For the first time, changes have been made to the NCD Governors Cup Challenge and these changes will come into effect in this year's Cup Challenge when it starts next week. NCD Governor's Cup Tournament Director Mrs. Wendina Kohun confirmed that this year's event will have two phases to it. The first phase will be the normal rugby league 13s competition, which will run from the 16th -19th December 2022. “Right after the usual 13s Rugby League NCD Governor's Cup challenge, phase two will kick in on the 27th -30th of December 2022,” said Mrs. Kohun. She further explained that phase two will see rugby union and soccer to run alongside rugby league in the NCD Governor's Cup challenge. “Rugby union 7s will run at Murray Barracks and rugby league will run at Koni Tigers Field and Bomana Field, whereby both men and women’s teams will be taking part,” said Kohun. However, soccer will be played right after the New Year and the date and the venue will be announced soon. For the interested teams and clubs, registration has opened as of yesterday Monday 12th December. Registration is K500 and all registration fees are to be paid at City Hall Annex Building, NCD Governor's Office. “This registration of K500 is for rugby league, rugby union and soccer clubs who are interested to take part in the phase two of the NCD Governor's Cup,” she said. Meanwhile, the main purpose of the 2nd phase is to scout for talents who will make up the NCD team to take part in the PNG games that will be held in July 2023 in Port Moresby. Mrs. Kohun also revealed that the officials from the NCD Sports Desk will be present at all the matches so to make selections of the best players to form Team NCD.

Twelve new board members of the Porgera Local Level Government Special Authority have taken up their office after they were sworn in yesterday under Section 45 (4) of the Local Level Government (LLG) Authority Act, 1997 and the Constitution of Porgera LLG Special Purpose Authority (Porgera Development Authority-PDA) The ceremony was witness by LLG presidents of the 4 LLGs in Porgera Paiela District including members of the LLG Administration office, First Secretary to Minister for Provincial and Local Level Affairs, stakeholders, Porgera SML Landowners and other guests. Speaking before the official swearing in of the board members, Porgera District Administrator Mr. Jerry Maku clarified that this swearing in ceremony was actually the second ceremony after the first one was brought to court and overthrown early this year. Mr. Maku stated that having Porgera as a brand new electorate of its own for the first time and to have its own member in parliament is a great achievement and he urged all the board members to go back to Porgera and clean Porgera up and restore its name. After the swearing in of the twelve (12) board members (8 board members and 4 ex- officio board members) the appointment of the chairman and his deputy was also done by the board. Mr. Nickson Mangape was appointed as the Chairman for Porgera LLG Special Purpose Authority and his deputy was Mr. Anako Aiyala. Newly elected Chairman Mr. Mangape in his inaugural speech stated that Porgera actually contributes about 16% of the Waigani Budget, and the Porgera Development Authority is a government institution that implements different services and projects and to be elected as the Chairman is an honour. Mr. Mangape stated that for the last 10 years, the Porgera Development Authority has not delivered and has gone down the drain. “Our Prime Minister says, let’s take back PNG, but it starts with taking back Porgera,” said Mr. Managape. Mr. Mangape further stressed that there will be self proclaimed board members and chairman putting out claims, and all these should never be entertained. Everything has to follow process and go through the board because the board is the only one that can and will run the affairs of Porgera Development Authority. He urged stakeholders, Enga Provincial Government and the State to work in partnership with the Porgera Local Level Government Special Purpose Authority to deliver to the people of Porgera. Mr. Mangape highlighted that the first thing his board will look into to address is Law and Order issue that is degrading the image of Porgera. “Law and order is a priority, in a town where there are 3, 500 workforce both expatriates and nationals and 150,000 population, we need to restore peace and harmony in Porgera Paiela,” said Mr. Mangape.

