawn on the bid, saying the decision rested with the bloc's 30 members. But he condemned Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territory, calling the move "the most serious escalation since the start of the war". US President Joe Biden also accused Mr Putin of a "fraudulent attempt" to claim Ukrainian territory, and said the move was "trampling on the United Nations Charter, and showing its contempt for peaceful nations everywhere". "The illegal annexation proclaimed by Putin won't change anything," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. "All territories illegally occupied by Russian invaders are Ukrainian land and will always be part of this sovereign nation." And French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to "stand by Ukraine in order to deal with Russian aggression and to enable Ukraine to recover its full sovereignty across its entire territory". But Mr Putin has long been unmoved by Western criticism of his war in Ukraine, and during a rambling 37-minute long speech he promised to "protect" the newly annexed regions "with all the forces and means at our disposal". He claimed citizens in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk had voted to be "with their people, their motherland". "The people have made their choice," Mr Putin said. "This is the will of millions of people." He was referring to self-styled referendums held in the regions in recent days, but Ukraine and Western governments have condemned the votes as a sham. In his pledge, the Russian leader seemingly returned to his vague threats to use nuclear weapons, accusing the US of creating a "precedent" when it bombed the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima at the end of World War Two in 1945. The ceremony concluded with the leaders of the four annexed regions joining Mr Putin to sign "decrees", before they joined hands and led the assembled crowd in chants of "Russia, Russia". Russian media had billed the event as historic, but Mr Putin's speech gave little new detail on the extent of the territory Russia is claiming. Ukraine has retained control of large chunks of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions throughout the war, and retaken significant amounts of territory in recent weeks. Instead, the 69-year-old Russian president largely focused on a list of perceived injustices in which he accused the West of "colonialism", before pivoting to a homophobic attack on "satanic" leaders. Putin raises stakes in speech full of anti-Western bile What Russian annexation means for Ukraine's regions Russia's invasion in maps As Mr Putin spoke in Moscow, 750km (466 miles) to the south his forces were being surrounded by Ukrainian troops in Lyman, a strategically important town in the eastern province of Donetsk - one of four regions annexed by Russia. The town has served as a supply and logistics hub for Russian forces in the region, and it is believed that between 3,000 - 5,000 troops are trapped in the near encirclement. Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry, wrote that "Ukrainian forces are attacking the occupiers from three directions and their situation is 'incredibly complicated'". Denis Pushilin, the leader of the newly annexed Donetsk People's Republic, admitted that Lyman was "partially surrounded" and that two nearby villages were "not fully under our control". Ukraine's military has been keen to conceal the pace of its troops' advance in the area, but one video on social media appeared to show Kyiv's forces in the centre of Yampil, just 16km (9 miles) south-east of Lyman. And late on Friday night, Kyiv's defence ministry said it had taken the village of Drobysheve, 8 km (4 miles) north-west of Lyman. Elsewhere, in Zaporizhzhia some 30 Ukrainians were killed in a Russian rocket strike on a civilian convoy. Western nations were quick to react to Friday's annexation, with a host of new sanctions announced on Friday afternoon. The US targeted Russia's Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, with Treasury Department officials accusing her of being pivotal to moves to protect Russia's economy. More than 1,000 other companies, politicians and businesspeople were also targeted. The UK banned the export to Russia of almost 700 goods that are critical to manufacturing production. And the EU Commission unveiled proposals to impose a cap on the price of Russian seaborne oil, while also imposing a ban on EU citizens serving on the boards of Russian companies. Back in Moscow, Mr Putin and his separatist allies attended an evening pop concert in the city's Red Square. The Russian president led cheers for the four annexed regions and joined the crowd in a rendition of the national anthem. "Victory will be ours," he said. Thousands of people packed into the event, with many clutching Russian flags, though the BBC's Will Vernon in Moscow says many of those in attendance said they had been brought on buses as organised groups. And late on Friday night, Russia vetoed a UN security council resolution which would have condemned its annexation of the four occupied regions. Moscow's Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia complained that it was unprecedented to seek the condemnation of a permanent member of the body. While the Kremlin's blocking of the motion was anticipated, both India and China abstained. Source: BBC

