Prime Minister James Marape has appealed to people to take extra care following the massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake which between Morobe and Eastern Highlands this morning. Such was the magnitude of the earthquake that it was also felt in Port Moresby and other parts of the country. PM Marape said national and provincial disaster agencies, as well as leaders, had been asked to assess the scale of damage and injuries to people and attend to these as soon as possible. PM Marape said the PNG Defence Force and Police had also been put on alert to respond to emergencies if needed. “I am very concerned about the impact of this massive 7.7 earthquake which struck between Morobe and Eastern Highlands, and appeal for calm among our people,” he said. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected. “I also appeal to our people to help each other where you can in this time. “National and provincial disaster agencies, as well as leaders, have been asked to assess the damage and injuries to people and attend to these as soon as possible. “Initial reports are that dormitories at the University of Goroka have been extensively damaged and we are also assessing Lae, Bulolo, Markham and Huon Gulf districts in Morobe; Kainantu and Goroka districts in Eastern Highlands; the Bulolo, Highlands and Ramu highways; Yonki Hydro Power Station; and mine areas in Bulolo and Kainantu; among others. “I appeal to people living in coastal areas to move to higher ground. “The PNG Defence Force and Police have also been put on alert to respond to emergencies and put in place our response plan with a meeting being convened at our disaster response centre at Morauta House. At 3pm today I will announce our interim response plan to the nation whilst awaiting full assessments.”

A big fight erupted on Kiriwina Island, Milne Bay Province yesterday where a man was killed and others receiving treatment at Losuia Health Centre. 3 will be referred to Alotau General Hospital and 8 are been treated at the Losuia Health Centre. The fight erupted after a Grand Final Soccer Match at Losuia Station between Losuia Team and Muloseda team. The supporters of the teams stormed the nearby village, Gameta and caused entensive damage to homes and properties. Milne Bay Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent Peter Barkie spoke to this news room and said that he is aware of the fight and his team are departing alotau for Losuia. They should arrive by this afternoon on the island. Meanwhile, situation is still tense on the Island.

Prime Minister (PM) James Marape has announced a 10-day mourning period for Papua New Guinea (PNG) as per the program put forth by Buckingham Palace for all Commonwealth countries to pay their respects and tributes to late Queen Elizabeth II, following her recent passing. Marape, in his condolence speech he made at the Government House in Port Moresby, said the PNG has lost her Queen and the country will pay its respects accordingly. “Our deep expression of sympathy for the loss of a steady figure in our nationhood for 46 going 47 years now,” said the PM. “She was Queen of our country, she was head of state, she was the anchor for many of our activities in as far as running our sovereignty is concerned.” Marape also announced that the 10- day mourning period will see all government businesses suspended in respect of the late Queen. “For our country, I ask all of us for the mourning period to fly our flags half mast, to contain our activities with respect with the passing of the head of our state. In the next day or so, I will be announcing to our country what activities will take place in memory of the head of state,” said the PM. Marape along with the Governor General, Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae, will be heading over to London in England during this period for the funeral and to meet with the new King, King Charles III. The PM’s scheduled appointment to meet with the King will be on the 16th of September, which coincidently falls on PNG’s Independence Day. Meanwhile, the PM also announced that the Government House will be open to the public, heads of missions who are here in the country, public servants, members of parliament and ministers to pay their respects and tributes to the late Queen. He said the Condolences Book will be put at Government House for the length of the 10- day mourning period sanctioned by Buckingham Palace. “We will allow the book only to be here and for those who want to sign and offer sympathy symbolically on our condolences book, you must make your way to our Government House,” said Marape.

Nathan Cleary has produced an all-time great finals performance to take Penrith to within a win of their third straight NRL decider with a 27-8 victory over Parramatta. In a sparkling start to the NRL finals, Cleary stole the show with a brilliant 10-minute period in the second half to take the qualifying final away from the Eels. On return from his five-match ban for a dangerous tackle, the NSW No.7 terrorized the Eels with his kicking game and had a hand in all four Penrith tries. An ugly head knock for halfback Mitch Moses, who looked rattled after being collected trying to make a tackle, added to Parramatta's woes. Team stats But by that point, the Panthers were already well on top with the Eels' staring down the barrel of another do-or-die semi-final. Cleary three times forced errors out of Eels winger Waqa Blake, who had a nightmare trying to field his former teammate's bombs. The Panthers' first try came off Blake's first error, allowing Moses Leota to put Brian To'o over after a spilled bomb. Cleary also nailed a 30-metre field goal on halftime for a 7-6 lead, before exploding into action when the Eels took a one-point lead early in the second half. Sensing Blake was down on confidence, Cleary again forced an error out of the former Panther with another towering kick that hung in the air for several seconds. From the ensuing set, the Panthers No.7 swung the play to the right, gave Stephen Crichton space with early ball and helped him put Brian To'o over. Cleary then grubber-kicked early for Dylan Edwards to score eight minutes later, before dummying his way into space and putting James Fisher-Harris over in the next set. And just like that, it was 25-8 and the game was done. Parramatta now find themselves in the same spot they have been in four of the past five years, with a match against Melbourne or Canberra next Friday to advance to a preliminary final. A loss would otherwise continue their horror run in semi-finals, where they have been eliminated in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Whether they will have Moses available is also in question, with a seven-day turnaround meaning he will need clearance from an independent neurologist if diagnosed with concussion. Moses had earlier kicked nicely in the first half before his injury, while Reed Mahoney was one of the Eels' best as he put Oregon Kaufusi over for the Eels' only try. Penrith also have some concerns. Winger Taylan May left the field with a leg injury late in the match, after also being sin-binned for a high shot early on after controversially being allowed to play by the NRL. Prop Spencer Leniu was also placed on report for a high shot on Isaiah Papali'i, with anything greater than a grade-one charge set to see him at risk of missing matches. Source: ABC News

