InterOil may pursue new gas-export project in PNG

By Dow Jones Business News

SYDNEY--InterOil Corp. ( IOC ) said Thursday it wants to keep open the option of building a new gas-export plant in Papua New Guinea, potentially putting it at odds with Exxon Mobil Corp.'s ( XOM ) plan to expand an existing project there.
Houston-based InterOil owns the Elk and Antelope gas discoveries in Papua New Guinea, an impoverished Southeast Asian nation that is emerging as an important liquefied natural gas export hub.
In May, InterOil began exclusive talks with Exxon about the latter investing in the fields, without disclosing financial terms or how much of the assets it wants to sell.
"I'm coming onboard to build InterOil into a true LNG player. So it's not my intention that we do a sale without carrying forward any interest in this project," Michael Hession, who was appointed InterOil's chief executive on Thursday, said in a joint interview with InterOil Chairman Gaylen Byker.
Exxon has said it would prefer to use InterOil's gas to support an expansion of its $19 billion Papua New Guinea LNG projects to three production units, also known as trains, from the two that are currently under construction.
However, Mr. Byker said InterOil would like to also consider the potential development of a standalone LNG plant on the country's southern coastline.
"And I think there are real important reasons for the PNG government and the PNG people and the PNG economy to maintain that optionality," Mr. Byker said.
Exxon estimates that it will need between 4 trillion and 5 trillion cubic feet, or TCF, of natural gas to support construction of a third LNG train at PNG LNG.
Mr. Hession said he would take "a long, hard look" at InterOil's assets before providing a definitive estimate of their size.
"They are very respectable multi-TCF fields, which quite probably will be able to support a multi-train development," Mr. Hession said.
The former head of Woodside Petroleum Ltd.'s (WPL.AU) Browse LNG resource, Mr. Hession takes the reins of InterOil at a challenging time for the LNG industry. The specter of cheaper LNG supplies into Asia emerging from North America and East Africa is making project developers in Australia, which neighbours PNG, increasingly nervous.
PNG's cost base, however, is lower than Australia's thanks to its cheaper sources of labor.
"It's got some of the best fiscal terms in the world and it's actually got one of the best cost structures in terms of building these things," Mr. Hession said.
InterOil has been searching for a new CEO since Phil Mulacek retired in April.

Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/interoil-may-pursue-new-gas-export-project-in-png-20130711-00108#ixzz2YmWTHocN

Rudd to visit PNG next week

From: AAP

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is scheduled to visit Papua New Guinea next week.

His PNG counterpart Peter O'Neill announced the visit today.
Mr O'Neill noted in a statement that Mr Rudd had recently replaced Julia Gillard as prime minister.
"His visit to our country reinforces the very strong relationship PNG enjoys with Australia."
Speculation started last week that Mr Rudd would visit PNG after reclaiming the top job, however Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials have remained mum about definite dates.
Mr Rudd is scheduled to visit PNG from July 14-15.
During his visit Mr Rudd will hold discussions with Mr O'Neill focusing on the Australian Aid Program, trade and investment.
Mr Rudd is also expected to meet other key PNG ministers.

He made PNG among his first visits during his first term as prime minister in 2007.
He also returned as foreign minister in 2012.
Former prime minister Julia Gillard made her first visit to PNG in May.
Mr Rudd confirmed his impending trip to PNG, which comes within a fortnight of his talks with other regional leaders including East Timorese President Taur Matan Ruak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"There are three big questions on the agenda with PNG on a bilateral level," Mr Rudd told the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday.
He plans to get a progress report on a major PNG liquefied natural gas project in which Australia has significant equity.
Mr Rudd also wants to help PNG combat high rates of street crime.
"If we can co-operate better with PNG to lift the levels of security on the streets of the bigger cities, I think that's going to help Australian investors, the Australian business community as well as the good people of PNG," he said.
Health care and hospital services will also be a focus during the visit.
Mr Rudd said there was an avenue for PNG to use Australian expertise to improve health care and distribution of medicines, which were currently "problematic".

Chimbu women hold mini agriculture show

ByAUGUSTINE DOMINIC

Women farmers in 14 different council wards of the Tabare local level government (LLG) in the Sinasina /Yongomugl district of Chimbu province are seeking a definite market to sell their produce instead of wasting their time and effort selling in the main markets.

