Over 2000 intending candidates have been nominated to contest in the 2022 National General Elections as nominations closed at 4pm this afternoon. In a preliminary report by the Electoral Commission yesterday, the total number of candidates right throughout the country stands at 2351 with 2246 males and 86 females in the 22 provinces and the National Capital District. Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai said the final confirmed numbers will be issued tomorrow. Madang Province has seen the highest number of candidates so far with 257 and Manus with the least at 35. Enga, Hela, Jiwaka and Western Highlands provinces have seen no nomination of female candidates in this report.

The appointed Returning Officer for Hagen Open electorate in Western Highlands Province in the 2022 National General Elections will remain as the duly appointed RO following a Supreme Court order this morning. Justice Derek Hartshon made the decision following an appeal filed by the Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai to stay the National Court order on May 12, 2022 to restrain Willie Ropa and Mr Sinai from interfering with Amos Noifa who was also appointed per a National Gazette issued on May 6, 2022. The National Court order was made from an application filed by Hagen Open MP William Duma where he sought for Mr Noifa to be declared by the court as the Returning Officer for Hagen Open. The Supreme Court ordered that Mr Ropa remain as the Returning Officer and that all nominations done by Mr Noifa be returned to Mr Ropa. The issue of who is the legally appointed RO still remain in court. Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai in a press conference this afternoon said he had appointed Mr Ropa as published in the National Gazette however there was another Gazzette with the same description that had Mr Noifa's name as the RO where Mr Duma filed court proceedings based on this mix up.

BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) has reaffirmed its support as naming rights sponsors for the 4th consecutive year to the Port Moresby Nature Park 2022 Trash to Treasure Sculpture Festival in Port Moresby. The BSP Trash to Treasure festival emphasises on creating sculptures made of waste tins, cans bottles, rubber and plastics. BSP Senior Relationship Manager, Raymond Logona upon presenting a cheque worth K40, 000 to the Port Moresby Nature Park said, “BSP is pleased to reaffirm its support for the only internationally recognised Wildlife Park in the country, the Nature Park that has set the benchmark in PNG for tourism, animal welfare, conservation, research and community nature based education.” “As a responsible corporate citizen we continuously seek innovative new ways to reduce our environmental impact in the operation of our branches by reducing our use of resources and materials wherever possible,” said Logona. “We are committed in supporting practical initiatives through our Go Green campaigns to build sustainable communities through our Go Green Campaigns run annually. These initiatives include World Earth Day, Earth Hour, World Environment Day and the Go Green Annual School Clean - Up day,” he added. Port Moresby Nature Park General Manager, Kelsey Engle thanked BSP for the continued support as naming rights sponsors while commending other support sponsors of the event, adding that the BSP Trash to Treasure Festival would not have been possible without everyone’s collaborative sponsorship and support. "BSP's sponsorship has given the BSP Trash to Treasure Festival, its unique identity since its inception for which we are truly grateful for and thank BSP for continuing this great community event here at the Port Moresby Nature Park," said Mrs Engle. BSP is dedicated in promoting its Go Green message of 3R’s - “Recycling, Re-use and Respect” through its branches and have adopted more sustainable work practices across all areas of our operations in PNG and the Off Shore Branches that we operate in. This year, the BSP Trash to Treasure Sculpture Festival is scheduled from 4th June to 5th July, 2022, at the Port Moresby Nature Park.

A leading educationist has called for a stop to political interference in the public sector to secure the country for the future generation, as the country enters its tenth national election. Former Chancellor of the University of Goroka, Dr. Joseph Sukwianomb, said: “To secure the sovereignty of the Independent of Papua New Guinea, is to secure the Parliament and its responsibilities and then we can deal with the public sector reforms to make sure the public sector functions independently, outside political circles.” Dr. Sukwianomb was among key stakeholders at a seminar organized by the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) last Friday to vet the draft report on the review on the education laws. He welcomed the findings and recommendations in the draft report, and the review itself as a timely intervention but also warned that this will not change anything if the governance and leadership issues are not addressed. He added that bureaucrats should also stand united to advise politicians of the clear demarcations of their roles and responsibilities. “Many politicians do not come from the experience that we have so we also have the duty and responsibility to have them educated,” he said. He further called for the re-establishment of the public sector reform unit within the Prime Minister’s Department that would anchor and properly realign and coordinate all public sector reforms including the reform into the education laws. Launched in July 29, 2021, the review holistically assessed the entire education system including all the relevant policies and legislations such as the Education Act 1983, and the National Education Plan 2020-2029 and recommended solutions for a broad range of pertinent issues with the ultimate goal to achieve universal, quality, affordable and accessible education for everyone,

BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) continues to assist Papua New Guineans acquire a home through its First Home Ownership Loan (FHOL). BSP Group General Manager - Retail Daniel Faunt said since 2014, BSP FHOL continues to lead the market as the most successful home loan product. BSP has assisted over 1,100 families become first time homeowners, funding 1,110 FHOL Loans valued at over K330 million. “Under this home loan product, BSP has and continues to give Papua New Guineans the opportunity to not only create wealth but provide security for their families. With the lowest fixed rate of 4% per annum since 2014, the FHOL has been the most successful home loan product which sees employees of both the private sector companies and the public service benefit,” he said. “In the first 4 months of the year (2022), BSP assisted 47 families purchase a home through our FHOL product, valued at over K14 million. Despite Covid-19 affecting businesses in 2020 and 2021, BSP funded 169 loans in 2021 valued at over K53 million. That’s a 14 percent increase in loan funding from the previous year,” Mr Faunt added. He explained BSP is the only bank in PNG that gives customers a full term fixed rate of 4% for 40 years which is the lowest home loan rate in the market. A fixed rate loan has the same interest rate for the entirety of the borrowing period, while variable rate loans have an interest rate that changes over time. The BSP FHOL also features a 10% equity and a maximum loan term of 40 years. Owning and buying a home, is by far the single most important financial purchase that many Papua New Guineans will make in their life, and many of our customers do take time to research, find information, while they consider the value in return. BSP’s Assessment Calculator on the website can assist customers calculate their borrowing capacity online via https://www.bsp.com.pg/calculators/ . Interested customers can also contact the BSP Home Loans teams via email: _HomeLoans@bsp.com.pg for more information about the BSP First Home Ownership Loan.

The Young Women’s Christian Association’s [YWCA] Justice Program has gone great lengths to mobilize youths in rural areas. Since the program’s inception in 2020, the program has reached out from the urban setting to the villages across 3 provinces. The program, which focusses on mobilizing youths to be Peace advocates, engages them in capacity building workshops to identify and resolve potential conflicts and working with Local Court Officials in rural areas to help them become positive decision makers. Most of the time working with unemployed youths, Senior Project Officer, Jermalyn Okie said that most youths often felt overlooked or looked down upon by their communities. “Most of the time youths are overlooked in their communities and sometimes look down upon themselves. We’ve seen a huge change since engaging with the youths,” Ms. Okie said. So far 120 youths and 270 village court officials have gone through capacity building training. The YWCA and its partners currently engage with youths and Court officials from the National Capital District (NCD), Central Province and Morobe Province (focusing mainly on the Lae urban areas). In NCD, 3 communities that are being engaged are the Joyce Bay Community, ATS and Hohola while in the Central provincial area, the program engages with the Kemabolo, Alewai, Hisiu, Gavone, Bukuku and Sogeri Villages. Youths are trained as peer educators and after being trained they become part of the program as volunteers. The program also provides pathways for youths, should they pursue a career in Law or would like to become Village court officials, provisions will be made to assist them.

Nominations are progressing well so far in all provincial centres and districts across the country since its commencement last Thursday 19, May 2022. PNG Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai said as of 10am this morning, about 1,295 nominations have been received and compiled by the respective provincial electoral offices and districts. Out of this number, 1,224 candidates that nominated are males and 71 females. "Nominations are progressing well and I hope and I hope it will end on a high note tomorrow with more candidates nominating before the close of nomination at 4pm,"he said. Mr Sinai said six (6) provinces including Eastern Highlands, Hela, East Sepik, Madang, Central and Autonomous Region of Bougainville have yet to send it their candidate nomination updates by their respective RO's. "I expect all reports on nominations to reach the head office by tomorrow morning before we address the press on the close of nominations," he said. Mr Sinai said candidates can kick start their election campaign after the close of nominations tomorrow at 4pm.  