The Autonomous Bougainville Government is aware of the incident that transpired on the morning of September 28, 2022 at the Tonolei Harbour, Buin District, South Bougainville. The early morning assault claimed the lives of two locals as well as an expatriate who were based at the site of the Tonolei Integrated Agricultural Project. Several other persons were also injured during the raid that saw the destruction of several millions of kinas worth of property and the unnecessary loss of innocent lives. The Government appeals for calmer heads to prevail as we work towards a peaceful solution to the issue. ABG Vice President and Minister for Commerce Trade Industry Hon. Patrick Nisira urged Bougainvilleans especially those on social media to refrain from creating speculation on the issue and aggravate an already tense situation. Mr Nisira said that in light of the sensitivity of the issue and respect for the innocent lives lost in this tragedy the government will not release further information until the Bougainville Police can ascertain the nature of the attack.

Coral Sea Hotels & Hospitality is in growth mode, part of this includes changes to the Coral Sea Hotels. Papua New Guineans are familiar with the Coral Sea Hotel offering of ENZO’s Pizza. ENZO’s has traditionally been a feature offering of Coral Sea Hotels, however as the business grows there are changes taking place to accommodate this growth. “The wait is over and one more ENZO’s Pizza outlet opens, to get a taste of our renowned pizzas, said Country Manager Sudeep Geethanandan for ENZO’s Pizza. “So here we are, welcoming you all to the newly opened ENZO’s Pizza at Courts, in the middle of Port Moresby. We believe located at Gordons, its more central and thereby able to cater to a lot of our loyal customers who would have had to visit us at ENZO’s Pizza at Gateway, ENZO’s Pizza at Beachside or ENZO’s Pizza at Harbourside. Enzo’s Pizza Country Development Manager Sudeep Geethanandan said, “At ENZO’s Pizza, our vision is to be Papua New Guinea’s most loved takeaway pizza brand and now we are at Gordons ready to deliver on the same. Operating Monday to Saturday from 9AM to 5PM. Please visit www.coralseahotels.com or Facebook @enzospizza.p.n.g “We at ENZO’s Pizza are driven by a passion to bring our customers faster, fresher quality pizzas and other food items, which is enabled by our highly engaged and motivated staff who are always ready to WOW our customers.” added Sudeep Geethanandan ENZO’s Pizza is Papua New Guinea’s pizza destination of choice with 7 locations across our nation with a lot more in the pipeline.

Prime Minister James Marape was pleased with the conclusion of his overseas travels that he had met key leaders of the world’s leading economies and were able to establish dialogue of trade and growth for Papua New Guinea. After concluding the US-Pacific Island Country summit at the White House on Thursday September 30th, 2022 with US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Marape is contented that key bilateral dialogues and conversations were established with world’s leading economic powers. Prime Minister Marape said making connections with these highest offices on earth is indeed positive for our aspirations to advance our country and for United States of America, the bilateral talks were targeted at Education, Employment and business opportunities for PNG citizens and business products. “It is the role of our nation’s leader to set the vision, goals and objectives and establish bilateral connections,” Prime Minister Marape said. It is unprecedented and historical that Prime Minister Marape in just two weeks met with leaders of the world’s economy; United Kingdom which ranked as 5th biggest economy, Japan ranked as 3rd biggest economy, Australia ranked as 13th biggest economy and USA, the biggest Global economy and market. “I have lobbied for market of our produces and work opportunities for our people in USA, UK and Australia amongst other bilateral matters,” PM Marape said. It is high time now that relevant ministers and state departments and citizens of Papua New Guinea must see this trajectory and translate our Leader’s vision into reality. “For instance, 300million people of USA are drinking coffee, this is huge potential and if our coffee growers grow coffee, we can supply this market and other markets. “ Let us all work for our PNG and if you don’t know where to work, again using coffee’s current price of K700 per bag, if a family with land produces 20 bags, that’s about K14,000. “You do your mathematics, if all our rural families go back to land and all districts supports this agriculture business vision, our country will be on its way towards richness,” said PM Marape. It is in the best interest of our nation that vital links such as these bilateral ties are established and that it provides the perfect impetus for our people to go back to their land and be productive and not to depend on free handouts. The biggest assets we have are land and sea, citizens of Papua New Guinea must start working on their land.