The women hosted a mini agriculture show for the first time at the Dumum Primary School recently to showcase their products and discuss issues of concern.

Spokeswoman, Heidi Nilime, said the government was asking the people to go back and work on their land, however, there was no definite market to sell their produce.

Women organisers of the first ever agriculture show in the Sinasina / Yongomugl District posing with their female presidential candidate for Tabare LLG Jacinta Kamol Bal (middle).

She said the time spent on selling their products in the main markets and costs involve in getting their produce to the market was very discouraging.

According to their experiences, most of their produce were not sold,  and they needed to come back home early to prepare food and household for their children and husbands.

“Our labor is wasted,” Nilime said.

“ We give away our produce to friends and relatives when we see that time is catching up on us.”

She urged the Sinasina/Yongomugl district and Chimbu provincial government to assist them in securing a definite fresh produce market so that their time and effort was not wasted.

Executive officer to the chief executive officer of the Coffee Industry Corporation, Hooper Pugma,  urged the women to highlight their participation in coffee farming and marketing and the CIC would assist them .

Pugma attended the event on behalf of acting CIC CEO Anton Benjamin.

He said coffee had a definite market and women could get more benefit out of farming coffee.

The CIC presented coffee gift packs and information material to the women and teachers of Dumun Primary School.

Also present at the event were officers of the district administration.

PNG rugby league chief denies sport is a magnet for violence after Highlands riot

ABC

Rugby League officials in Papua New Guinea say the sport is not a magnet for violence despite a riot in the Highlands over the weekend which left one person dead.

The brawl happened near the end of a local rugby league game between the Lae Snax Tigers from Morobe Province and the Enga Mioks from the Enga Province.
PNG Rugby League has banned all remaining games at that ground for the rest of the year.
Its president Graham Osborne has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat the brawl is an isolated incident which was started by a drunk man.
"It appears it happened outside the ground, but the thing is security...was not very good at the ground and that's why the suspension was done," he said.
"These people were allowed inside the grounds with very primitive weapons and other bits and pieces, the fight actually started outside the the ground and then entered inside the ground."
Mr Osborne says he does not believe this incident is a set back for PNG's bid to enter Australia's NRL competition.
He says the people of Wabag have been leading the outcry over the incident, because they want to see more league at their ground.
"We're not going to tolerate these sort of things," he said.
"But you know, we live in Papua New Guinea and these sort of things happen from time to time.
"Sometimes we try to take the game to outside areas - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't."
 

Related Story: Fatal riot at PNG league game sparked by machete attack

Map: Papua New Guinea

Israel and the nations

By SHOSHANA RAPPEPORT

Hello!

My name is Shoshana Rappeport, I am writing to you from Israel.

I have read your blog entry from Nov. 30, 2007 about the book: "Bina Mene: Connecting the Hebrews" by General Sir Paulias Matane.

You and the author note that there are connections between your language and Hebrew and Greek. This is most certainly true, and the truth is that all languages are related to Hebrew, it is the language closest to the original language that all humankind shared before the Tower of Babel when all languages were confused.

My husband and I learned about this after reading this book : "The Origin of Speeches" by Isaac Mozeson. We were first sceptical but in the years since we have gathered many hundreds of thousands of words from all over the globe that most certainly relate to the original language, the closest language to the original language today is Hebrew.

Greek seems to be very closely related to Hebrew- and it seems that Hebrew pre-dated the greek.

Most etymology entries in dictionaries are false, this is not a theory accepted by most language scholars but I can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt- this is true. All languages come from one language close to Hebrew.

It does not surprise me that the language of the Bina tribe is related to Hebrew- this means that the Bible is true and we are all related as the human family.

The question is, are those tribes in papua New Guinea that say they are Jewish truly Jewish?

We will perhaps never know the definite answer to this question. The Jewish tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years has an answer for this:

In effect, it doesnt matter- what matters is the desire to join the Jewish people. If the Jewish Tradition has not been practiced for four generations at any point in the line and if the Jewish heritage is uncertain or unrecognised, then even if the person is Jewish a symbolic "conversion" process must be undertaken with a Beit Din (traditional Jewish court) to declare that the person would like to join (or re-join) the Jewish people.