An 18-year-old gunman on Tuesday fatally shot 19 children and two adults at a Texas elementary school before he was killed by law enforcement officers, officials said. The shooter -- identified by Texas officials as Salvador Ramos, of Uvalde -- also shot his grandmother before crashing a vehicle near the school, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada said. She is in critical condition, he said. The gunman is believed to have acted alone, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo said. LIVE UPDATES ON THE SHOOTING Here are the latest developments in Tuesday's tragedy: • Estrada told CNN's Anderson Cooper the gunman wrecked a vehicle while driving near the school after shooting his grandmother. "The suspect did crash near a ditch nearby the school. That's where he exited his vehicle with what I believe was a rifle and that's when he attempted to enter the school where he was engaged by law enforcement." • The gunman had body armor, the rifle and a backpack, Estrada said. The shooter made it into several classrooms, Estrada added. • US Customs and Border Protection, which is the largest law enforcement agency in the area due Uvalde's proximity to Mexico, had more than 20 agents respond to the shooting, according to a law enforcement official. A CBP agent was shot in the head, but is in stable condition after the bullet did not penetrate, the official said. • Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa tweeted agents and other law enforcement officers took fire from the shooter, who had barricaded himself. "Risking their own lives, these Border Patrol Agents and other officers put themselves between the shooter and children on the scene to draw the shooter's attention away from potential victims and save lives," she wrote. • President Joe Biden has ordered US flags on federal grounds to be flown at half-staff until sunset on Saturday to honor the victims of this "senseless acts of violence." • Uvalde Memorial Hospital spokesperson Tom Nordwick earlier said 13 children and a man in his 40s were being treated for injuries. University Hospital in San Antonio said in a tweet they received a child and an adult from the school shooting. The adult, a 66-year-old woman, is in critical condition, the hospital said in a tweet. • The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are assisting local and state authorities with the investigation. 30th shooting at a K-12 school this year Tuesday's incident marks at least the 30th shooting at a K-12 school in 2022. So far in 2022 there have been at least 39 shootings in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, resulting in at least 10 deaths and 51 injuries. It is the deadliest shooting at a school since the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut in 2012 that left 26 people dead, including 20 children between 6 and 7 years old. Biden calls for lawmakers to have a backbone President Biden addressed the shooting in emotional remarks from the White House Tuesday evening, saying, "I had hoped when I became President I would not have to do this again." "There's a lot we don't know yet. There's a lot we do know. Parents who will never see their child again, never have them jump in bed and cuddle with them. Parents who will never be the same. To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away," said Biden, who has before spoken in deeply personal terms about the family tragedies he has endured. Turning to the issue of gun control legislation, Biden implored lawmakers to "turn this pain into action" as he ticked through some of the mass shootings since the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, when he was vice president. "Why do we keep letting this happen? Where in God's name our is backbone to have the courage to deal with and stand up to the lobbies?" he said. School was two days from summer break Robb Elementary teaches second through fourth grades and had 535 students in the 2020-21 school year, according to state data. About 90% of students are Hispanic and about 81% are economically disadvantaged, the data shows. Thursday was set to be the last day of school before the summer break. The school district said it is canceling all school activities following the shooting. Uvalde County, located about 85 miles west of San Antonio, had a population of about 25,000 as of the 2020 Census. SOURCE: CNN NEWS

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has today congratulated the Member for Lae and Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, Hon. John Rosso, on his appointment as the new Deputy Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. PM Marape said the appointment was made to honour and pay respects to the life and work of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Transport & Infrastructure, and Member for Bulolo, the late Hon. Sam Basil, who died on 12 May in a tragic motor vehicle accident in Morobe Province. Prime Minister Marape said Honourable Rosso is a senior leader from Morobe Province and Member for Lae City, the most important “economic” city in the country. “Importantly, Honourable Rosso has performed his duties as a minister of state very well and in respect to Deputy Prime Minister, late Honourable Basil, it is fitting to return the portfolio to Morobe Province. “Honourable Rosso is a hardworking Member of Parliament and a senior Pangu leader, who has the political and personal attributes to replace Basil. In this context, we are making him the Deputy Prime Minister as he retains his Lands portfolio. “Also, and just as importantly, because there must never exist a vacancy in the Deputy Prime Minister’s office in case something happens to the Prime Minister or in the absence of the Prime Minister,” said PM Marape. The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to thank the family of the late Basil for their understanding in how it cooperated in the handling of the funeral arrangements including the replacement of Basil’s portfolio as immediately as possible soon after the burial. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Marape also announced the appointment of Hon. Manasseh Makiba as the new Minister for Transport & Infrastructure. “By the same token, we are bringing in Hon. Manasseh Makibah to Cabinet as soon as possible. He has been on the flanks in the last three years and has been an instrumental part of the change of government that took place in 2019. “Hon. Makiba has always been a team player who has allowed others to take precedence before him. There is now a vacancy in the portfolio. While time is not there to do new things, there needs to be ministerial oversight and he steps into the Transport & Infrastructure portfolio to have that oversight as we go into elections,” said PM Marape. Both leaders of Parliament were sworn in today at Government House.

