The Kokoda Track Kickboxing Showdown, which was schedule to start from today 24th March to tomorrow 25th of March at the Bomana Correctional Service Training College outside Port Moresby, has been deferred to a later date. National Kickboxing Federation President, Mr. Stanley Nandex stated that the change of timing was due to circumstances beyond their control “The Showdown that is to go down this Friday and Saturday is being deferred and that is because this weekend, there will be a repatriation and funeral service for two CIS officers who have passed away,” said Nandex. The event for Southern Region kickboxing, was supposed to start the Federation’s programs for 2023, which would be the first after a long while since the Federation had to cancel its events from 2019 onwards, due to the COVID pandemic. Mr. Nandex sincerely extended his words of apology to all the participants, officials, sponsors and invited guest for the inconvenience caused. The Federation will reconfirm the change of date after making confirmation with the Correctional Service Commander on the use of their facility to host the event. A memo will be sent out to inform people of the conformed date. Nandex further urged all fighters to use these extra days to continue their trainings and prepare well for the showdown. Meanwhile, the other National Kickboxing Federation events coming up this year are the Highlands Regional Championship, which is set for April in Goroka. The New Guinea Islands event to be held in Rabaul in May and the Momase event locked in for June in Wewak.

High Cost of living in towns and cities has forced many people into the informal sector to help sustain their day to day living. The situation is putting a major burden on the people especially for the people making a living in the informal sector. Mr. Simon Thomas a betel nut vendor at the Gordons Industrial area details how much of a struggle it is for simple street vendors. He stated that many of them left their village and have fled to the city because of tribal killings, they become refuge in the city and one can only survive through the informal sector because unemployment is high, and most youths and mothers are not skilled. He further explained that it is a struggle when they get chased around, beaten and their market items destroyed by the police and city authorities. Simon stated that when their market is destroyed, it’s another burden on top of the high cost of living, because they had to make the hard decision on how much left is to go to new purchase of supply and how much is to go towards food. But often, hunger is sacrificed in order to buy new supplies to continue their business because there are kids, mothers' and other members of the family who depend on that small market. “Government need to do something about the rate of unemployment and government also need to set regulations that protects the informal sector too because inflation is killing everyone, both the unemployed and the employed.”

Two judges were re-appointed by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission as judges of the National and Supreme Court of Justice today. Grand Chief Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, GCL,GCMG,KStJ, Governor General of Papua New Guinea officiated the swearing of the two judges. The judges are Justice Ellena Vitata Batari and Justice Jeffrey Shepherd. The Judicial and Legal Services Commission has re-appointed Ellenas Batari as a Judge of the National and Supreme Court of Justice for a period of two years. Whilst Justice Jeffrey Shepherd was re-appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission to be a judge of the National and Supreme Courts of Justice for a period of 3 years. This morning at the swearing in ceremony at the Government House, Justice Batari and Justice Shepherd recited before the Governor General the Declaration of Office, Declaration of Loyalty and Judicial Declaration. Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika and other fellow judges of the National and Supreme Courts were present at the ceremony to witness the swearing in.

Everyone is facing financial crisis and every day is a struggle, especially when it comes down to affording a decent meal or paying for a service. The Kina has lost its value with the country experiencing high cost of living in terms of high price for goods and services. Even the employed say it’s a struggle because a fortnight’s salary of K300-K400 for average wage earners is not enough to take a family through to the next fortnight. If people employed are feeling the pinch of the high cost of living then, the unemployed population are probably finding it tough. The citizens are now calling on the government to start looking at measures to mitigate this issue on high cost of living. PNG Hausbung took to the streets and asked people on what their thoughts are in regard to the high cost of living and here are some with their responses.    

