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Douglas Tomuriesa, Pope Francis and James Marape

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  Opposition Leader Douglas Tomuriesa said he is disappointed and embarrassed over the way His Holiness Pope Francis was treated by Prime Minister James Marape over the last three-days during the Papal visit, and the lack of courtesy and respect shown by the Prime Minister. He said the Prime Minister continuously declares PNG as a ‘Christian country’ and prides himself on being a religious individual but he was surprised when the Pope was continuously snubbed by the PM over the weekend since the Pope’s arrival on Friday. “The Pope is the head of the Catholic church, the largest Christian church in the world and he is also a head of state. “PNG not only being a Christian country, but a country that prides itself as a ‘friend to all, enemy to none’, the PM should be according the Pope with the highest level of respect,” Tomuriesa said. The Opposition Leader pointed out that on Friday, the Prime Minister did not welcome the Pope at the airport, a tradition he had accorded to many other wo
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Census deferred to 2024

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  July 13, 2021 Main Stories By LORRAINE JIMAL THE national population and housing census has been deferred yet again – this time to 2024 – raising concern over its effect on the 2022 national election and national development programmes. In a full-page newspaper advertisement yesterday, acting National Statistician John Igitoi blamed the current Covid-19 pandemic as the main reason behind the deferral. “As a responsible State agency, we need to adhere and execute government measures and strategies in the interest of the nation impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. Former census director Bernard Kiele said yesterday that the census, which was to happen last year, was deferred to July this year. Now it has been deferred again to an unconfirmed date in 2024. “For it to be delayed again is not right,” Kiele said. He said a census was one of the most important government programmes to collect data for national planning purposes. It is supposed to be carried out every 10 years. The l
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No Cabinet reshuffle: Marape

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  August 4, 2021 Main Stories By MIRIAM ZARRIGA PRIME Minister James Marape has ruled out any Cabinet reshuffle despite two ministers currently facing a leadership tribunal. The ministers are Telefomin MP Solan Mirism, the Defence Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Commerce and Industry Sam Basil, who is Bulolo MP. Marape told The National he respected all Cabinet ministers “and there is no vacancy and there is no reshuffle”. Mirisim had three charges of the 22 allegations of misconduct in office against him struck out by the tribunal after the public prosecutor indicated that the provisions relied upon were wrong and misconceived. The tribunal, chaired by Justice Les Gavara-Nanu, told Mirisim that he would still have to answer to the remaining allegations. Mirisim had pleaded guilty to declaring false and misleading information in the annual statement for 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. The tribunal rejected Mirisim’s submission to throw out the remaining allegations. The t
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Worst transaction: Duma

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  August 4, 2021 Main Stories By BOURA GORUKILA THE O’Neill government’s Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) loan transaction in 2014 was the worst transaction in the history of the country, former Petroleum minister William Duma told a commission of inquiry yesterday. Duma, who is Hagen Open MP, told the inquiry that the country had lost millions and some of them were decommissioned for refusing to agree on the transaction. He said the Government should only borrow money to build hospitals, roads and fund public infrastructures such as schools which the people should benefit from, not to buy shares in a public company. “You are not a private investor, you are a Government, you borrow so that the public benefits,” Duma said “There was no cost benefit analysis done by National Economic and Fiscal Commission. “There was no thorough review by the ministerial gas committee or the ministerial economic committee. “If we look at it now, where we are, or what we gained out of the transaction? “We
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Caught red-handed

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  August 4, 2021 Main Stories The 20-year-old woman and the two men being interviewed by immigration and police officers. – Nationalpics by KENNEDY BANI By MIRIAM ZARRIGA A 15-YEAR-OLD girl, found in a guesthouse during a spot check by immigration and police officers yesterday, said she was sold, without her knowledge, by her cousin sister for K100 to two men for sex. Officers of the Immigration and Citizenship Authority (ICA) and police happened to arrive at the guesthouse for a spot check just when the two men were trying to find a room for them and the girl. The guesthouse at 5-Mile in Port Moresby was next on the officers’ list as they crack down on illegal activities by businessmen and foreigners who have become naturalised citizens. They found the girl among around 20 men and women inside. They realised that the business was providing other services than just accommodation. The girl when questioned by the officials broke down, saying she was forced to follow the two men by her co
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Dragons re-sign Albert