“Students here need help in making informed decisions when it comes to their sexual health,” shares PNG Family Health Association’s (FHA) Michelle Tovebae. FHA is one of several organisations rolling out Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in Papua New Guinea. Michelle joined representatives from the National Department of Education and ChildFund for a learning session on CSE for key partners as part of UNFPA’s work in ending gender-based violence. CSE is a curriculum that covers healthy and respectful relationships, rights and values, sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy, and parenting. UNFPA, together with Family Planning NSW, delivered the two-day learning sessions with 16 attendees from the National Department of Education, National Department of Health, and civil society organisations. These groups include members of the CSE steering committee, a group intended to coordinate the national roll out of CSE in Papua New Guinea. The goal is to extend CSE to both in- and out-of-school youths, contributing to reduced incidence of adolescent pregnancy, STIs, and HIV. Addressing stigma on sexuality education remains a critical challenge. “Addressing sensitive issues in PNG is difficult with our culture,” said ChildFund project officer McCleen Pikacha. “Through CSE we hope to include better teaching approaches and open discussions in classrooms.” “I’m looking forward to teaching my peer educators about what I’ve learned from this training,” said Michelle. “With this they can be well equipped to teach other youths in the communities.” The national CSE roll out is part of implementing the Adolescent Health Policy. This current training is funded through the Spotlight Initiative to end violence against women and girls. Effective implementation of the Adolescent Health Policy contributes to preventing intimate partner violence. About Comprehensive Sexuality Education Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), also known as ‘Family Life Education’, is a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social aspects of sexuality. It aims to equip children and young people with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that will empower them to: realize their health, well-being, and dignity; develop respectful social and sexual relationships; consider how their choices affect their own well-being and that of others; and understand and ensure the protection of their rights throughout their lives.