What started as a part time tutoring program for her friends children has now become an income earner for Brittany Giarua. Based in Alotau in Milne Bay Province, Ms Giarua has been running a home tutoring program, BG Private Tutoring for children who need the boost in several areas of learning that they were having difficulties in. “I started giving tutoring lessons during 2019 with my own cousins when Covid-19 affected schools and children missed out on a lot of classes but when things returned to the new normal I stopped.” “However this year in August I decided to start again.” “I have teaching experience as a teacher from a private school here in Alotau where I taught different subjects for Grade 3s to Grade 8s.” “Using individualized instruction where there is one to one teaching and self - paced learning with the ultimate goal of improving and enhancing a child's learning abilities in their various areas of need.” Ms Giarua said that she tutors children as a young as 4 years old up to 15 years old and tutoring lessons are done on the weekends. She added that she is home based meaning she operates out of her own home unless parents would rather she go to their home to tutor their children. Her fees are K20/hr and that includes the tutoring and printing of worksheets and learning kits. The academic calendar has been disrupted due to Covid-19 and elections so students that need the extra help can reach out to her for tutoring services.

An undertaking by state owned Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL) to increase its PNGLNG equity through a conditional arrangement between PNGLNG partner Santos has raised concerns over the lack of transparency surrounding the whole arrangement and the partial financial transaction that already took place between the parties involved, according to the PNG Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. (PNGEITI). KPHL has offered to acquire five percent (5 %) of Santos equity in the PNGLNG Project with asset valued at US$ 1.4 billion. This includes a proportionate share of project finance debt of approximately US$ 0.3 billion which is the condition upon which this commercial arrangement that has been made. PNGEITI Head of National Secretariat Mr. Lucas Alkan said following publication of this arrangement in the media this week . “While it is understood that the compromise between two major players in the PNGLNG project as purely commercial, the PNGEITI is concerned at the opaque nature of the environment in which such arrangements are being made, particularly when substantial amount of money belonging to the people of PNG entrusted under the stewardship of KPHL is involved. This deal can easily be likened to the controversial UBS transaction which recently ended up being investigated by a Royal Commission of Inquiry that cost the State millions of Kina in tax payers' money. We understand KPHL had already made partial payment of US$55 million and subsequent payments to finalise the transaction are expected to be made before the end of December this year. KPHL has a moral and corporate reasonability to be transparent and accountable to Parliament and the people of this country when conducting its business in this sector” Mr Alkan said. “The PNGEITI, a global best practice standard for the good governance of the extractive sector that PNG is a member of takes the position that KPHL must inform the public on where financing is being sourced to secure the purchase of the 5% additional equity for the State. The details of this transaction, whether it is being funded from KPHL’s budget, any external borrowing by KPHL on behalf of the State (if so, what asset is being used as collateral) or through the National Government Budget (this is not in the 2022 supplementary budget). Further, it is not clear as to whether NEC had approved for KPHL to execute this transaction to acquire additional equity from Santos. The public has the right to know these details and understand as to how KPHL’s balance sheet would be affected given that a US$ 0.3 billion debt would be inherited from Santos. The PNGEITI is not against KPHL’s proposal to acquire an additional 5% equity from Santos as it is consistent with the Government’s policy objective of having a greater equity interest in resources developments however, Santos’ intention to deal exclusively with KPHL regarding the sale raises a lot of questions. We strongly urge KPHL and Santos who are both active members of the PNGEITI Multi Stakeholder Group (MSG) to demonstrate good corporate citizenship and uphold the principles of the EITI Global Standard by disclosing the commercial and economic nature of this transaction for the sake of transparency and accountability in this planned sale of Santo’s 5 percent share in the PNGLNG to KPHL,” Mr. Alkan said.