To be a member of the Jewish people means being responsible for keeping 613 laws. It means not that you are a better person than the rest of humanity, but it means you have more responsibility for the rest of the world.

There is also an option in our tradition to be attached to Israel and be attached to the God of Israel and yet not keep all the laws that Jews must keep and the level of responsibility associated with it. This path is also loved by God and anyone who chooses this path and keeps only 7 laws as they should is just as loved by God as the High Priest in the Temple.

This is called "Bnei Noach" and these people choose to keep the seven laws given to Noah after the flood- laws that were known to humankind since the beginning of time and were given once more after the flood to all creation.

This is what the God of Israel wishes for all creation, the Jews were merely selected to keep knowledge of this until the time when the world was thirsting for this knowledge and unity once more. The truth shall and does go out from Zion.

If you know anyone who would like to learn more about what Judaism truly teaches, whether they would like to undergo a symbolic conversion and keep 613 laws, become a Bnei Noach and keep 7 laws, or just to learn, please feel free to pass on my contact information and I will help them to find a good and qualified teacher.

Blessings!

Shoshana Rappeport

PO 410

Mitzpe Ramon 80600

Israel

Psalm 97:1 The Lord has reigned, the earth will exult; many islands will rejoice.

Rugby league: Two dead in PNG match violence

AFP

Two people were killed and several injured in chaotic scenes at a rugby league match in Papua New Guinea sparked by a drunken supporter attacking a security guard with a machete, reports said Wednesday.
The match in the Pacific nation's central town of Wabag between Enga Mioks and Lae Snax Tigers was underway on Sunday when a fan was stopped by security officials on his way into the ground.
The National newspaper said he pulled out a machete, or bush knife, and killed a guard.
The attack sparked a riot among spectators with another fan killed and several others stabbed, while the Tigers team bus was torched, along with two other vehicles.
Some rugby league officials had to be flown out by helicopter after the main highway was blocked by angry Tigers supporters, the report said.
Police arrested a man in connection with the initial killing while the PNG Rugby League cancelled all Enga home games until an investigation was completed.
Rugby league is the most popular team sport in poverty-stricken Papua New Guinea and is played throughout the country, although its development has been hampered by poor infrastructure.

World Bank funded coffee project expands

By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC of CIC

The significant contribution of smallholder coffee farmers in Papua New Guinea was highlighted recently during the contract signing of the second call of proposals of the World Bank-funded coffee component of the Productive Partnership in Agriculture Project (PPAP).

Acting chief executive officer of the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC), Anton Benjamin, said smallholder farmers produced 85% of the PNG coffee and the industry was in their hands.

“Many of our exporters and traders are competing for a fixed volume of coffee and depended on smallholders for their coffee,” he said.

Project manager of the World Bank-funded Coffee component of the PPAP, David Freyne,  explaining the contract process to the successful partners at the Pacific Gardens Hotel in Goroka recently.  

Benjamin said the coffee component of the PPAP was very important and must be embraced by all partners as it was connecting smallholder farmers with traders to increase coffee volume and quality to meet international market demands.

He signed contracts worth K9 million with seven different partners from the Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Jiwaka and Western Highlands provinces under the coffee component of the PPAP.

So far, over 12, 000 smallholder farmers are being assisted through the PPAP project, with the first and second phase of the call of proposals.

The seven partners in the second call of proposals are: Coffee Connections as lead partner and its  cooperative partnership of 1, 500 farmers;  Colbran Coffee Lands Ltd as lead partner and its Tairora coffee partnership of 439 farmers[  Rilke Pty Ltd as lead partner and its Hagen/Rilke joint coffee venture of 1, 080 farmers;  New Highlands Coffee Exports as lead partner and its smallholder coffee rehabilitation project with 959 farmers;  Madan Coffee and Tea Plantation Ltd as lead partner and its Anglimp smallholder coffee partnership with 310 farmers;  Community Development Agency-Gumine as lead partner with its project on coffee production and marketing in Gumine covering 300 farmers;  and Gerame Coffee Ltd as lead partner with its Gerame Alumpa partnership of 326 farmers.

These seven partnerships were selected through a vigorous process out of a total of 55 applicants.

The third call of proposals will be advertised when funds are available.

The occasion was witnessed by CIC chairman Patrick Komba, PPAP chairman Ian Mopafi, representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Department of National Planning, and various stakeholders.