MISS Bank South Pacific Rachel Sapery James has been crowned the 2010 Miss PNG, The Nationalreports.
James, 26, from New Ireland, is a marine biologist. She has a master’s degree in international studies of aquatic tropical ecology and conservation from a university in Germany.
She was bestowed the title over seven others in Port Moresby on Saturday night.
James was also named Miss Humanitarian and Miss Patron’s Choice.
Soon after her crowning, James called on all Papua New Guineans to endeavour to “protect, preserve and maintain all of PNG’s rich and diverse natural resources, flora and fauna as blessings for our children and our children’s children”.
She said before joining the quest, she had a quest of her own – promoting the conservation of coral reefs and creating awareness on marine environmental issues.
James said these awareness activities were aimed at helping “our coastal communities become resilient of the effects of climate change”.
“Joining the quest was a right step.
“As a marine biologist, I believe the long-term success of PNG and the South Pacific region, and the viabilities of our communities and the climate – specified in the various environmental issues including climate change, water scarcity, and biodiversity – lies in conducting such awareness in our communities,” the Miss PNG said.
She also said her crowning was “a stepping stone to do as much as I can to help the environment and the communities impacted directly and indirectly”.
“My crowning tonight is a win for everything I believed in.
“It is a win for the environment; it is a win for my fellow Papua New Guineans,” she said, adding that she hoped to inspire women in PNG and also throughout the South Pacific “to strive for (and achieve) their personal and professional goals”.
Outgoing Miss PNG Antonia Singut said this year’s quest was slightly different to the previous ones, adding that it no longer focused on the generation of money.
“There is now a whole new concept which aligns the Miss PNG Quest with a competition that develops and showcases the contestants’ personal, intellectual and humanitarian qualities, resulting in the crowning of an ambassador who can proudly represent PNG in her own country and overseas,” Singut said.
Michelle Mondia, sponsored by PNG Australian Alumni Association (PNGAAA), was the first runner-up and Miss Manus Snax Vanessa Knight was second runner-up.
The Miss Friendship title went to Miss National Gaming Control Board Nicole Jeune and Miss Photogenic went to Miss Digicel-Boroko Rotary Hariesa Tau.
Under the new concept, each entrant’s sponsor paid a nomination fee of K30,000 to PNG Red Cross.
Beppu, Japan, 8 August 2010 – APEC has committed to pursuing “high quality growth” in a statement released today at the Growth Strategy High-Level Policy Roundtable held in Beppu, Japan.
APEC’s new approach to growth reflects members’ continued belief that free and open trade and investment is still key to regional prosperity; but it also recognises that economic growth should incorporate other factors - such as environmental sustainability - that are essential to future prosperity and citizen wellbeing.
Five attributes of quality growth have therefore been selected for action, namely balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth.
DURING A RECENT farmers' tour to Greece and Turkey I observed a number of social impacts affecting both countries that Papua New Guinea could learn from. The European Union (EU) recently offered large subsidies to Greek farmers to grow cotton and so compete with other non-EU cotton producers. Many farmers turned to cotton in preference to their normal food crops. But cotton needs a lot of water and Greece is mostly a very dry country. So when it started to import fresh food because it was not growing enough itself, the cotton subsidies were discontinued. Lesson: Only crops suitable for the local conditions and local consumption should be encouraged. Perhaps the broad acre farming of oil palm in PNG should be reviewed to see who will benefit from this activity in the long run. With 73 million people, Turkey is a very populous country with 50 per cent of its people involved in primary production. Since every farmer traditionally wills his farm to his children, as the rural population has increased, each farm has become smaller. Now many farms are unviable. Increasingly, young people are moving to the cities to find employment away from the hard work on the land. Yet they still own small unproductive acreages - good food producing land standing idle or growing weeds. The Turkish government has just passed a law that only those people who farm can inherit land. There will soon be a larger drift of young, unskilled people to the cities. These people will need retraining and new employment opportunities. Yet the current government does little planning. Lesson: Planning will help PNG when rural small holdings become unviable and there is a larger drift of young people to the cities. Training and new employment activities must be planned now to absorb this future labour force. Both Greece and Turkey are much sought after tourist destinations. Both are situated in a very volatile part of the world and every time there is strife, tourism slumps dramatically. Neither country can control its neighbours and economic activities can be severely affected by what goes on next door. Lesson: Don't become dependent on just one big export earner, especially if it may be directly influenced by another country. In other words, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket'. Now why did I immediately think of LNG?
Captain Christopher Kaines...two years on, his plane crash is shrouded in mystery
Two years on, we are still waiting for answers
By MALUM NALU
Chris Karma Kaines, from Gassam village on SiassiIsland,
Morobe province, died in a mysterious Cessna 206 plane crash in the mountains
of Myola, along the Kokoda Trail, on Thursday, August 7, 2008, on his
return from Goilala.
Today, his two wives, Betty Komes and Betty Kuyei; four young children, daughters Emerald,
Answer and Story (born from Kuyei) and son Chris Kaines Jr (born from Komes); family and many of us friends are still waiting for answers about his death.