PNG Prime Minister Xl Men Soccer Team are the champions of the inaugural MSG Prime Minister Cup after defeating host Vanuatu DT 4-1 in the penalty shoot-out in the packed Korman Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu last night. The Raymond Gunemba led side came from 2-0 deficit in the early part of the match to equalized and went into the extra-time. Both teams scored a goal each in the both half of the extra time to forced the game into the penalty shoot-out. PNG penalty kickers managed by Daniel Joe, Alwin Komolong, Emmanuel Simon and Paul Paul converted their penalties while Vanuatu kickers early penalty kicks were saved by goalkeeper Roland Warisan and the second kicker blew up the chance by sending the ball over the cross bar which literally forcing them out of the game. The match went down to the wire as both teams tried to find each others net. Vanuatu Team led by former Hekari United FC player Barry Mansale and skipper Carl Bong scored two quick goals in the first half before Nigel Dabinayaba pulled one back before the break to make PNG team in the contention of the final. In the second half, PNG fired another killer shot from Emmanuel Simon crossed by Dabinyaba who scored his double to force the game into the extra time. In the opening half of the extra time, Vanuatu scored to take the lead at half time 3-2. PNG with the no care attitude did not give up. They continued to bombard Vanuatu defence to see Raymond Gunemba level the score 3-3 to force the team into penalty shoot out. The Bula boys from Fiji managed to secure the third spot to beat the star-studded side Solomon Island 1-0. PNG picked up Vatu 1,000,000 plus MSG Prime Ministers Cup and the runner up pick the medallions.

Prime Minister James Marape has told the LNG Japan Corporation that Papua New Guinea has about 20-trillion cubic feet (TCF) in stranded gas fields, apart from the major LNG projects, waiting to be developed. He said this in Tokyo on Tuesday (September 27, 2022) when inviting LNG Japan Corporation to invest more and diversify in PNG LNG. He made the invitation to LNG Japan Corporation during a meeting with President and CEO, Kyo Onojima, and his delegation in Tokyo on Tuesday (September 27, 2022) during his one-day visit to attend the state funeral of former prime minister Shinzo Abe and bilateral meeting with current Prime Minister Hon. Fumio Kishida. PM Marape – who was accompanied by International Trade and Investment Minister Hon. Richard Maru, East Sepik Governor Hon. Allan Bird and PNG Ambassador to Japan H.E. Samuel Abal – said there were so many opportunities for LNG production in PNG as he invited LNG Japan Corporation. LNG Japan Corporation was formed on October 1, 2001 on the foundation of LNG business long established by Sojitz Corporation (formerly known as Nissho Iwai Corporation) and business network established through solid trust from customers by Sumitomo Corporation. “We have a lot of opportunities in upstream and downstream of LNG, as well as in stranded fields hanging around,” PM Marape told Onojima and his delegation. “We have up to 20 TCF of stranded gas fields, and are looking for investors who can partner Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd (KPHL) and Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC), with both companies having a combined value of K10 billion. “MRDC represents the landowners, who are important stakeholders, and we also want to give them more opportunity to participate with investors. “I appreciate the fact that LNG Japan Corporation already has an agreement with KPHL in the upstream business, as well as possibly venture into midstream, given that the stranded gas fields need to be mobilised. ” PM Marape said LNG Japan Corporation already had enough exposure to PNG’s LNG industry to know of business opportunities available in the country. He previously had a meeting with LNG Japan Corporation in December 2019 in Port Moresby with then President and CEO, Hiroshi Kawahara, who is now Chairman of the company. LNG Japan is studying feasibility of potential LNG-to-power projects in PNG, leveraging its long experiences in the LNG industry, including a small-scale domestic LNG sea transportation project in Indonesia. It is also looking at producing methanol as a raw material for plywood manufacture, hence, contributing to downstream processing of logs. LNG Japan, from the days of its predecessor, has over 40 years of experience in upstream development, financing, marketing, trading and shipping in the global LNG Industry. LNG Japan and Kumul Petroleum entered into a joint venture agreement on June 7, 2017 (amended on August 2, 2018) to set up as unincorporated joint venture for marketing of spot and short-term cargoes from PNG LNG. The company, together with JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation and Marubeni Corporation (Japanese consortium) and Kumul Petroleum entered into a memorandum-of-understanding on August 30, 2018, to jointly pursue any opportunities to participate in the Papua LNG Project, as equity participants and financiers.