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  August 4, 2021 Sports By PARKER TAMBUA PAPUA New Guinea Orchids captain Elsie Albert has been re-signed by the St George Illawarra Dragons for the upcoming National Rugby League Women’s (NRLW) season which kicks off in October. “When determining our squad for the upcoming campaign, we wanted to make sure we re-signed the right players from last season, those who wanted to don our jersey,” Dragons NRLW coach Matt Head said on the club’s website yesterday. “To have Elsie from the start of pre-season unlike last year will only benefit her and the club. “She’s a powerful player and an international who will be a huge asset to our club.” The 25-year-old, from Southern Highlands, was yesterday named alongside Teagan Berry, Jaime Chapman and Talei Holmes as Dragons recruits for the 2021 season. PNG Rugby Football League coaching director Michael Marum told The National that Albert deserved the call-up, given her 2020 form in the world’s premier women’s rugby league competition. “Elsie’s sta
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Gearing up for World Cup

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  July 9, 2021 Sports GREETINGS to our rugby league family and welcome to our 19th edition of “Fulltime Reserve” column for this year, in our favourite rugby league newspaper,  The National . The Papua New Guinea Rugby League’s 2021 World Cup plans received a huge boost this week with the confirmation of Oil Search PNG Orchids captain Elsie Albert’s travel to Australia today after successfully securing a playing contract with the St. Marys Saints women’s rugby league team in the New South Wales women’s rugby league competition. The PNGRFL is extremely grateful to the tremendous support provided to Elsie by the Australian Embassy and the DFAT team in PNG. We also acknowledge the support of Elsie’s player agent, Mr Robin Kawaipa in Brisbane, who has been instrumental in getting her contract renewed assisting the PNGRFL. This opportunity follows from her successful debut season with the St George Dragons in the National Women’s Rugby League in Australia last year and the PNGRFL is excited
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Families on repatriation

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  July 9, 2021 Main Stories By MIRIAM ZARRIGA ANOTHER repatriation exercise was carried out on Wednesday in Kimbe, West New Britain, as the provincial government began evicting Sepiks. A total of 200 families, who were plaintiffs in a court case against the provincial government in 2009, were put on a boat in Kimbe. All were from East Sepik and were repatriated to their home province on Wednesday night. They’re scheduled to arrive in Wewak today on MV Momase charted by the WNB government. There were some mixed emotions from the people. Parents and grandparents were happy to return home but the young people – males and females – wept openly. They were sad leaving Kimbe as they said they were born and grew up there and regarded it as home. This second group included many youths. This brought the total repatriated to 297. The third repatriation exercise is scheduled for next Monday. The repatriation was only for the plaintiffs, those who took the WNB government to court. The court ordered
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Douglas Tomuriesa, Pope Francis and James Marape

-
Image
  Opposition Leader Douglas Tomuriesa said he is disappointed and embarrassed over the way His Holiness Pope Francis was treated by Prime Minister James Marape over the last three-days during the Papal visit, and the lack of courtesy and respect shown by the Prime Minister. He said the Prime Minister continuously declares PNG as a ‘Christian country’ and prides himself on being a religious individual but he was surprised when the Pope was continuously snubbed by the PM over the weekend since the Pope’s arrival on Friday. “The Pope is the head of the Catholic church, the largest Christian church in the world and he is also a head of state. “PNG not only being a Christian country, but a country that prides itself as a ‘friend to all, enemy to none’, the PM should be according the Pope with the highest level of respect,” Tomuriesa said. The Opposition Leader pointed out that on Friday, the Prime Minister did not welcome the Pope at the airport, a tradition he had accorded to many other wo
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