There are several unanswered questions as to the flight plan
given to the Civil Aviation Authority, the air worthiness of the Cessna, why
the operator has disappeared since the death of Chris, is there any truth that
Chris was carrying mercury and a large amount of money when he crashed, and
many more, including questions on the involvement of certain groups and
individuals.
Reporters probing the crash hit a brick wall at CAA
when trying to get information on the crash.
Chris was a very
experienced aviator, whose feats are the stuff of legend, including busting gun
smuggling operations in Western province with police, once landing on the
Hiritano Highway when his engine failed, who in 2006 year flew a private plane
from the USA to PNG, and whose ambition in life was to buy his own plane and
run a charter operation.
His best friends were
from Butibam village in Lae, and he grew up with us in the 70’s and 80’s,
played with us, and drank with us as we were all one family until his tragic
passing.
His best mate was fellow pilot and school mate, Sao Maliaki,
from Butibam and who flies for Airlines PNG.
We will always remember this athletic, handsome and easy-going
young man who had a huge passion for life.
I remember flying with him once to remote Kabwum in the
mountains of Morobe in 1994, and despite the weather and mountains, Chris’s
good humour kept me going all the way.
That was the nature of the man.
Chris Kaines was born at Minj in the Western Highlands
province but grew up at Mendi in Southern Highlands,
His father was a police sergent from Siassi while his mother
was from Iokea village in the Gulf province,
Chris was a very experienced aviator.
After his training in a private flying school in Australia,
self-sponsored, he flew crop dusters.
He flew for various charter operators in PNG.
Once, he ran into engine trouble and landed somewhere near YuleIsland,
on the Hiritano Highway,
and after repairs, took off again.
When police needed an aircraft and a pilot to bust a
gun-smuggling operation in the Western province side of the border, they were
recommended Chris as the pilot and they still speak highly of that operation
and the skills of the pilot.
He had a stint with Rimbunan Hijau during which time he flew
regularly between Port Moresby
and the Western province.
“Chris was a very adventurous person,” said his
brother-in-law Newman Cuthbert, who delivered the eulogy at his funeral service at MarimariLutheranChurch in Port
Moresby, before the body was taken home to
Siassi.
“He never joined Air Niugini or a commercial airline because
he wanted to be in command of his own aircraft.
“He was not cut out to cart passengers but was attracted by
the prospect of flying into remote locations and challenged the dangers of the
weather and dangerous terrain of PNG head on.
“Chris always told my missus - his sister - when she told
him time and time again of her concern of him operating small aircraft in
remote locations: ‘Big sis I know what I am doing’.
“Danger and death was the most remote thing on all our minds
for Chris.
“He had a lot of friends - those he grew up with and kept
close to his roots.
“When logging was introduced to Siassi and as part of a
family of principal land owners, Chris expressed concern about illegal logging
and made it known at family discussions that the family members at home should
never be manipulated by foreign logging companies but should benefit.
“‘We must receive our share of royalties but our old people
must benefit before their time is up’ he used to tell missus.
“The father passed away two years ago and Chris flew his
body home to Siassi.
“As a child he loved adventure movies like cowboys and
Indians, and if there was something that looked complicated, he wanted to know
what made it work.
“Recently, with another pilot friend, he took delivery of an
aircraft from the USA
and flew it home to PNG.
“His ambition was to buy his own plane and operate a charter
company.
“He wanted the family and clan involved and we were all in
the process of looking at that prospect.
“His best friends came from Butibum.
“He grew up with them, played with them drank with them and
it was his other family.”
In fact, the last time I met him was in May 2008,
shortly after the death of my wife, during which time he passed his condolences
and told me that I must be strong for my children.
He reminisced with us from Butibam that night, over a couple
of beers, about his many adventures all over the country as a pilot, including Bougainville during the crisis.
For one thing, all of us Chris’s mates from Butibam and Lae,
now that he died doing what he loved best.
The Government of PNG and the World Bank will sign two loan agreements worth over K100 million for rural development projects.
The signing ceremony for the agreements for financing two projects that have significant merits in supporting smallholder agriculture and telecommunications services in the rural areas of PNG will take place on Monday (August 9).
Minister for Finance and Treasury, Peter O’Neill, representing PNG government, and Ferid Belhaj, Country Director, Timor Leste, PNG and PacificIslands, will officiate at the signing ceremony at Holiday Inn.
The World Bank funds will finance the Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP) and the Rural Communications Project (RCP) both of which aim to improve the livelihoods of remote rural communities.
PPAP will assist farmers in adopting improved farming practices, facilitate relationships between smallholder farmers and agribusiness and provide critical infrastructure for market access.
The project will focus on areas dependent on cocoa and coffee productions including East New Britain, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Madang, East and West Sepik, Morobe, Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Jiwaka and Simbu provinces with possible expansion to other areas later.
RCP will provide access to telecommunications in Simbu and East Sepik, and facilitate public internet access in about 60 district centres.
It is expected that more women and youth will benefit from improved access to communications, including for income-generating opportunities.