The start of November also signals the start of the wet season for Papua New Guinea as well as the start of the Tropical Cyclone season in the southern hemisphere and in Papua New Guinea too, says the Director for the National Weather Service Mr Jimmy Gomoga. Despite stepping into the wet season, some parts of the country like New Ireland, East New Britain, parts of West New Britain, Morobe and the Highlands Region continue to be badly affected by a prolonged drought. “Respective Climate Officers from the drought affected provinces in the country have released reports of the seriousness of the drought effects faced in each province and hopes the rains can kick in early to ease the situation”, said Mr Gomoga. National Weather Office has released a drought watch for these provinces to monitor if they will receive some rain in the beginning of November. Mr Gomoga also clarified that with the transitional period from spring to summer in the Southern Hemisphere, this has caused humid temperatures currently felt in the country especially during the nights however this does not mean that the temperature is rising. He stated that It is just the change in temperature because of the transition of two season that has caused humid temperatures right now in PNG, however comes December we should be experiencing the summer heat. He also added that with the wet season now setting in, the National Weather Office has also predicted that we might be experiencing weak La-Nina, meaning there will be a fair bit of rain or we might experience below average rainfall this season. “The start of the Wet season this November also indicates the official start of the Tropical Cyclone season in the Southern Hemisphere and in Papua New Guinea too.” Mr Gomoga points out that people should be aware of the National Weather Service warnings that will be coming in from their office as they keep track of the Tropical cyclone season on a daily basis, and he urged all to follow specific instructions in case of an emergency. “This is a critical season and the weather office will be closely monitoring it, and will keep the people of this country and the government up to date, especially with the Tropical season,” he said.

Moreguina Health Centre in Abau District, Central Province is now stressed to its limit dealing with a dengue outbreak and high numbers of diarrhoea cases for 3 months now. OIC Ravu Kapa stated that there is a major outbreak of dengue in Abau district, especially Moreguina and the surrounding villages since the month of August till present. He said the health centre has received and treated almost 300 dengue cases. “Dengue outbreak is not the only problem faced by the health centre, within this same period of time we have received high numbers of diarrhea cases also,” said Mr Kapa. Mr Kapa highlighted that in August the health centre recorded about 23 diarrhoeal cases, in September 34 cases and just the beginning of this month the health centre has recorded about 30 cases. “I have only 3 health workers plus myself and imaging the stress we are going through, working day and night trying to contain the outbreak as well as identify what is causing diarrhoea,” he said. “It’s too much workload, but we had to put our foot down so that we do not have to record a death from all the patients that come in seeking our help.” He also stated that both the in-patient wards and the outpatient court are full with patients admitting at the health centre. The health centre is currently doing assessment on the dengue situation and is keeping a tab on the numbers of patients coming in, however the situation is slowly going down and that is a positive sign said Mr Kapa. However diarrhea emergency on the other side is a bit of worry because majority of the patients coming in and admitting at the health centre are infants under the age of 1. Merani Village has the highest number of diarrhea cases, mostly babies, but there could be more. “We are doing our best to establish the cause of diarrhea at this time; and water has being ruled out because if water was the cause then most adults would also be having diarrhea.” “Hopefully we should identify the cause of the diarrhea madness and try to put a tap on it,” said Mr Kapa. The health centre can only give help were it can with only 4 health workers to hundreds of patients, they are trying their best under pressure. Mr. Kapa is urging all the parents to practice proper hygiene when handling food and water for infants and to take care of their kids properly to prevent them from getting diarrhea. He also urges everyone to clear off swamps, cut down tall bushes, clear little water holes and sleep under mosquito nets to prevent dengue.

