papua new guinea

Papua New Guinea voters head to the polls

Voters will elect 118 members of parliament, including governors of the 22 provinces, from the 3,600-plus candidates nominated.

There are 6,000 polling teams in the 22 provinces.

There have also been reports that polling in the capital, Port Moresby has been delayed.

Papua New Guinea's caretaker Prime Minister James Marape appealed to the nation to pray for peace and calm ahead of polling.

Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai said the polling dates would differ according to the regions and provinces.

Wisil wins fourth gold of Pacific Mini Games with back-to-back titles

The Olympian captured the women’s 200 metres crown before helping Papua New Guinea win women’s 4x400m relay gold at the Oleai Sports Complex.

Wisil, who had already won the 100m and 4x100m relay titles, topped a Papua New Guinea one-two-three in the 200m, clocking 24.23 secs.

Leonie Beu came second in 24.44 with Isila Apkup third in 24.49.

Wisil then joined Beu and Apkup and Edna Boafob to win the women’s 4x400m crown in 3:52.76.

New Caledonia sealed silver in 4:05.71, with Australia completing the podium in 4:19.45.

PNG’s Toua sisters stamp their mark in weightlifting

Dika Toua claimed gold after finishing first ahead of her sister, Thelma who took the silver medal.

Solomon Islands claimed bronze after Rowena Eddie Donga finished third in the event.

PNG also claimed gold in the Men’s 61kg category after Morea Baru finished in first place ahead of Brown Ramohaka of the Solomon Islands who came in second place and Harold Aranda of Guam in third.

PNG currently leads the overall medal tally with 7 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze.

Women's Rugby World Cup trophy to be shown in PNG

The tournament will be launched in New Zealand on October 8.

The tour includes the Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.

The World Cup will be the ninth edition after its introduction in 1991.

The trophy will arrive on June 20 in Port Moresby where it will be displayed at the New Zealand High Commission.

The next day it will make its way to Sir Hubert Murray Stadium where it will be on display.

The trophy will then be flown to Rabaul for community activation on June 22.

Solomon Islands through to final after thrilling win over PNG

Solomon Islands head coach Felipe Vega-Arango sent out the same starting eleven that overcame Tahiti in their previous fixture. Meanwhile, Marcos Gusmao made just one change from Papua New Guinea’s clutch victory over Fiji, Raymond Gunemba replacing Stahl Gubag in attack.

Match schedule set for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ OFC preliminary competition

The tournament will determine which nation will represent Oceania in the FIFA intercontinental play-off in June 2022, from which the winner earns a spot at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ finals.  

A standalone match between the two lowest-ranked OFC nations, Tonga and the Cook Islands, will be held on March 13 to determine who qualifies through to join Group A and contest the preliminary competition. 

Group A, which will be made up of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tahiti and the qualifying match winner, will have its first Match Day on March 17. 

Red Cross calls for urgent help for PNG after record COVID surge

Concerted international action is necessary to help Papua New Guinea (PNG) deal with a record surge in COVID-19 cases that is overwhelming the country’s health system, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has said.

The latest wave of COVID-19 has seen PNG report the highest number of daily cases since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The country reported 376 new cases on Saturday and is dealing with nearly 3,000 active cases of the disease, according to the latest government data.

Mt Hagen in 2 week lockdown to contain Covid-19 infections

New measures include a ban on church services and public gatherings as well as limits on businesses and school students.

The latest spike in cases is raising questions over whether Papua New Guinea's national elections next year, should still go ahead.

But political observers warn that any postponement to polling would set a dangerous precedent for PNG.

Divine Word University political scientist Dr Joe Ketan said some countries have cited public health as a reason to postpone an election.

Pacific exporters explore market opportunities in Japan

This was underscored during a recent virtual Japan Market Brief for exporters and stakeholders in the Pacific and facilitated by the Pacific Islands Centre (PIC) and the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus Program (PHAMA Plus).

The Brief was attended by PHAMA Plus partners and stakeholders from industry working groups, government agencies and business associations.  It provided insight into doing business in Japan, market opportunities, market access information and service offering for interested exporters.

Australia ends controversial asylum detention deal with Papua New Guinea

PNG is one of two Pacific countries paid by Canberra to detain asylum seekers and refugees who attempt to reach Australia by boat.

Australia said its arrangement with PNG would conclude by the end of the year.

But it will continue its divisive "offshore processing" policy on the remote island nation of Nauru.

"Australia's strong border protection policies… have not changed," Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said on Wednesday.