A policeman attached with Highlands Eastern Command is currently in police custody awaiting his time for appearance before the Committal Court in Mt Hagen District Court. The police man is charged with Dangerous driving causing death and grievous bodily harm. Assistant Commissioner Highlands Eastern End Division Rigga Neggi highlighted that the police officer, who was attached to the Minj Police Station in Jiwaka province was involved in a traffic accident along the Minj road on Monday January 9th 2023. The off-duty Officer was under the influence of alcohol and on high-speed driving a Toyota Land Cruiser which collided with an oncoming Toyota Land cruiser which was also on high speed and its driver was also under the influence of alcohol. “A female passenger who was travelling with the off-duty policeman died in the accident due to injuries she sustained whilst other passengers on both vehicles sustained serious injuries,” said Assistant Commissioner Neggi. However, in a twisted turn to the story, the driver of the other vehicle was later found dead at Waghi bridge, provoking his relatives to believe that the off-duty policeman was responsible. “The other driver was a young engineer from Barola in Eastern Highlands Province, and upon hearing of the bad news, his relatives set up roadblocks at the Barola Mountain targeting people from Jiwaka and Western Highlands Provinces as well as harassing other members of the public who were traveling along the highway,” Mr Neggi said. A full independent investigation in to the death of the young engineer is now being carried out by an independent investigation team from the Western Highlands and Simbu provinces. Whilst investigation is underway ACP Neggi is appealing to members of the public who have any information of the incidents to come forward and assist police with the investigations In the meantime, ACP Neggi is appealing to relatives of the deceased to allow the law to take its course

All Stop N Shop outlets in the nations capital, Port Moresby, are back in business after experiencing a system outage this morning that lasted until late this afternoon. Central Waigani's SNS Management said their outlets had a forced closure early this morning after learning about the outage to their Pronto software turning away hundreds of Port Moresby customers. Branch Manager Checheng Pambuai confirmed with PNG Hausbung that their services have been restored fully and apologized for the minor inconvinience caused to their valued customers. While Pambuai sympathized with the customers, she has not disclosed details of the system outage neither blamed the on-going blackouts in the city, to be the cause of the outage. STOP N SHOP SHUTS DOORS OVER SYSTEM OUTAGE Central Waigani's Stop N Shop branch in Port Moresby was caught up with an unexpected early morning outage to its Pronto software to start the week, forcing closure to its business as early 7am. Waigani Stop N Shop Branch Manager Ms. Checheng Pambuai said that the system outage was beyond their control, but are hopeful the shop can rectify the outage in real time and open for business again. “We were ready to open around 7am this morning when we realised our system was down, so right now our IT guys are on it and we hope to open soon,” said Ms Pambuai. [caption id="attachment_37757" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Customers at the Central Waigani Stop N Shop had to be turned away due to an unexpected outage this morniing. Picture by Kerebi DAVID[/caption] "Central Waigani is the biggest Stop N Shop branch in the country and seeing our customers turning up frustrated is very disappointing." “The system outage has affected all SNS branches throughout Port Moresby, except for their Badili outlet." Ms Pambuai further stated that, CPL group of companies as well as the management of all SNS stores in the city sincerely apologizes to their valued customers for the inconvenience caused today. “We don’t know how soon but we can assure our valued customers that we should be open for business very soon.”

The newly refurbished accomodation block at the Taurama PNG Defence Force Barracks in Port Moresby was opened today by the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, General Angus Campbell and Chief of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, Major General Mark Goina. The accommodation block was refurbished through the longstanding PNG-Australia Defence Cooperation Program and will house 100 PNG Defence Force personnel. The project is an important continuation of Australia and PNG’s cooperation on PNG security infrastructure. From major infrastructure projects under our Joint Initiative at Lombrum Naval Base, to the construction of new accommodation, Australia and PNG are focussed on ensuring PNG defence infrastructure is fit for purpose. “Australia is proud to support PNG to deliver infrastructure projects that improve the living and working conditions of the hardworking men, women and families of the PNG Defence Force,” said General Campbell Australia and Papua New Guinea share a close defence partnership and continue to work together through the Defence Cooperation Program to meet Papua New Guinea’s defence and security priorities.

