Hawaiian Airlines operated their very first flight with a mother and daughter pilot earlier this week. Mother, Captain Kamelia Zarka and her daughter, First Officer Maria Zarka took flight over the Pacific. According to Hawaiian Airlines, the daughter was hired as a Boeing 717 first officer earlier this year and the mother, a Boeing 717 captain, was the first Tongan woman to captain a commercial airline. First Officer Maria Zarka says it was a dream come true. She says she has been so lucky on her aviation career so far but being able to fly right seat with her mum was an unbelievable lifetime experience. Maria says everybody always comes up to her and tells her how amazing her mum is to fly with and she got to experience that firsthand. The mother and daughter pilot duo is encouraging other young girls to follow their dreams.   Source: Fijivillage

“Work begins now.” Those were the stern words from the newly appointed Works and Highways Minister Solan Mirisim at the handover- takeover ceremony in Port Moresby last night. Minister Mirisim wasted no time in thanking Prime Minister James Marape for his trust and confidence in appointing him as minister to head the Department taking over the leadership from the outgoing and former Minister Michael Nali. He told the gathering it was encouraging that he was appointed by the CEO of the country to lead the department and he would give his utmost best to provide the leadership needed in the department while utilizing the expertise of the Department’s workforce to progress and push development agendas forward. “I am just an ordinary politician. I am here to work and provide guidance and my leadership. Work starts tonight,” said Minister Mirisim. He highlighted that his motto moving into the department was, “Connecting the unconnected; & reaching the unreached.” He said almost 85% of the country’s rural population, translating to 1.5 to 2 million people are yet to be connected by road networks. His motto during his tenure as Minister is targeted at these missing links and this will be made possible by the 5.6% monetary commitment of the Marape/Rosso government in its annual budget allocations to road infrastructures under the Connect PNG program which the department has embarked on. He thanked the former Minister Michael Nali for setting a high benchmark in the Works Department and vowed to carry on from where the former minister had left.

Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary will always be grateful that he was in a position to donate a kidney to his older brother five years ago, but knows not everyone is so lucky. Back in 2017 Ash Cleary's need for a replacement kidney became urgent as he battled with kidney disease, with Ivan emerging as a compatible match following tests, and subsequently donating one of his kidneys to his sibling. Had that not been the case, Ash, like many other Australians who require organ or tissue transplants, would have relied on a non-family donation. Ahead of Jersey Day this Friday, September 2 - which aims to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation in Australia - Ivan spoke about his first-hand experience with the important cause. "The idea is they go to family first as it's much more likely to get a match, [but] there’s a list of other things they have to line up for that to happen, and that's where Jersey Day comes in," Cleary said. "It's maybe apathy, or probably something people don't really know or think about too much, but there's so many people who need them and if there are more available then the more lives that we can all enrich." Cleary said it was important to remember that organ and tissue donation wishes are not included on driver licences anymore, meaning people need to register their wishes at donatelife.gov.au. The Premiership-winning coach also spoke about the need to discuss the topic with your family, as in the event of your passing it will ultimately be your next of kin who decide whether your wishes will be honoured. “Definitely, as a family we have all spoken about it since my brother and what he went through," Ivan said. "We’re all into it. I think that it's just about awareness. It’s awareness about how easy it is to register as a donor and awareness about how you can actually help people, and the number people actually needing it." Five years on from the transplant, Ivan said he is grateful to have been able to play a role in his brother enjoying an improved quality of life, and to be able to lend his voice to the cause. "Privileged if I'm honest, [Ash] was always saying how grateful he was but I actually honestly got a lot out of it myself," Ivan said. "It was a nice experience for all of our family actually and I’m pleased to say he’s doing really well."