The EU Funded UN Joint STREIT Programme in Papua New Guinea has made progress in delivering technical assistance to the beneficiaries since the beginning of 2020. To address existing the challenges induced by COVID-19 Pandemic, there is a need to further scale up cooperation and partnership among stakeholders to speed up the pace of implementation of the envisioned support to improve agri-enterprise activities and livelihood of rural communities in the Sepik provinces. This was the highlight of the Programme Steering Committee's meeting held on Wednesday, 11 May 2022 in Vanimo, the capital of Sandaun Province. "The EU-STREIT PNG Programme, funded by the European Union for the benefit of the people of the Sepik provinces, represents the largest opportunity ever to initiate, make and deliver a change for the better, in the daily lives of women, men and youth, from this region," said H.E. Jernej Videtič, the EU Ambassador and the Head of Delegation to Papua New Guinea. Adding "The Programme is part of EU-PNG’s long-lasting partnership in providing innovative solutions for sustainable development to the marginalised agri-rural communities."  "To build back better after experiencing the severe impact of COVID-19 Pandemic, the team, including the implementing agencies, public authorities and development partners, need to take new measures and scale-up coordination mechanisms at national, provincial and local levels to accelerate tackling protracted challenges and find solutions for emerging issues," underscored Roger Kara, Deputy Secretary of the Department of National Planning and Monitoring. "Stressing "only by paying attention to local ownership and alignment will the long-term sustainability of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme be assured." "The Programme has rolled out a good level of interventions, directly supporting a large number of beneficiaries,” highlighted the United Nations Resident Coordinator a.i, Dirk Wagener. He further stressed that "the Programme is a joint endeavour of, not only the UN family in Papua New Guinea, but also the National Government, Provincial Administrations, and local counterparts in Greater Sepik region, and we all need to put our best to deliver the support and empowerment the people deserve." Appreciating the contributions made by all partners in delivering support to the target beneficiaries in the Sepik, Takayuki Hagiwara, the FAO Asia-Pacific Regional Programme Leader, called on all involved parties to take firm measures to roll out the planned activities on the ground for the benefit of the rural population in the region to help them have better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life. He also emphasized the increased coordination with the Government, EU and other UN agencies to bring back the project on the right track and recover from the delay, while affirming FAO’s strong commitment on the delivery of the workplan. Since January 2020, the Programme has reached out and provided technical assistance and support to 55,000 households and 331,000 people in 40 Local Level Governments (LLGs) in Greater Sepik. Regarding its work plan, this joint project has achieved the following results for community benefits: Distributed nearly 290,000 cocoa pod borer-tolerant seedlings from main and satellite nurseries. Established more than 250 cocoa budwood gardens in strategic locations across different districts, LLGs and wards in the Sepik. Created and supported the registration of more than 300 cluster groups and cooperatives in cocoa, vanilla and fisheries value chains. Trained nearly 13,000 lead farmers and extension officers (including 20 percent women and 25 percent youth) in the cocoa, vanilla and fisheries value chains. Organised sensitisation and awareness campaigns on the important role of women and youth in the agri-food value chains and the need to mainstream gender and youth perspectives in these value chains. This benefited 9,241 women, youths, students, and men. Provided maintenance to 120 km of farm-to-market roads out of the initial 310 km targeted (18 feeder roads). Capacitated 140 entrepreneurs from 70 local companies (contractors) in road construction, e-bidding, contract management, contract procurement, control quality, decent works and quality delivery for competitive bidding, including in EU-STREIT PNG projects. Developed and officially launched the web-based Road Transport Information Management System (RoTIMS), tailored for conditions in PNG and trained 40 Government officers its usage. Supported the connection of 13,681 beneficiaries to mobile wallets and 16,398 rural people to bank accounts, and the creation of 80 new banking access points across the Greater Sepik region. Developed E-Agriculture Strategies for 2 Sepiks and draft of the national "Quality of Service Framework" for NICTA on improved Mobile Broadband Connectivity. Trained 90 agripreneurs, NGOs' members and lead farmers and government officers, on Digital Agriculture and Financial Inclusion. The EU-STREIT PNG, as a UN Joint Programme (FAO as leading agency, and ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP as partners), is the largest grant-funded Programme of the European Union in the country and the Pacific region. Being implemented in close cooperation with the National and provincial government institutions, research entities, civil society organisations, and private sector enterprises, the Programme aims to help improve the lives of the people from East Sepik and Sandaun provinces, by focusing on increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through improved economic returns and opportunities from cocoa, vanilla and fishery value chains while strengthening and improving the efficiency of value chain enablers, including the business environment, and supporting sustainable, climate-proof transport and energy infrastructure development.

A young woman was brutally killed while another man is in a critical condition at the hospital following a knife wielding retaliatory attack by four men at the Madang Town Market early yesterday morning. Madang Provincial Police Commander Superintendent Mazuc Rubiang said the four men of Enga Province origin have been apprehended by police and will each be charged for wilful murder and attempted murder. He said the incident happened after a fight between youths from Sepik origin with the Engan men earlier on in the morning at the entrance of the market. "A Sepik youth had earlier stole from a customer at the Service Station belonging to the Engans and was chased where he ran to his fellow youths who usually loiter around the entrance to the market," Mr Rubiang said. "The group of youths then badly beat the Engan man who went back to the service station and returned with three others armed with four one-meter-long bush knives." "By then the youths had already dispersed and these men started attacking anyone that were in their way with the bush knives." "This happened as businesses and workers were making their way to open up shops and offices and everyone went fleeing when these four men went through with their rampage." He said the young woman was trying to buy flour balls for breakfast when she was severely struck from the back of her neck killing her instantly. The security guard received cuts to his back. Following this, the public turned on the four men and went on to the damage the service station where the fight lasted for over 30 minutes before police brought calm to the situation. Details of the deceased and injured are yet to be established by police.