Bank South Pacific has distanced itself and strongly denies any association with any online investment or scam activities and will not be liable for any transactions with any such individual, groups or associations. That is the response from BSP Group CEO, Mark Robinson in response to queries raised regarding fast money schemes and scams including pyramid schemes that are largely facilitated via Facebook or any other online platforms. BSP wants to make its stand clear that they are not associated with all the online money scams. “While there have been individuals, groups or associations portraying to be associated with BSP or its employees by using the BSP Logo to scheme unsuspecting individuals on Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS texts or Email to invest, deposit or transfer funds in exchange for a higher return; the BSP Group maintains that it is not associated with such scam activities and will not be liable for any transactions with such individuals, groups or associations,” Mr Robinson said. With increased fast money schemes and scams including pyramid schemes, there has been a demand on BSP VISA Classic Debit Cards and as a responsible bank, BSP has put in place additional requirements for new customers to meet when applying for a VISA Classic Debit Card because BSP VISA Classic Debit Cards can be used at ATMs globally. “Most of our customers get lured into investing in these fast money schemes so additional measures like provision of a passport on application and questions surrounding customer intent to apply for a VISA Debit Card are put in place to protect their savings”. Mr Robinson advises all to avoid being scammed and to never accept an offer straight away. Everyone is urged to do research and seek independent advice especially if it involves significant amount, time and commitment. “Do not send money to someone you do not know or trust because it is difficult to recover your money from a scammer. Awareness education is important; if you spot a scam, spread the word to your family and friends. Always be alert - Scammers will target you anyhow, anytime and anywhere,” said Mr Robinson. In addition, Bank of Papua New Guinea also continues to warn the public to be cautious and avoid doing business with fast money schemes. The Bank strongly advises the public against putting money in fast money schemes, as they are illegal and fraudulent. People who place their money with promoters or agents of these money schemes risk losing their hard earned money.

Teachers in Rabaul District, East New Britain Province have recently completed a Training of Trainers (TOT) on the Roles and Responsibilities of school Board of Management (BOM). This training was aimed at outlining the differences in the functions of school boards and the administration and improving the standards of schools in the district. Attending the TOT were primary school head teachers and elementary school Teachers In-charge in the district. These teachers were able to also take part in discussions and presentations on the roles and responsibilities of school board of Management. Addressing the participants during the TOT opening on behalf of the District Administration was Deputy District Administrator- Operations John Vule who stressed on the importance of proper management of schools. “This is an important training as it sets a clear differentiation between the functions or roles of BOM members and teachers. There should be effective communication and working relation between the two for proper management of resources and improved learning,” said Vule. When going through the introduction and outline of the training, the District Education Coordinator Markus Tipepe said that the BOM is an important body, they are the custodians while head teachers and TIC's are Administrators to the schools. “The BOM must take an active role in decision making, planning, strategizing and providing advice to our schools development. There should be clear plans so we can work together in improving our schools,” said Tipepe. Rabaul District Education Inspector Cecilia Tapil stated that the TOT will also equip teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop Disaster Risk Management Plan, Behaviour Management Policy and Psycho-socio support which can be incorporated in their School Learning Improvement Program (SLIP). The District Education Inspector further said that quality teaching means quality learning and participants can use the knowledge acquired in the training and impart them to their colleagues in their respective schools which can help better manage and run schools in the district.

A training session was conducted for Reelae's School and Learning Management System (SLMS) recently under the rollout of the e-education pilot program. At least twenty students and staff of Flexible Open & Distance Education (FODE) from the NCD and Central campuses were taken through an interactive end-user training that focused on effectively using the system. The School and Learning Management System is an enterprise-level cloud solution that allows large learning institutions to manage, track, and store all aspects of their operations and learning activities and with this technology, FODE will be able to run its school operations and manage all aspects of learning, that is securely accessible through a web browser. The system will allow the education institution to have full control of managing all its administration and operational functions including student registration and individual student assessments. FODE Deputy Principal-Curriculum and IT Curriculum Officer Dr. Janet Subagan-Mondez, who facilitated the training, stated that this is timely for the institution as it will open an avenue of where FODE should be. "This pilot for Reelae is a very good platform because it will enable us to jumpstart the direction where we would like to head to,” said Dr. Janet. "From here it will provide more flexibility and accessibility for our students. So this platform will help improve how we deliver FODE service. Print-base is important but we need to exhaust available technologies that are efficient, affordable and user-friendly," Dr Janet stated. Ms Helen Korken, FODE-Central Province Coordinator on the other hand expressed that one of the ongoing challenges they face is the consistent requirement for general printing, that covers for student resources, notices, and such. "I see that this online platform is going to solve a lot of our problems. Now looking at that (Reelae SLMS) I'm just looking forward to it because all our students will be able to access it and they won't have to wait for printing materials to come out." "As someone who went through the training, I saw that it will be very helpful to our students and staff as well and we will be able to reach all our students; all of them will have access to it and then it will be easy for us as well to monitor and follow up with them," Ms Helen said. FODE student and one of the pioneer users of the SLMS, Mr Radalu Kuson, expressed his enthusiasm about the platform as well stating that, "We are on our phones and go to social media all the time, so it was easy to follow when the instructor was showing us”. He expressed that with the use of the system, it will certainly help him have meaningful direct conversations with instructors and get the instant assistance he requires. Over 50 users are part of this e-education pilot program that was made possible through a partnership agreement signed between Reelae, FODE, the PNG Department of Information & Communications Technology's (DICT) and SNS Technology. This partnership aims to revolutionize the education landscape in PNG by integrating a school management system and a learning management system into one platform and aligning with DICT's Digital Government Plan.

Papua New Guinea Kick Boxing Federation returns with exciting events lined up for this year after holding off most of its events in the past two and half years due to the global Covid 19 pandemic. PNG Kickboxing President and retired World Champion Stanley Nandex stated in an interview with PNG Hausbung that kickboxing is a worldwide sport and covid pandemic has put all its national, regional and international fights on halt but this year the federation has being given clearance by the Kick Boxing Federation Head Office to commence of its events. “I urge all Regional and Provincial Presidents and members to restart your programs and prepare your fighters to qualify for the major events this year including the world championships and Title Fights,” said Nandex. Mr Nandex stated that its first ever event would be the Regional Championships starting with the Kokoda Track2 Kickboxing Showdown which will be happening outside of Port Moresby at the Correctional Service Training College from 24th -25th March. “This event is strictly for Southern Region fighters, while the Highlands Regional Championship is set for April in Goroka, New Guinea Islands locked in for May in Rabaul and Momase in June in Wewak,” he stated. The winners from these regional tournaments will be selected for the national championships in September to qualify for the world championships. Furthermore, PNG Female kickboxing league has been established as well to manage all female fighters to be part of the major draw card this year. “The PNG Female Kickboxing League will also be managing the current international titles belt holder Jessy Gonopa who will be taking on European champion Alexitra in the intercontinental middle weight title which will be in September,” said Nandex. "Inclusion of female kickboxing league is to empower women and girls to use this platform to raise role models as well," he stated. “Law and order has being our major hindrance and setback to the country’s development therefore I am appealing to all relevant authorities and the government to support Kickboxing as development partners which not only develop great sports men and women but with its strict discipline ethic can also change mindsets,” he said.

With a state of emergency being declared for areas of Vanuatu which were most impact by tropical cyclone Judy, they are now bracing themselves to face a second tropical cyclone called Kevin. While this is happening in Vanuatu, here in Papua New Guinea we are experiencing strong winds as a result of that. However National Weather Services Director Mr Jimmy Gomoga said, "There is no tropical cyclone warning for Papua New Guinea." “There are no cyclone warnings or threat for PNG, however we have strong wind warnings as well as gale force warning for PNG Waters,” said. Gomoga. He highlighted, "Strong winds will be felt along the Southern Coast of Papua New Guinea/ Indonesian Borders all the way to the Milne Bay Islands." "Warning to small crafts and boats to take necessary precautions before or while at seas in the warning areas, but it is best to stay on land until strong winds go down." “The National Weather Service is keeping a close watch on the system and if anything arises warnings will be sent out early, however for now, everyone is urged to not panic but rest assure that here is no cyclone warning for PNG at present."