Australian-owned Aspen Medical has opened a new healthcare clinic on Champion Parade in Port Moresby's Central Business District (CBD) after relocating from the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, Konedobu. Aspen Medical's Executive Chairman and Founder was at the clinic to cut the ribbon and invite partners, business leaders, government officials and the media to tour the new medical facility. The company has locked in a long-term commitment to the property and has invested several million in the fit-out at the new clinic including the latest in medical and diagnostic equipment. Aspen Medical Country Manager Gavin Whiteside said, "Our entire team are very excited to be able to deliver our world-class health services in the heart of Port Moresby's CBD. "We have been in PNG for many years now and we are continuing to invest in our presence and capability to increase the services and quality of healthcare in PNG. We are looking forward to supporting the growing number and scale of businesses in PNG, by providing quality healthcare at our new world-class medical facility." Services provided at the clinic include: • Primary healthcare • Occupational health • Visa medicals (Australia and New Zealand) • Telehealth • COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and education • X-Ray This document has been classified as Unclassified • Pathology • Pharmacy • Environmental health services The new clinic caters to walk-in patients and corporate membership accounts. In addition to its clinic, Aspen Medical provides on-site healthcare to in the Corporate sector, Government agencies and the Resources sector in PNG. The opening of the new Port Moresby clinic comes just weeks after Aspen Medical launched the new CT scanner capability in Fiji as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative with the Government of Fiji, as well as opening a new clinic in the United Arab Emirates, where it is on track to open five more clinics before the end of the year.

This business leader loves to cook up a storm, plays competitive netball and manages one of Milne Bay’s largest office and business complex portfolio. In this first-person interview, Mrs Hacy Abel shares more about herself as well as some of her insights and experiences, including her top super savings tips. I am a proud mother of three children and I have a granddaughter. I am from Milne Bay and Central Provinces. I am so passionate about netball and play in competitions, but it’s seasonal. So cooking is my other favourite thing to do. I love cooking for many people. I will often look for an excuse to cook a massive meal, especially at my fireplace in the backyard. I will cook on my own or get a group of friends to help me out. It’s fulfilling when you get the opportunity, because you are nourishing those around you. Chascorp Ltd. is a property business, which includes Chascorp Haus and Chascorp Business Centre. We are fully-tenanted, and have 28 tenants from difference sectors including government and business shop owners. We are also agents of Boroko Motors and Budget Rent a Car. When we met with Nambawan Super in 2016, we learned about how our staff could save for their retirement, and other superannuation services. I wanted my Staff to have something to lean on in the long run. Without superannuation, you can see what happens to someone who retires. They have nothing. Nambawan Super can really help staff to stay disciplined and focused. There is no card to withdraw the savings, so the money is kept safe. Many of them are happy just to check their balances and see their hard-earned cash. As Papua New Guineans, we also have so many obligations like bride price payments and school fees. Apart from Nambawan Super, Staff can also save with Nambawan Savings and Loans Society (NSLS), available at Nambawan Super offices to meet these sorts of expenses. My mother is from Bwanabwana in Milne Bay, so I have used some of my short-term savings at NSLS to build a permanent home for her. Spend less than what you earn. That’s my top tip for anyone wanting to save. Many of us tend to do the opposite. We can commit to so many expenses, yet our earnings are less and this can get you in trouble. Any Employer should consider joining Nambawan Super so their staff can benefit from savings for retirement and other superannuation services. It also gives the employees other long-term savings options like Voluntary Contributions. With Nambawan Super, you will see that you can fund anything that you’re planning. It is also important because if you are not saving, you do not have any other backup to sustain you when you retire.