People all over the world are experiencing the effects of climate change but countries that have the technology and the financial capability can use that to protect or mitigate the impact of Climate change, this was the statement Mr. Emmanuel Peni, Director for Project Sepik made in his recent talk on TEDx TALK in New York on the 23rd of September 2022. In an exclusive interview with Mr. Peni, he stated that when he was given the opportunity to speak in the TEDx Talk in New York he felt the urged to speak on climate change and how the indigenous keepers (communities) may have the solution to the problems of climate change. [caption id="attachment_27821" align="aligncenter" width="452"] Emmanuel Peni with other Indigenous leaders at the TED World Theater in New York City[/caption] He said when the Western society seem to have solutions for their own, the biggest risk is faced by us Papua New Guineans, Pacific Islanders and other developing countries, because it’s really difficult to help those that are facing extreme climate change effects. Mr. Peni gave a classic example on the people of Sepik but particularly the people of East Sepik; he said, “Villages especially along the Delta of Sepik River have moved 3 to 4 times away from the banks of the river because of the impact of climate change”. Sadly no one told their story and the struggles they face because of climate change. But this very people, the indigenous will be the next best solution to climate change problems. “Indigenous Communities all over the world led by guardians, (people who are stewards of their lands) are now the guardians of the 80% of the world’s biodiversity.” “80% of the world’s biodiversity is where all the resources and everything to sustain life come from and this is held by the indigenous people”, he stressed. Mr. Peni further mentioned that Papua New Guinea and the neighbouring Pacific islands should be in the spot light and should be given support because together with others we are looking after the world’s biodiversity. The indigenous communities or keepers have the solution to the climate change problem now because they always have the best practice in terms of sustainable development and management of resources he stated. “Scientist are beginning to catch up and are also beginning to understand that the Indigenous culture has the best practice in terms of sustainable development and sustainable management,” said Mr. Peni. “PNG, the Pacific islands and the Aborigine practices and their sacred places, science is now starting to understand that these sacred places are vital breeding grounds for plants and animals.” He further stated that there are also practices that prohibit certain clan members, or certain people to harvest certain plants and animals at a certain time. “Certain Social group, certain plants and animals and certain times, these are our ancient ways of managing and using resources sustainably. We have it here and science is trying to catch up with it now!” He also mentioned that the developed world is looking to the Indigenous science because Indigenous Guardians are now the ones to provide the solution to climate change problems. “It’s time now for science to understand that not everything that is written by the books can be validated and correlated and called signs, but it is the indigenous signs that has value, indigenous science can be facts and do hold solutions for climate change, ” said Mr. Peni.

The current drought condition in the country is expected to continue until at least the end of September or early October. With the return of La Nina towards the later part of this year, much of the country is expected to receive above normal rainfall on top of the normal wet season rainfall. The New Guinea Islands region tends to become drier during the La Niña condition therefore the chances of drought continuing is still relatively high and needs close monitoring. The current drought condition experienced in the country will soon end with La Niña conditions looming and the onset of the wet season in late October or early November. PNG National Weather Service will continue to monitor and report any developments of severe weather within its areas of responsibility for the sake of our people. The general public is urged to heed and comply with the warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Over the last 3 months average conditions were experienced over most parts of the country, except the New Guinea Islands (NGI) where dry conditions prevailed. Despite the dryness over the NGI Region, soil moisture and vegetation index continued to show average conditions. Rainfall outlook for the period Sep-Oct-Nov 2022 suggests a wetter outlook for most parts of the country except for Kavieng, Manus and Bougainville showing drier than average condition. PC: theconversation.com

People in Simbu who may have been affected by the recent 7.6 magnitude earthquake will have to wait a little longer for relief assistance to reach them. Reports received by the Simbu Provincial Disaster Office from the 6 districts suggests that damages to properties and infrastructure may have been severe but the extent is unknown until an assessment team is able to visit the districts. Simbu Province Disaster Coordinator Paul Brown said his office is unable to ascertain the extent of damage within the 6 districts due to logistical issues faced. He said, they will be able to carry out a full scale assessment once they are equipped with logistics, to assist the earthquake victims with the kind of assistance needed. Mr Brown said most business houses in Kundiawa suffered the effects of the tremors with three (3) major shops now closed after damages to the shops that are now tilted sideways. "JNF Mart, JR Trading and Temo-Mart are the shops that are currently closed at this time.  And it is not clear when the shops will be opened." "These shops and other shops too had items and goods either damaged or displaced after falling off the shelves to the floor. Even the refrigerators have fallen and goods stored in them scattered on the floors." Mr Brown also received reports of damages from Kundiawa Nursing College which had one of its College Quarters shaken and is now lying sideways. A full assessment on the damages is yet to be established. "We have not received confirmed reports of casualties but are not ruling that out until our team can carry out full scale assessments," said Brown. Mr Brown also highlighted that the Disaster Office had received reports of road infrastructures being damaged because of the earth quake, and most feeder roads into the 6 districts have being cut off by landslides and boulders however there are no reports of major casualties. “There are reports coming in from village leaders and councillors regarding damages to semi and permanent buildings that collapsed as a result of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake,” said Mr Brown. PC: Kalakai Photograph 

