Donald Trump's new social media firm says it has entered into agreements to raise $1bn (£755m) from investors ahead of a planned stock market listing. The Trump Media & Technology Group is working to launch a social media app called Truth Social early next year. It comes as Mr Trump remains banned from Twitter and Facebook following the attack on the US Capitol in January. "$1bn sends an important message to Big Tech that censorship and political discrimination must end," he said. "As our balance sheet expands, Trump Media & Technology Group will be in a stronger position to fight back against the tyranny of Big Tech." Mr Trump announced plans to launch Truth Social earlier this year, saying it would allow conversation "without discrimination on the basis of political ideology". The Trump Media & Technology Group has partnered on the project with Digital World Acquisition, a so called special purpose acquisition company (Spac) or "blank cheque company". Spacs, which became a major story in the US stock market at the start of this year, are shell companies that are set up with the sole purpose of merging with a private firm to take it public. However, they have lost much of their lustre after some of the companies that merged with them failed to deliver on their ambitious financial projections. On Saturday, Mr Trump's firm said it had secured the $1bn from from "a diverse group of institutional investors" without revealing who they were. According to reports, the social media venture is now valued at almost $4bn. It would appear to underscore the former US president's ability to attract strong financial backing despite the controversy surrounding his time in charge. Mr Trump was banned from top social media platforms after the 6 January attack by his supporters on the US Capitol in Washington DC amid concerns the then-president would inspire further violence. It came after Mr Trump made claims, without evidence, of widespread fraud in last year's presidential election. Many Wall Street firms snubbed the opportunity to invest in the former president's new venture, according to Reuters. But some hedge funds, family investment firms and high net-worth individuals have backed it. Mr Trump had 89 million followers on Twitter, 33 million on Facebook and 24.5 million on Instagram at the time he was blocked, according to a presentation on his company's website. He has also repeatedly dropped hints that he might seek the presidency again in 2024. However, there have been questions about the state of the former president's finances. Last month a congressional committee found he had "grossly exaggerated" the profitability of his Washington DC hotel - claims the Trump Organization called "misleading". Scrutiny Trump Media & Technology Group's partnership with Digital World Acquisition has already attracted scrutiny. Last month Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the planned merger for potential violations of securities laws. The SEC has declined to comment on whether it plans any action. Truth Social is scheduled for a full rollout in the first quarter of 2022. It is the first of three stages in the Trump Media plan, followed by a subscription video-on-demand service called TMTG+ that will feature entertainment, news and podcasts, according to the news release. In a slide deck on its website, the company envisions eventually competing against Amazon.com's AWS cloud service and Google Cloud. SOURCE: BBC NEWS