The Solomon Islands government has put a moratorium on navy vessels entering its ports, saying it needs to review approval requirements and procedures. The moratorium comes amid increasing tensions between Solomon Islands and the US and its allies since the Pacific nation struck a security pact with China earlier this year. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said in a statement recent problems encountered by US and British ships docking at Honiara were due primarily to appropriate information not being sent to the Office of Prime Minister on time. "We have requested our partners to give us time to review, and put in place our new processes, before sending further requests for military vessels to enter the country," Mr Sogavare said. "These will universally apply to all visiting naval vessels," he said. The statement said foreign vessels had entered the country's waters during the year without diplomatic clearance. It added that Solomon Islands wanted to build national capacity to police the Pacific island nation's exclusive economic zones. "Once the process and procedures are in place suspension of naval vessel visits will be lifted," it said. Last week, the US Coast Guard revealed one of its vessels was unable to enter Solomon Islands for a routine port call because the government did not respond to a request for it to refuel and provision. "Unfortunately, by the time the approval was communicated on the evening of 20th August 2022, the ship's captain had decided to leave our waters," Mr Sogavare, who spoke at a ceremony to welcome the visiting US Navy hospital ship Mercy, was quoted in the statement as saying. The British navy vessel, HMS Spey, also recently failed to get clearance to dock. 'We will continue to closely monitor the situation' The US embassy in Canberra said in a statement on Tuesday it had received notification of the moratorium on all naval visits "pending updates in protocol procedures". The US embassy said Mercy had arrived for a two-week mission before the moratorium. "The US Navy ship Mercy received diplomatic clearance prior to the moratorium being implemented. We will continue to closely monitor the situation," the embassy said. The US Coast Guard vessel, Oliver Henry, was on patrol for illegal fishing in the South Pacific for a regional fisheries agency when it failed to obtain entry to refuel at Honiara, the Solomons' capital, a US Coast Guard press officer said in an emailed statement on Friday. A US State Department spokesperson said the "lack of diplomatic clearance for the Oliver Henry was regrettable", and the US was pleased the Mercy had received clearance. The Mercy's humanitarian mission, together with personnel from Australia and Japan, will include community health outreach, engineering projects and discussions on disaster relief. Separately, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said it was regrettable that "we've seen the Chinese try to bully and coerce nations throughout the Indo-Pacific to do their bidding and to serve what they believe their selfish national security interests are, rather than the broader interests of a free and open Indo-Pacific". Source: ABC news

Reports of a large fire at Erimart, Erima in NCD. The Fire Service and NCD St John Ambulance Service are on the scene. Reports indicate a number of patients being treated for injuries. Please stay away from the Erima area while the fire services extinguish the blaze, and the ambulance service assists casualties. Source: St John Ambulance PNG

 Vodafone PNG has announced its intention to partner with Members of the 11th Parliament and their respective provincial and district administrations in delivering world class communication services throughout Papua New Guinea. Government Affairs Manager, Festus Maiginap, says Vodafone has created a platform to work with provincial and district governments through Members of Parliament (MP) in achieving their respective communication policies. “Our collaboration programme includes the establishment of telecommunication towers in areas seen fit by the MP and the introduction of state-of-the-art ICT service options to government administrations, school facilities and other public service establishments like police posts and health centres,” Maiginap said. He said Vodafone’s government collaboration programme complements and rides on the back of the telecommunication company’s continued network extension exercise; an investment valued at K3 billion. “All in all, this is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach to development in the area of communications; and we stand capable and ready to collaborate.” The inception of Vodafone into the PNG market heralds the dawn of competition in the telecommunication space with the provision of affordable services on products such as handsets and cheap data being the forefront of its mission, utilising the latest technology