The Prime Minister, James Marape, MP announced yesterday that he will miss the country’s Independence Celebration, next Friday, 16 September 2022. He advised following the signing of the book of condolence at the government house today that he will be in London for the official mourning period, and the funeral service. “About three years ago, all realm countries were advised of very specific details of the program involving heads of governments and heads of states when our queen dies. This somber and solemn occasion is now before us. These prior sealed plans have now been revealed and activated for our collective participation. I will be travelling to London to be part of the official mourning and funeral program next week.” The Prime Minister will travel to London together with the Governor General, Sir Bob Dadae to participate in the official mourning period, the lying in State, and the funeral service of the late monarch, Queen Elisabeth II, before a private burial. “It would be my honor to represent our people in the islands, the mountains, the valleys, and the rivers to convey our deepest condolences to the Royal family on this sad occasion of the passing of the queen of Papua New Guinea. And while it would mean missing the important 47th Independence Celebrations, it is a monumental time, as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, to be in London to mark the changing of guard in Buckingham Palace.” The program also provides an opportunity for the Prime Minister and the Governor General to meet King Charles III to express our collective grief at the passing of his mother, and to also offer our congratulations at his ascension to the throne. “The Governor General and I, together with our spouses, are scheduled to meet King Charles III on 16 September 2022. Ironically, the then Prince Charles represented Her Majesty at the Independence Day in 1975. I will get an opportunity, on behalf of all the people of Papua New Guinea, to congratulate him on his ascension to the throne on our 47th Independence Anniversary.” The Deputy Prime Minister Honorable John Rosso will be the acting Prime Minister during the period when the Prime Minister is away and will preside over the 47th Independence Celebrations next week.

Air Niugini wishes to advise their valued customers that Australia has removed the requirement for passengers and crew to wear masks on all flights to Australia, effective yesterday, Friday 09th September. This reflects the ongoing relaxation of travel requirements as COVID restrictions are gradually being lifted.

Over the past two years, nine out of 10 countries have slid backwards on the UN's Human Development Index. Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and the impact of climate change are blamed for putting global development in reverse. The Human Development Index was launched in 1990 in an effort to look beyond GDP as a measure of well-being. Switzerland sits at the top of the index this year with a life expectancy of 84 years, an average of 16.5 years spent in education and median salary of $66,000. At the other end of the scale is South Sudan where life expectancy is 55, people spend just 5.5 years in school on average and earn $768 a year. Setbacks in a majority of the 191 countries included in the index, especially in life expectancy, have taken development levels back to those seen in 2016, reversing a 30-year trend. In the US, for example, life expectancy at birth has dropped by more than two years since 2019. In other countries the decline is much higher. Over the years since the index was introduced, many countries have faced crises and slid backwards, but the global trend consistently moved upwards. Last year was the first time the index declined overall since calculations began and this year's results solidified that downward trend. The impact has been uneven though. Two-thirds of rich countries rebounded last year while most others continued to decline. This year's index is based on data from 2021. "But the outlook for 2022 is grim," says Achim Steiner, one of its authors, who points out that more than 80 countries are facing problems paying off their national debt. "Eighty countries being one step away from facing that kind of crisis is a very serious prospect," he says. "We are seeing deep disruptions, the tail end of which will play out over a number of years." Source: BBC News