The British royal family and the media have what some describe as an invisible contract: the palace offer access, and the press in return offer favourable coverage. But it is a relationship that has had its ups and downs, and looks set for another tumultuous period. In recent weeks, insiders have exposed the behind-the-scenes tactics used by both royals and reporters to own the narrative. A two-part BBC documentary pulled back the curtain on how the press and palace work together - and sometimes against each other. And Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, won a legal victory in her fight against a British tabloid over the publication of a letter she sent to her father in August 2018. Afterwards, she claimed she wanted to "reshape the tabloid industry". But some believe the attempts of the younger royals to change the rules of engagement with the press are destined to fail. "Both [press and palace] are powerful … but ultimately the palace cannot go on denying access forever," Robert Hazell, a professor of government and constitution at University College London, told the ABC. "They need the media … they really do." Throughout her long reign, the Queen has mostly maintained "popularity a politician would die for", Professor Hazell said. According to a royal biography by Sally Bedell Smith, for much of her public life the Queen has lived by this mantra: "I have to be seen to be believed." Cindy McCreery, a historian and senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, said that mantra had been there "since the beginning of her reign". "Then, there was a lot of attention and thought put into her coronation and how that would broadcast," Dr McCreery said. "The sophistication of the royal family with the press has only increased through her reign." But increasingly the monarchy has been unable to control the tabloid press, McCreery said, and that press has shown its willingness "to attack the Queen's children and grandchildren". "Ultimately they are powerless to stop that." As Queen Elizabeth II withdraws from some duties, and her children and grandchildren take on more public roles, where does the invisible contract stand? Media experts claim the public has enormous power to determine the future of the relationship. A peek into the behind-the-scenes briefings The two-part BBC series, titled The Princes and the Press, showed the extreme lengths the royal family will go to receive positive press. Numerous reporters described their experiences working with different members of the royal family, airing the behind-the-scenes stories of press trips and revealing how they landed big scoops. "The reality is there is a far greater level of manipulation that goes on from the royal courts to the media than Joe Public would ever believe," royal biographer Anna Pasternak told the BBC. The documentary detailed the receptions organised by press secretaries, where royals and reporters mingle. It suggested that, at times, the households of the different royal family members may work against each other, briefing and leaking to journalists who will give them sympathetic coverage. In response to the documentary, Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace put out a joint statement slamming the production. "Too often overblown and unfounded claims from unnamed sources are presented as facts, and it is disappointing when anyone, including the BBC, gives them credibility," the statement read. A number of reporters and editors described their frustration with both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for at times not offering them the access they wanted. "At the point in which you decide you're not going to play the game, then don't expect other people to play by the rules," broadcaster Trevor Phillips told the BBC. Editors also described how they would seek out negative stories about the royals when they felt they were not upholding their side of the contract. "The difficulty for the monarchy is that it's got caught up in celebrity culture and in particular, in all the gossip magazines, and tabloids," Professor Hazell said. McCreery said the relationship between the media and monarchy had changed significantly over the course of the Queen's 69-year reign. "I think there has been a really major change from the early days of the reign, where there was much more deference in British society in general, but also a much more regulated press," she said. "The palace just simply cannot control the press in the way that they might have been able to do in the 1950s." New battlelines have been drawn The relationship between the palace and the tabloids hit a breaking point after the death of Princess Diana. While both sides have been tentatively rebuilding bridges ever since, it appears as if younger members of the royal family are not afraid to challenge what they consider to be an unfair contract. In 2015, Kensington Palace issued an unprecedented warning to paparazzi, arguing that photographers were using "increasingly dangerous tactics" to obtain images of Prince William and Catherine's son Prince George, who was two years old at the time. Earlier this year, Prince Harry won an apology and substantial damages from the publishers of Mail on Sunday after he sued the British tabloid for libel. The paper had claimed he had turned his back on the military when he ended his royal role. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's own legal action against the Mail on Sunday resulted in a judge ruling the paper had breached her privacy and copyright. The decision not to let the Mail on Sunday have an appeal trial spares the Duchess of Sussex from having to appear at a trial with her father, Thomas Markle. In a bold statement released shortly after the court's decision, she wrote that the win was "for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what's right". "While this win is precedent setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain they create," the duchess said. The decision by royals to take on the press via legal avenues is increasingly common. "There's a much greater move among the younger royals, when they don't like something, to ring their lawyers," Pasternak told the BBC. "Something the Queen or her generation, or Charles and Camilla would never do." Pasternak wrote a story for Tatler magazine about Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge which labelled her "perilously thin" and questioned her work ethic. She was involved in legal discussions for months about the piece, which was eventually changed online. At the time a Kensington Palace spokesperson said the story "contains a swathe of inaccuracies and false misrepresentations". While some royal households now appear content to push back more forcefully against the press, others are willing to go their own way. Younger royals seek an alternative Prince Harry and Meghan have chosen to break from the traditional media routines and instead set up their own means of connection, McCreery said. They are using social media, having major interviews with the likes of Oprah and appearing on chat shows like Ellen. "It's a whole other level of engagement and influence, which is distinct from the relationship with the press," McCreery said. "Younger people who follow social media are very comfortable with the idea of celebrities, of influencers - well that's how the younger British royals are doing it." Despite any challenges with the press, the British royal family remain popular and much-loved figures, Hazell said. "The popularity of the monarchy as an institution is well-established and long-lasting, and opinion polls have shown that consistently over the last 30 years or more," he said. "So, I think it's likely to be a temporary blip." He also said the public had an important role to play in this power dynamic between palace and press. "We want it both ways - we want them to be impeccably neutral, but at the same time, we want them to be interesting," he said. "We, the readers and buyers of those magazines, are just as complicit in the invasions of privacy that are involved. "It's on us really, and what we choose to support." SOURCE: ABC NEWS

Travellers heading to the UK will now have to take a Covid test before their departure in an effort to limit spread of the virus, the government has said. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the tightened requirements would come into force from 04:00 GMT on Tuesday. Everyone aged 12 and over will be required to take a pre-departure test a maximum of 48 hours before leaving. Currently people only need to self-isolate until they test negative within two days of arriving. Nigeria will be added from Monday to the red list of countries from where people arriving must quarantine in a hotel for 10 days, Mr Javid also confirmed. The health secretary said the government's strategy since the discovery of the Omicron variant had been to "buy time" to assess and to "put in place protective measures", adding: "We've always said that we would act swiftly should new data require it." The Department of Health and Social Care later said 21 Omicron cases linked to Nigerian travel had been discovered in recent days. Mr Javid said this number was growing and Nigeria was now second only to South Africa in terms of linked cases to Omicron. He called on people to get a booster vaccine when called to do so by the NHS, describing vaccinations as the country's "first line of defence" against coronavirus. A further 26 Omicron cases - of which 25 were recorded in England and one in Scotland - were confirmed in the UK on Saturday. Those cases took the total for England to 129. Scotland has so far recorded 30 cases while one case was identified in Wales, bringing the total for the UK as a whole to 160. The Scottish and Welsh governments have confirmed they will also bring in the updated measures for travellers following the assessment of the UK Health Security Agency. The moves come after pressure on the UK government to tighten the policy on overseas arrivals. Last week the government's scientific advisory body Sage said pre-departure tests for those arriving in the UK would be valuable, in the leaked minutes of a meeting seen by the BBC. Following the latest announcement Labour's shadow health secretary Wes Streeting called for further action and for the number of booster jabs given to be increased to 500,000 per day. In a tweet he said: "Finally the health secretary accepts Labour's call for pre-departure tests, but why up to 48 hours before flight?" SOURCE: BBC NEWS

PNG’s first treasurer and current Governor for New Ireland Province Sir Julius Chan, has described the 2022 National Budget as flat and high on self-aggrandizement or self-entitlement. He said the budget was extravagant on expenditure but very poor on raising revenue. He gave his view on the budget after calls from the public to shed insight into whether there was any practicality or truth in the K22 billion budget, passed by parliament last week. “Not only did I not vote to pass the budget, I have no confidence what so ever in the current treasurer because of the experience my province is currently facing under his tenure as treasurer. He gives all the sweet talks but none of it is true. He has robbed New Ireland by withholding New Ireland money at the beginning of the year for four months, and broke down the New Ireland Governments foundation policy pillars, that existed for ten years. Now he is trying to cripple the nation in the same manner. So how can he run a country when his electorate is not in order?,” said Sir J. He said Ian Ling Stuckey failed to address the immediate Economic woes facing the country and how the government will remedy it in 2022, instead talking about debt free PNG in 2027. “Why talk about 2027 when the debt problem needs to be solved now? Stuckey may not be around in 2027 to clean up his mess. My prediction is there will be a complete overhaul of the National budget after the National Elections next year. Never in the history of this nation have we ever experienced so many corrective budgets!,” said Sir J. Sir J also remarked that Stuckey’s borrowing pattern is another concern along with uncontrollable expenditure by the Government. “ Again Stuckey has borrowed more than any other treasurer in the history of this country. All he is doing is making Papua New Guineans dig deep into their pockets and passing the burden onto our future generation,” remarked Sir J. He also supported the Oppositions stance on the 2022 National Budget stating the introduction of the Super Tax on companies like the Bank of South Pacific and Digicel is a very poor decision and will have a reverse Robin hood effect on ordinary Papua New Guineans. “ Instead of taking from the Rich this government has seen fit to take from the poor, and give to the Rich. The burden will be shoved onto ordinary Papua New Guineans who depend on the services of these companies. These companies have managed to thrive on their own accord and disadvantaging them in such a manner is a draconian approach,” said Sir J. Sir J questioned why the Government hasn’t looked to extract it’s Super Profit Tax from the Extractive Mining Industry? “ I can justify better sharing of the super profit in view of the sudden increase by over 800 US per ounce of gold, that should be shared. Not Robbing from the poor and giving to the Rich,” said Sir J. He added that Marape’s decision to differ the Super Tax is a sign that he does not have confidence in the budget. The Prime Minister should go with his gut instinct and just cancel the Super Tax policy all together. The Government has its State Owned Enterprises, it can privatize these SOE’s and raise revenue from them. Make the SOE’s work for this country,” said Sir J. Sir J also queried why all of a sudden the National Government put aside K50.9 million for the construction of the Boluminski Highway, twenty five years after the Lihir MOA was signed and the Highway already constructed through other funding. “For now the Government has no choice but to let this unrealistic budget through and next year we will see a complete overhaul of the 2022 Budget,” said Sir J.

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that 23 countries across the world have reported cases of the highly mutated omicron Covid-19 variant. “At least 23 countries from five of six WHO regions have now reported cases of omicron and we expect that number to grow,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters during an update Wednesday in Geneva. “WHO takes this development extremely seriously and so should every country. But it should not surprise us,” Tedros continued. “This is what viruses do. And it’s what this virus will continue to do, as we long as we allow it to continue spreading.” The U.S. has confirmed its first case of omicron in California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The individual, who was fully vaccinated, had returned from South Africa to the San Francisco area on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters Wednesday. The variant, which was reported to WHO by South Africa a week ago, has more than 30 mutations to the spike protein alone. Some of the mutations are associated with a decrease in antibody protection and higher transmission, according to the WHO. Tedros said there is still more to learn about the new variant’s effect on transmission, the severity of disease and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics and vaccines. Several WHO advisory groups have met in the last few days to “evaluate the emerging evidence, and prioritize the studies needed to answer these questions,” he said. He added that the highly transmissible delta Covid-19 variant still accounts for almost all cases globally. Tedros said using the tools available to prevent transmission of delta will also stop the transmission of omicron. “If countries and individuals don’t do what they need to do to stop transmission of delta, they won’t stop omicron either,” Tedros said. He urged countries to bolster vaccination efforts and other prevention measures, noting that low vaccine coverage and testing in countries is a “recipe for breeding and amplifying variants.” “We continue to urge countries to fully fund the accelerator to ensure equitable access to vaccines, tests therapeutics, all over the world,” Tedros said. The use of blanket travel bans, however, will not prevent the transmission of omicron and are a “heavy burden on lives and livelihoods,” according to Tedros. Dozens of countries have imposed travel restrictions on southern African nations since the mutation was reported to WHO a week ago. The U.S., for instance, began restricting travel for non U.S.-citizens from South Africa and seven other countries on Monday. Tedros said it is “deeply concerning” that Botswana and South Africa were “being penalized by others for doing the right thing.” He called on countries to turn to “rational proportional risk reduction measures.” This includes measures screening passengers prior to traveling and or upon arrival in a country, or the application of quarantine to international travelers. Fauci defended the U.S. travel restrictions on Wednesday, describing them as a temporary measure intended to buy time for health officials to better understand the virus variant. “No one feels that a travel ban is going to prevent people who are infected from coming to the United States,” Fauci said. “But we needed to buy some time to be able to prepare, understand what’s going on. So we look at this as a temporary measure.” SOURCE: CNBC NEWS

“When I did my research in 2017, I found out that a lot of Elementary school teachers want to teach and give the best to the children but the problem was that they did not have the proper materials.” “I also found out that teachers are not teaching phonics in schools because they either don’t know how to teach phonics or don’t have the resources. “ These were the words of Ms Elizabeth Tandoa, a high school teacher who is planning on running holiday early learning classes in the month of December. Ms Tandoa, who currently teaches Grades 9 and 10 students at Gerehu Secondary School saw that there was a great need for early learning so she started providing holiday classes since 2017. Ms Tandoa said that as a high school teacher, she is challenged everyday with students in Grade 9 not being able to construct proper sentences and making so many grammatical mistakes. She said that a child’s future is determined by his or her early years so parents need to be very concerned and assist their children as the foundation of learning starts effectively when they have great teachers. Through the holiday early learning sessions, the children will learn reading, writing and numeracy and is open for children between the ages of 5 – 10 years old. The classes will be great for children who will be starting school next year and also for students who are already enrolled in school but need that extra help in reading and writing. Ms Tandoa said the classes will cost K200 per child and will start on 6th December, 2021 and run through the whole month of December. She said that even though she has received over 120 registrations, she can only take in 50 students so she can effectively teach them as she only has 3 assistants to help her. Ms Tandoa has encouraged parents to give at least 10 minutes of their time after each schooling day to check their children’s work so that they know how they are doing in school and get help for them early on if they need help before they get into primary and secondary school. Meanwhile, parents from Kokopo, Alotau and Madang have reached out to Ms Tandoa to travel to their locations to conduct early learning classes for their children in the respective provinces. Ms Tandoa said that one of the things she is looking forward to is publishing her book on early learning for children with the support from the Papua New Guinea Education Department which can be used to teach early learning in schools throughout the country.

In light of the recent riots in the Solomon Islands, former Prime Minister and current Governor of New Ireland Province Sir Julius Chan has reminded the country of Papua New Guinea’s leadership to set up the South Pacific Peace Keeping Force (SPPKF) long before the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands ( RAMSI ) was established. The idea was a brain child of Sir J after his government successfully executed the granting of Independence for Vanuatu in 1980. Recalling back, he said the proposal was put forward to the Pacific Island’s Forum in 1981. “ We proposed for the formation of the South Pacific Peace Keeping force to help prevent any disorder in countries in the Pacific, if invited by heads of the troubled countries to assist.” However Sir J said, Australia and New Zealand were not keen to support it at the time. “They said it doesn’t sound right to have a South Pacific Peace Keeping force because it means there is disorder. But I think they deliberately interpreted it that way because they were not involved in Vanuatu and wanted to stop all kinds of initiatives by us,” said Sir J. He said, later on down the line, Australia and New Zealand agreed to form RAMSI which was the exact same Philosophy as SPPKF. “And that’s exactly what they are doing now. What would have been legitimate for the South Pacific Peace Keeping force to enter into the Solomon Islands at the request of their Prime Minister.” Papua New Guinea created the policy and subsequently deployed the first SPPKF force to Arawa in 1994 during the Bougainville crises. It was led by a Tongan, but Commanded locally by former Commander of the PNG Force Tony Huai.

PNG bMobile has partnered with BSP Financial Group Limited (BSP) to register as a BSP Pay Merchant – “No Card, Just Pay” online payment solution to give customers another convenient payment option to recharge their mobile service online without using a VISA Debit Card. bMobile offers Cheap Mobile Data plans and MOA Packs (integrated bundled plans which include voice, SMS & data), as well as mobile phones, MiFi devices and corporate plans. “Mobile phones have become an essential part of our lives, and to keep calls, internet access and other facilities going, we need to be able to make mobile recharges in a timely manner. bMobile now provides our customers with an effortless experience of making online mobile recharges without needing to use a VISA Debit card,” said bMobile National Marketing Manager, Devan Kula.   “With our customer base increasing rapidly, we are required to continually improve our offerings. Apart from the ability to pay for products and services using cash, EFTPoS, VISA and Mobile Banking, we would like to ensure our loyal customers have access to other convenient methods to recharge their mobile service, and BSP Pay is an option for customers who do not have a VISA Debit card to top up online. It allows them the ability to access our services more readily,” added Kula. With this payment solution, bMobile customers will now be able to top up their mobile service and subscribe to all of bMobile’s products, including: Cheap Mobile Data plans, MOA Packs as well as top up their EasiPay meters through the bMobile self-care website and app. BSP Pay is a payment solution that allows a BSP account holder to carry out online payments on a registered merchant’s online shop instantly & securely without the need for card details. BSP Customers use their unique BSP ID and registered mobile number to authorise payment with a one-time password security code. BSP encourages businesses to consider moving online as more customers opt for convenient payment services, and BSP will support online merchants with set up of BSP Pay to their websites.. Businesses interested in setting up a payments page on their website can contact BSP through email servicebsp@bsp.com.pg or call BSP on 3201212 or 70301212.

More than 3,000 disability assessments have been conducted for communities along the Kokoda Track, providing treatment, interventions and referrals for people in the region. Under the routine maternal and child health patrols, which are supported by the PNG-Australia Partnership through the Kokoda Initiative, Callan Services for Persons with Disabilities was able to conduct the assessments. More than 1,300 people were subsequently treated or referred on, in order to address vision or hearing impairments – disabilities that are not always visible but have a big impact on people’s lives. Callan’s program manager Peter Sindu said engagement with the communities made a significant impact for persons with disabilities living along the Kokoda Track. “Many people received prescription glasses on the spot during our visit to 20 villages this year,” Mr Sindu said. “General observations were done to identify the needs for other types of disabilities, accessibility and disability support services.” “We have also identified people who need further examination and rehabilitation which we are working closely with the Kokoda Initiative to arrange for these people to get the support and care they need.” Mr Sindu added that communities must recognise and accept people with disabilities. “We observe the International Day for Persons with Disabilities to increase awareness, recognise their special needs and accept them for who they are,” he continued. Callan also trained more than 50 village health volunteers to conduct disability assessments, including the identification of disabilities and detecting hearing and vision impairments. The village health volunteers also learnt to make referrals for specialised examinations and to seek specific disability support services. The achievements follow the success of a disability assessment pilot conducted in communities, schools and health centres in 2020. The disability assessments and training were supported by the Kokoda Initiative – a partnership between PNG and Australia that is enhancing the quality of life for Kokoda Track communities.

Department of Justice & Attorney General has commended the current Minister for Justice, Hon. Bryan Kramer for setting a record in the number of submissions presented to Government in the last 12 months. While addressing the National Coordination Mechanism (NCM) members and other guests who attended the launch of ‘The Attorney General’s Law Journal’ recently, the Attorney General and Secretary for Justice Dr Eric Kwa, PhD made these remarks. “We have checked the records and confirmed that this is the first time in the history of the department we have had more submissions and decisions taken up to the cabinet since Minister Kramer took office,” he said. Dr Kwa said it was record breaking that DJAG have delivered more submissions to government than ever before. “A non lawyer leading us in trying to push for reforms within the law and justice sector; we truly appreciate that. I’ve been in the office for three years and this year has been a very hectic one with Minister pushing us to support government in every way we can,” he said. Dr Kwa said it was also history making for one Minister to get a total number of six legislations to the Parliament within12 months only. “This is a huge achievement for us with the number of policies approved by the cabinet which we are right now implementing half of these policies.” Meanwhile Minister Kramer, responded by acknowledging DJAG and the Law & Justice Sector for their efforts in working with him to make all these achievable. The following Bills were passed in Parliament this year under the leadership of Minister Kramer; 1. Controlled Substance Bill 2021 2. Dangerous Drugs Amendment Bill 2021 3. Lawyers (Amendment) Bill 2021 4. Electronic Transaction Bill 2021 5. Attorney General (Amendment) Bill 2021 6. Public Solicitors Bill 2021

The Department of Justice & Attorney General today launched two very important law publications to aid lawyers within the country. The two publications namely, The Attorney General’s Law Journal, Vol. 2 and The Constitution of Papua New Guinea written by Dr. Eric Kwa and Prof. Edward P. Wolfers were launched recently at the Holiday Inn Hotel, in Port Moresby. Minister for Justice Hon. Bryan Kramer officially launched the two publications in front of government bureaucrats, prominent lawyers both in the private and public sector. Minister Kramer said it was a privilege and an opportunity for him to launch the two law publications which is very vital for lawyers in their profession. The books capture legal issues and major policy changes in the country. “I acknowledge Dr Kwa and Prof. Wolfers for the efforts in putting together these very important and resourceful publications which will definitely go a long way in developing excellent, well-informed breed of lawyers in the country,” he said. The Attorney Generals’ Law Journals is the second edition, the first one was launched in 2019; and The Constitution of Papua New Guinea is a short commentary on all the amendments of the Constitution, updated to Amendment no. 42.

Bougainvilleans with disability can look forward to more inclusive services that better cater to their needs through a new policy. The Bougainville Disability Policy was endorsed by the Bougainville Executive Council and launched by Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) Minister for Community Development Thompson J. Gitovea. The launch coincided with this year’s International Day of People with Disability celebrations. Bougainvilleans with disability have welcomed the new policy and are confident this policy will create more awareness and promote better community participation. The policy was drafted by ABG’s Department of Community Development in partnership with the Bougainville Disabled Persons Organisation following a rigorous consultation process. The consultations and technical development of the policy were supported by the Australian and New Zealand governments through the Bougainville Partnership. Ruth Tohaka from the Carteret Islands, Atolls District, said the endorsement of the policy was an important milestone. “Persons with disabilities can communicate with ABG and other development partners who do disability work in the region,” she said. “We will be recognised as people with special needs and our needs will be addressed.” Ms Tohaka’s sentiments were reiterated by Lawrence Tomel from Nissan Island, who shared his gratitude for the work done to put the policy together. “This policy will give us the opportunity for our voices to be heard, to be recognised and enable us to participate fully,” he said. Joachim Bonney, also from Nissan, said it was time that persons with disabilities had their priorities addressed. “I am so happy,” he said, “we will be treated equally, and we will have many opportunities to be part of activities that will benefit us as individuals to sustain our lives.”