A guaranteed finals berth would have most players and fans grinning ear-to-ear but it’s not the most important thing on Joey Manu’s mind. The Roosters’ roaming centre is eyeing off the showdown with traditional rivals Souths at the all-new Allianz Stadium to keep a stunning winning streak – now extended to seven games – alive heading into the Telstra Premiership finals. While it will be sweet for Manu to play finals after a facial fracture kept him out 12 months ago, he said the celebrated feud was all his teammates could talk about after dispatching the Storm. “It’s awesome. But we’re just looking forward to next week to be honest. That’s a big game in itself. It’s nice to know we are (in the finals), but our focus is next week, and then the week after that,” Manu said. “It’s going to be big. Obviously the new stadium, against the Rabbits – there’s no bigger game for us. “I feel like we’re building something nicely. It was a good win (Friday night) but we still have to improve on a few things.” Many pundits had written off the Roosters’ finals hopes after the Panthers handed them a fourth consecutive loss in Round 16. At the time, the club was languishing in tenth position, two wins outside the top eight and little seemed to be going right for the Tricolours, although Manu said the belief was always there. The 26-year-old won’t take any credit but he has arguably been a catalyst for a tactical evolution at the Roosters, given a mandate to roam in the middle of the field to add an instinctive “backyard footy” style extra threat to an offence launching into the stratosphere. It worked wonders against the Storm as he wreaked havoc, particularly in the first half as he amassed eight tackle breaks mostly in the middle of the field. The slippery centre has started five games in his customary role as part of the Roosters’ winning streak, averaging 24.2 touches per game compared to 17 per game starting at centre earlier in the season. Manu has 2.6 (13 in five games) and 1.1 (16 in 14 games) offloads respectively in the corresponding matches, while the numbers are astronomical in matches started at fullback or five-eighth. The boom in touches and second-phase play comes with the added bonus of attracting more defenders in the middle of the field, often leaving them in his wake, before producing his miraculous late passes to add to his side’s roll forward. Manu said he hadn’t changed much in his game, though he admitted to spending more time in discussions with his spine, listening and learning what makes them tick to develop the ultimate attacking threat. “I just try to get the ball in my hands whenever I can. I’ve just enjoyed being there in the middle connecting with the forwards and also the halves and that too, so I just like playing what I see,” he said. While the other title contenders now know Manu is coming at them more often, the big question is whether anyone can stop him as the Roosters aim to keep their remarkable run going right up to Grand Final day. Source: NRL.com

On Wednesday afternoon PNG Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA PNG) issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) closing both Lae/Nadzab airport and Kiunga Airport to all flights due to regulatory issues, effective midnight on Wednesday. Consequently Air Niugini has suspended all flights to both Lae/Nadzab airport and Kiunga Airport. CASA PNG is presently working with National Airports Corporation (NAC) to address these issues. Air Niugini will resume services as soon as the airports are reopened by CASA PNG, but is presently uncertain when this will be. We will advise as soon as we are aware of when we are allowed to resume flights. Customers are advised to revalidate their travel to the next available flight, once the reopening date is known. Air Niugini regrets the inconvenience caused, however the situation is beyond the airline’s control.