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has welcomed foreign investors into Papua New Guinea, as he launched the K130 million Paga Hill Paradise project in Port Moresby this week. He said the 22-storey luxury apartments project, besides Fairfax Harbour, was at the heart of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) earmarked by Government in the National Capital District and would be completed over two years. Present with PM Marape were NCD Governor Hon. Powes Parkop; Moresby North-East MP Hon. John Kaupa; Sarawak (Malaysia) Minister for Tourism Creative Industry and Performing Arts His Excellency Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; Malaysian Ambassador His Excellency Mohamad Nasri Abdul Rahman; Chinese Embassy representative Jiliang Chen; developers of Paga Hill Paradise and members of the private sector. PM Marape thanked the investors for having faith in Port Moresby and PNG by investing K130 million. “My Government – regardless of colour, political divide, religion or tribe – encourages business investments,” he said. “This is a country that has shown its ability to repay its investors with a substantial return on investments. “Going forward, you will not be discouraged if you invest in our country, you will have a good return on your investment. “In 1975 we had an economy that was under K5 billion, in 2011 we had an economy of K44.4 billion, in 2019 when I took over from Government we had an economy of K79.6 billion, today after three hard years – and endorsed by International Monetary Fund and World Bank – our economy is peaking at K110 billion. “We are a nation that is growing. “My generation of leaders envisages growing our economy to a K200 billion economy over the next eight years. “This time, 10 years from today, our economy would have gone past K200 billion. “As the economy expands, there’ll be a lot of room and need for services, infrastructure, buildings, entertainment precincts. “Special economic zones are meant to be places of investment, expansion, and I thank the investors for choosing to invest here.” PM Marape said the Port Moresby SEZ was one of many that would be established in all 21 provinces and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. “The special economic zones must attract investments, and we invite investors to go into those special economic zones,” he said. “Paga Hill Precinct in the city centre has been ticked by Government as a special economic zone, with the support of the National Capital District Commission, and investors must come here to this all-inclusive ‘city within a city’ and business centre. “This area must be given a modern outlook in line with Governor Parkop’s ambitious, but achievable, plan to deliver Port Moresby as the ‘amazing city’ of the Pacific.”

Parramatta's win over the Storm has set up a tantalising showdown against defending premiers Penrith tonight to open the Telstra Premiership Finals series. The Panthers were beaten just four times all season on their way to claiming the minor premiership, and the Eels own two of those victories over Ivan Cleary's men - winning 22-20 in Round 9 and 34-10 in Round 20. With a preliminary final berth on offer, the two western Sydney rivals will rip in from the opening whistle and the forward battle is sure to rock the foundations of BlueBet Stadium. The Eels would love nothing better than to avenge their loss to the Panthers in last year's semi-finals, when the intervention of a trainer at a critical moment late in the game robbed the blue and golds of momentum and left a bitter taste as they succumbed 8-6 in a bruising encounter. The Panthers went on to beat the Storm in an epic preliminary final and the Rabbitohs in a tense decider to claim the club's third premiership and they have given themselves a great shot at becoming the first back-to-back premiers since the Roosters in 2018-19. Source: NRL.com

It is with the greatest sadness that I heard of the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. This is indeed the end of an Era, an Era that will surely be known as the Second Elizabethan Era. Her Majesty was and is a towering figure in the history of Great Britain, indeed in the history of the world. She presided over a tumultuous and quickly evolving period of history, and she did so with grace and dignity. Her strength and the esteem in which she was held by the world is unequalled. This was never so clear as in the way she presided over the dissolution of the British Empire. I can think of no greater acclamation, no greater tribute to any monarch than the fact that essentially the entire former colonial empire of England, of Great Britain, voluntarily – and even eagerly – chose to remain tied to the former colonial power through the Commonwealth of Nations. I give Her Majesty full credit for that achievement, an achievement never equaled in the history of nations, the British Commonwealth above all is the child of Her Majesty. Having had the honour of private meetings with Her Majesty twice at Buckingham Palace, I also remember well the visit of Her Majesty to Papua New Guinea in 1974 to commemorate the granting of Self-Government to our country, and again in 1977 to celebrate her Silver Jubilee. I would later, in 1981, become a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council, a privilege I consider to be the greatest of my life. I cant to convey the profound sadness of myself, my family and all the people of New Ireland at this terrible loss. But at the same time I want to thank the House of Windsor for the remarkable gift we were given in the form of the reign of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She was a Queen, a Monarch, who will never be equaled

PNG Air wishes to advise passengers and the travelling public that flights into Wapenamanda, Enga Province have now resumed. This following a suspension that was placed on the 12th July due to safety concerns over vandalism of airport property and suspension of services by the National Airports Corporation in Wapenamada. Passengers can now book tickets to travel online at www.pngair.com.pg or at your nearest PNG Air, Post PNG Sales Office and Travel Agent. We thank you for your continued understanding and look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.

Papua New Guineans from the mountains, valleys and coasts rose up this morning to the news that our Queen has been taken to rest by God. She was the anchor of our Commonwealth and for PNG we fondly call her ‘Mama Queen’ because she was the matriarch of our country as much as she was to her family and her Sovereign realms. God bless her Soul as she lays in rest. May God bless also King Charles III. Her Majesty’s people in PNG shares the grief with our King and his family. James Marape MP Prime Minister of PNG PC: