Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea - Prime Minister Hon. James Marape expressed his support for the newly formed Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) today, heralding it as a significant milestone in the fight against corruption. The commission gained momentum with the recent arrival of three highly qualified and experienced ICAC Commissioners.

Recognising the devastating impact of rampant corruption on the nation's progress, Prime Minister Marape has been an unwavering advocate for the establishment of ICAC since assuming office in May 2019. The culmination of these efforts led to the passage of the ICAC Bill in November 2020.

PNG PM Marape welcomes Establishment of Independent Commission against Corruption

The three distinguished Commissioners are as follows: Mr. Andrew Forbes, Commissioner; Mr. Daniel Baulch, Deputy Commissioner of Operations and Technical Services; and Mr. Graham Gill, Deputy Commissioner of Prevention and Corporate Administration.

Commissioner Andrew Forbes brings over 30 years of legal expertise to his role and is a renowned legal professional from Australia. With a background in contentious disputes, disciplinary proceedings, and regulatory matters, his appointment significantly bolsters the Commission's capabilities.

Deputy Commissioner Daniel Baulch, also hailing from Australia, boasts over 20 years of law enforcement experience, having previously served as a police officer with Victoria Police. His extensive investigative background will undoubtedly enhance the operational effectiveness of the Commission.

Deputy Commissioner Graham Gill, a distinguished professional from New Zealand, previously held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Corporate and Strategy with the New Zealand Serious Fraud Office. With 26 years of experience in prevention work and investigations, his invaluable insights will contribute to the success of ICAC.

"To ensure utmost impartiality, the Commissioners were selected under the oversight of Tra...

 The National Government under Prime Minister, James Marape, is keen on providing Bio-security cover for Papua New Guinea, and not just in the national security space.

Beginning today, the PNG National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority will host a four-day workshop, where stakeholders from Government, private sector and donor agencies will finalize the framework and construction of the countrys first-ever Biosecurity Bill.

Biosecurity involves safety of a nation, but usually that refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction and or spread of harmful organisms to animals and plants in order to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease.

Because man depends on animals and plants for food, biosecurity requires national cohesion for survival as a nation.

NAQIA Managing Director Joel Alu said the event in Lae will be historical, signifying another leap in the nation's journey since independence.

Agriculture Minister and Goroka MP Aiye Tambua is determine to bring the Bill to Parliament for enactment sooner than later. 

The new biosecurity legislation will establish legally enforceable mechanisms and principles to prevent the risk of introduction and spread of pests and diseases and protect the health of humans, animals and plants and natural resources generally.

It will also enable the country to meet its legal commitments under international agreements and harmonize its biosecurity measures with international standards and best practices.

It further captures and compliments biosecurity issues within the framework of Papua New Guinea and Australia proposed Bilateral Security Treaty, pursuant to the 2020 Comprehensive Strategic and Economic Partnership.

NBC News PNG / PNG Today

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PNG  Prime Minister Hon. James Marape  issued a directive on Sunday, 9 July 2023, mandating all Government departments and agencies to align their corporate plans and programs, with the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) IV (2023-2027), which was launched on Friday, 7 July 2023, at APEC Haus, Port Moresby.

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape is flanked by participating children, at the launch of the MTDP IV  at APEC Haus, Port Moresby on Friday, 7 July 2023. The Government is leaving no children behind in its planning for their future. [Photo by PNGDICT]

Under the directive, Prime Minister Marape stressed the importance of immediate action and the need for all departments and agencies to deliver tangible benefits to the people of Papua New Guinea, so that the targets of MTDP IV are achieved.

Prime Minister has instructed Chief Secretary Ivan Pomaleu to ensure that all Government departments and agencies operate under a unified plan for the next four years, and to ensure that their corporate plans are aligned with MTDP IV.

Prime Minister Marapes Pangu Pati participated in the 2022 elections with a primary focus on five key areas: fostering economic growth for achieving economic independence, developing vital infrastructure like Connect PNG, enhancing education, improving healthcare, and enhancing law enforcement.

All of these priorities align with Vision 2050 and are further consolidated in MTDP IV.

If they are currently midway through their corporate plans, they must realign them with MTDP IV. For those nearing the end of their corporate plans, new ones must be drawn up in alignment with MTDP IV and the Governments objectives.

Prime Minister Marape emphasized that the Governments objectives are not new and are aligned with Vision 2050, which was introduced by the late Sir Michael Somare in October 2009.

Papua New Guineas long-term goal, as outlined in Vision 2050, is to become a middle-income nation by 2050.

Between now and 2050, our fo...

Avi Loeb, a professor at Harvard, is certain that he has identified possible relics of extraterrestrial technology in the debris of a meteor that crashed into the seas off the coast of Papua New Guinea in 2014.

The materials have recently been transported back to Harvard by Loeb and his colleagues for further examination. The United States Space Command is able to establish with an almost unshakeable confidence level of 99.999% that it originated from another solar system. The government provided Loeb with a radial distance of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) around the possible landing site.

WOWHarvard professor Avi Loeb believes he may have found fragments of alien technology from a meteor that landed in 2014. Loebs team brought the materials back for analysis. U.S. Space Command confirms with almost near certainty, 99.999%, that it came from another solar system. pic.twitter.com/Uv9sgdsHo1

Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 7, 2023

That is where the fireball took place, and the government detected it from the Department of Defense. Its a very big area the size of Boston, so we wanted to pin it down, said Loeb, We figured the distance of the fireball based off the time delay between the arrival of blast wave, the boom of explosion, and the light that arrived quickly.

Because of their calculations, they were able to plot out a possible course for the meteor. The results of their computations carved a course that occurred to pass exactly across the ten kilometer range that was predicted by the United States government.

Loeb and his team traveled to the location in a vessel known as the Silver Star. The ship made a number of laps both along and around the course that had been forecast for it. The researchers explored the ocean bottom using a sled that was loaded with magnets and was attached to their boat.

We found ten spherules. These are almost perfect spheres, or metallic marbles. When you look at them through a microscope, they look very distinct from the background, explained Loeb, They have colors of gold, blue, brown and some of them resemble a miniature of the Earth.

Their examination of the spherules composition revealed that they are co...