Prime Minister James Marape says “The story of our country is not bad” as many make it out to be. He said this yesterday (August 31 2022) when welcoming the 2022 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) presented by Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey which highlighted the fact that the Papua New Guinea economy was on the rebound. PM Marape predicted that by 2027, the Budget would be in surplus, and by the mid-2030s PNG would have paid off all its total sovereign debt on its way to becoming a K200 billion economy. Among the good news for PNG: • The latest MYEFO figures have the PNG economy growing by the largest Kina amount in history – from K82.6 billion in 2020 to K92.6 billion in 2021 and K110.3 billion in 2022. The K27.6 billion increase in the economy over the last two years is more than double the K12.4 billion increase in the economy during 2014 and 2015 as the PNG LNG Project started. • Treasury estimates that inflation will average 6.2 per cent in 2022 after incorporating the lower cost pressures by removing fuel taxes, assistance to lower the price of flour, rice, tinned fish and Ox & Palm; and lower education costs from the School Project Fee subsidy. The MYEFO forecasts that inflation rate will drop down to 5.6 per cent in 2023 and continue declining. • The MYEFO forecasts an increase in revenue from K13.67 billion in 2021 to K17.07 billion in 2022 - which is a 23.1 per cent increase on revenue outcomes in 2021. Not only was the ambitious revenue target of K16.19 billion surpassed, it was exceeded by K875.8 million; and • PNG’s debt to GDP ratio in 2022 will not fall from 53.3 per cent down to 49.1 per cent, which is even lower than the 51.6 per cent in 2021. “At the macro level, the story of our country is not bad,” PM Marape said. “Our country has been travelling on a positive road thus far. “In 1975 our economy was a K5 billion economy, in 2011 it was K44 billion, in 2018 it was K79.6 billion.” PM Marape commended Treasurer Ling-Stuckey for a sterling performance over the last three hard years. “Despite many criticisms, he (Ling-Stuckey) has ensured our short-term measures to keep MV PNG floating, in tough waters, are paying off. “Over the last three years, we have climbed from a K79.6 billion economy of 2018, to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast of K110 billion by the end of this year. “The thermometer, in as far as our economic expansion is concerned, is rising while similar countries as ours may have regressed.” PM Marape stressed that there was a lot more work in the short, medium and long terms to be done by everyone in the country. PM Marape said Porgera Mine, P’nyang LNG, Papua LNG, Pasca LNG and Wafi-Golpu Mine should be progressed as a matter of urgency. “Short term measures include bringing back Porgera at the earliest,” he said. “P’nyang LNG will run at the back of Papua LNG construction, so instead of just a four-year construction period like the PNG LNG from 2011-2013, P’nyang and Papua will be constructed over an eight-year period. “That will mean a windfall economy as a result of construction from 2023 right up to possibly 2031. “We will make a concerted effort to consult all landowners and all provincial governments in Gulf, Western and Enga provinces for these projects. “The smaller Pasca Project, the easiest, lowest-hanging fruit, will be reactivated and that will hopefully by concluded at the very earliest. “I am very keen to work with the Morobe Provincial Government, and Governor Hon. Luther Wenge, on the much talked about Wafi-Golpu Project. “These five projects will be progressed over the next 10 years and give us the window for a K200 billion economy as I have been targeting. PM Marape warned the country of the "lazy man expectations" that money from oil gas and mining would have a permanent solutions to our economy. "Far from it, and I liken that mindset to those on steroid drugs, needing boosts all time," he said. "The dependency on the boom-and-bust of the petroleum and mineral sector must stop and the country must shift to the sustainable renewable sector of our economy. " PM Marape said everyone should work hard over the short, medium and long term. “The hard work starts today,” he said. “Everyone must contribute to the growth of our country, and when you contribute, you receive services. “We must start mobilising our people to get into agriculture, forestry, fisheries and other small businesses. "Our people own land, and bringing markets to them will ensure all of them participate in the sustainable part of our economy."

GoFood (PNG) Mobile App is an online order and food delivery service that began operations in 2016, being the first to market to offer an “Uber-Eats” experience in Port Moresby, with Eftpos payment at point of delivery. Today the customer’s experience has been enhanced with the recent launch of GoFood (PNG) Mobile App, from organising pizza from Mr Mikes Pizza, pasta from Lamana, curry with basmati rice from The Cellar, Burgers from Dirty Kitchen and soup from Yummy Kitchen is now so easy and at your fingertips with the GoFood Mobile App. Customers can pay immediately via the app and enjoy their meal. The delivery service is affiliated with over 28 major restaurants and popular eateries in Port Moresby and has already impressed customers with a very prompt delivery service. Currently the business is providing the service only within Port Moresby and are looking at branching out to other major centers in the near future. The GoFood (PNG) Mobile App is available on the App Store and Play Store to download and you can start ordering straight away. Arranging meals for the family or for our self when you do not have the time or arranging delivery of lunch to your office or for your children at school is much more convenient with the app. Fee charges will vary based on the delivery location within Port Moresby. The app allows you to create your account, set up a profile, and invite your friends to utilize the service. The app offers a wallet to store money value using the BSP Payment Services, you can transfer funds to the wallet securely and conveniently with BSP Pay electronic funds transfer, as well as using your Visa or MasterCard. Mrs Anang Operations Manager for GoFood said, “BSP e-Commerce platform has added value to our business by providing us a convenient payment option for all our valued customers throughout Port Moresby city”. She further stated, “Technology is vital for any business whether you are an SME or large corporate. GoFood is one of the few SMEs that has launched services online in partnership with BSP, expanding the reach to customers anywhere, domestic and in other parts of PNG or overseas, to simply pay with Visa and MasterCard and we will deliver to a location within Port Moresby, for mealtime, a social event or corporate event.” BSP is enabling local business to access digital payments platforms making it convenient for customers to pay anytime anywhere with a convenient and secure online experience and enjoy doorstep delivery.