The Greater Sepik region of Papua New Guinea is leading area in cocoa production in the country, but quality has been a concern compared to other cocoa producing provinces. To address this quality issue, the FAO-led EU-STREIT PNG Programme in collaboration with the PNG Cocoa Board organised a series of capacity building trainings for small fermentary business owners in East Sepik and Sandaun provinces. The weeklong workshops were intensive and conducted simultaneously over five weeks in August and September 2022 in eight different districts of East Sepik and Sandaun provinces namely Angoram, Yangoru-Saussia, Wewak, Maprik, Wosera-Gawi, Ambunti-Drekikier, Nuku, and Aitape-Lumi. A total of 470 participants including some model farmers were taken through Cocoa Act 1981, Cocoa Inspection Regulations, requirements for registration of cocoa fermentaries, PNG export standards, and different agencies involved in the cocoa industry. The cocoa business actors were also trained on proper cocoa drying and fermentation processes, including how to break cocoa pods, and quality management skills. Group discussions with field visits to model cocoa blocks and small fermentary set-ups and exporters’ processing facilities were part of these weeklong trainings. While opening the session in Wewak, the EU-STREIT Deputy Programme Coordinator Dr Pavel Burian said: “As a fermentary owner, you have crucial roles to play in the value chain to ensure quality beans are exported for an improved financial return for your business as well as for cocoa farmers to improve their livelihoods in a more sustainable way.” “It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure quality beans that are exported for higher financial returns for processing as well as to benefit smallholder farmers with better incentive. After this training, you learn how to process your beans properly, but the beans from other fermentary owners who didn’t get this opportunity will be mixed with yours for export, so it is important to share this knowledge with others to maintain uniform quality for holistic benefit” explained the Programme’s Senior Agricultural Officer, Dr Rabi Rasaily, while closing the training held for Aitape cocoa businesspersons. Facilitating these set of trainings were three female and three national male experts from the Quality Section of the Cocoa Board Head Office in Kokopo, East New Britain Province. Mr Daryll Worimo, the PNG Cocoa Board Regional Manager for Sepik, also emphasised: “the aim of these trainings is to address the quality issues experienced at the farmers and fermentary owners’ levels. With these trainings, we found that many participants are very happy and understand the importance of quality.” For the participants, the opportunity has set them well to improve on their practices. “As fermentary owners I think we now know what to do because the training was presented in practical way and we understood well,” said Grace Klembesa a female beneficiary who attended the session in Aitape. Highlight of Cocoa for Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, and namely the Greater Sepik region, has excellent agro-ecological potentials to produce valuable agricultural economic crops, including cocoa, and to further downstream agri-businesses activities development. Cocoa production provides jobs and income for the rural population, which remains predominant throughout Papua New Guinea. In the main regions of production, around 30% of households produce cocoa, while representing 15% of the number of households at the national level. Around one million people’s livelihoods depend on cocoa. In East Sepik and Sandaun provinces, where the Programme is being implemented, cocoa is an important source of income for about 500,000 people. Cocoa in PNG is estimated to grow on 130,000 ha in coastal provinces, as a monoculture or intercropped with coconuts or other food crops. However, this potentiality mostly remained untapped or under-developed, mainly due to lack of sufficient investment, support and capacity, and insufficient infrastructures, leaving the Sepik region less equipped with resources to progress toward sustainable economic development. The EU-STREIT PNG, being implemented as a United Nations joint Programme (FAO as the leading agency, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP as implementing partners), is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in the country and the Pacific region.  The Programme focuses on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through Increasing the economic returns and opportunities from cocoa, vanilla and fishery value chains and strengthening and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers including the business environment and supporting sustainable, climate-resistant transport and energy infrastructure development. 

Trevor Noah is ending a storied run on the famed Comedy Central late-night series, The Daily Show. Noah has hosted the program for seven years after taking over for Jon Stewart in 2015. The host made the announcement of his forthcoming departure to the studio audience on Thursday evening, though no official date has been announced. In a special message to the viewers, Noah revealed that on his seventh anniversary with the series, "One of the one of the overriding feelings I found myself experiencing throughout the night, and even today, waking up was was a feeling of gratitude." He continued, "There's so many people who make this thing come together. And I want to say thank you to the audience for an amazing seven years. It's been wild. It's been truly wild." "I've loved hosting the show. It's been one of my greatest challenges. It's been one of my greatest joys. I have loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh, even when the stories are particularly shitty on the worst days. You know, we've we've laughed together, we've cried together. But after seven years, I feel like it's time," Noah revealed. In a statement to ET, a Comedy Central spokesperson shared, “We are grateful to Trevor for our amazing partnership over the past seven years. With no timetable for his departure, we’re working together on next steps." "As we look ahead, we’re excited for the next chapter in the 25+ year history of The Daily Show as it continues to redefine culture through sharp and hilarious social commentary, helping audiences make sense of the world around them,” the statement continued. Source: ET (Entertainment Tonight)