National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) in partnership with Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation (FAO) are currently running a three (3) days practical training for African swine fever (ASF) Stock Inspectors here in Port Moresby which started on Monday 22nd of August and will finish on the 24th August 2022. These trainings here in Port Moresby and other previous trainings outside of Port Moresby were made possible through funding from the United States Aid. The purpose of the trainings is to strengthen the field capacities for African swine fever detection and animal emergency responses in Papua New Guinea. NAQIA Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Ilagi Puana stated that NAQIA as the animal biosecurity agency is also a veterinary authority and the animal health component is a very important part of NAQIA. He also mentioned that the trainings that they are running now is more on the practical side of handling animal health and all Stock Inspectors from all the provinces have flown in to attend this important training. “By Law, through the Animal Disease Control Act, we have the Stock Inspectors who are the Provincial Livestock Officers who provide veterinary network of animal or NAQIA network in individual provinces through the Animal Disease Strategy,” said Dr Puana. These trainings will equip and educate these stock officers to assist NAQIA with response on the ground in containment exercise like setting up road check points, responding to ASF cases and also to provide assistance to NAQIA to investigate an outbreak of any animal disease. “These trainings will guide the stock officers to know the kind of Biosecurity Protocols to use when visiting properties that have suspected or confirmed transmittable animal disease and also how to control the disease and contain it,” he stated. Dr Puana explained that the African swine fever which started off in the upper highlands is slowly making its way down to the lower highlands provinces, Eastern Highlands and Simbu the latest; however this African swine fever is contained and has not spread to other regions in the country. He said despite no vaccination for curing of the ASF disease, strict biosecurity protocols and response by the stock inspectors in the various highlands provinces has helped so much in containing the ASF. “Sadly animal disease are not far from over, there are other diseases merging, the Foot and Mouth Disease which will affect all livestock including chicken and this disease is now in Indonesia and we are worried it might cross over to our shores,” said Dr Puana. He further stressed that the 2nd disease is called the Lumpy Skin, is like skin pox and it will affect cattle only and it is transmitted by blood feeding insects like flies, mosquitoes or ticks. “Preparedness is important and we are not too sure when these new diseases will arrive on our shores so these trainings too are part of our preparedness strategy so we know how to handle these diseases.” “The stock inspectors need to be aware of these diseases and how they can respond and contain these new diseases too, therefore these trainings are not only on ASF but also on Foot and Mouth Disease and the Lumpy Skin Disease,” said Dr Puana. The first day of training was the theory part of it but the other two days would be the practical component at the NAQIA Kila Kila Facility where by the Stock inspectors will receive trainings on safe handling of animals, sample collection from pigs for diagnostic testings, blood sampling, how to treat sick animals and more.

Parts of Papua New Guinea will experience average rainfalls despite the dry and cold conditions faced around the country, including East New Britain Province that is going through a dry spell with no rains in the province for the past three (3) months. Director National Weather Service Jimmy Gomoga said despite the few months of dry spell, there's good news for ENB - they will not experience a drought in the province with some improvements expected in the weather pattern in the coming months. “This improved situation will be felt in all the parts of the New Guinea Islands except for the southern part of Kavieng, New Ireland Province”, he said. “We used an instrument called the Different Vegetation Index to check the wetness and dryness of the soil, and the result showed average condition with soil still having some moisture, therefore there will be no drought condition in ENB and other province that were at risk of possible drought.” Papua New Guinea is in the middle of southern hemisphere winter and dry season has reached its peak over the country, however rainfall is expected because of the neutral condition. There will be a situation of three months average rainfall mostly in the Western Province, Gulf Province, Central Province and the interior parts of East Sepik, that’s from the National Weather Service Director Mr Jimmy Gomoga. Mr Gomoga also stated that the atmospheric wave is passing over the country thus bringing in cloudiness and rain over the country. “The rain falls that are currently happening now will continue for another 3 months, September, October and November and this is because the Ocean Condition is at a neutral condition and our weather pattern is not leaning towards the El- Nino or La-Nina conditions”, Mr Gomoga clarifies. With the country in the middle of dry season, we are also experiencing very cold nights and cold winds and this is because of the spring season down south. “Very strong winds were experienced during the month of July and will continue through this month of August but will slow down towards the end of August and September”. This is the transition of South East to North Westerly winds.

Port Moresby North East Open Counting update as of 8am 12th August, 2022. 1: John Kaupa 17 606 2: Andapanga Baliawe 17 143 3: Diane Unagi-Koiam 15 714 Absolute majority stands at 25 292. 3rd candidate Dianne Unagi-Koiam is the decider now. At this moment, counting officials for Day shift have not been allowed in for counting and Night shift counting officials to continue counting untill declaration is made for the seat. Counting officials just returned from 30 minutes break, but Exclusion #73 the final Exclusion can not proceed because the Returning Officer, and few AROs are not yet in the counting room. Hence the final exclusion for Diane Unagi Koiam is on hold at the moment.

The Central Provincial Government Central Dabaris will be going up against the Kimbe Cutters in Round 13 of the Digicel Cup challenge in Kimbe this weekend and the Dabari boys are looking for a back to back win. Coach Steve Gunua said they won Isou in their last game 24-6 and are looking forward for a back to back win with crossed fingers. Coach Gunua further stated that if they win the Kimbe Cutters this weekend, it will be their second back to back win. "The last back to back win was in round 9 and round 10 against the Vipers and the Wigmen but we lost round 11 to Tumbe's and the last round ,round 12 we won the Gulf Isou so we hoping for a win this weekend", said Coach Gunua Dabaris sits comfortably on the 6th spot of the Digicel Cup competition ladder. And Coach Gunua said this is the first time Dabaris had made it to the 6th place since the club entered the competition in 2019 and he is super proud of his boys.

Almost a year now and Kwikila Health Centre in the Central Province has being serving patients under a makeshift canvas tent. The health centre has gone under a major renovation late last year and since then all health services was done outside of the health centre, under a canvas tent. Sister-In-Charge, Anna Atop said the renovation was already completed, however the refurbished health center is yet to be opened for use. "I do not know what the delay is, it's probably with the Provincial Health Authority, but then we can't continue like this because it's affecting our service to the sick populace", said Sister Anna. She said the hold up in reopening the health centre has also affected their in-patient service. "We cannot admit very sick patients because there is no admission ward at this time", said Sister Anna. "We either send them home to care for themselves at home and come back for review or we refer them to Port Moresby General Hospital or neighbouring health centres depending on the nature of their sicknesses",she said. Sister Anna also claims that probably because of the delay in opening the health centre, there is a halt in receiving their medical supplies. "It's almost a year now and we have not received any new medical supplies and we are very low on all medical supplies including the basic drugs", stated Sister Anna. All these delays are very much affecting the sick people here from adults to the babies. Sister Anna also mentioned that the canvas tent they are operating under has weathered from the rain and sun. "During rainy season water is dripping down from the canvas holes and with strong wind and hot sun now the canvas is about to break apart into pieces." Sister Anna is now calling on the Provincial Health Authority to fast track processes and clear whatever the holdups are and open the health centre as soon as possible because the delays is causing many lives to suffer.