Dede Sophie

The Sitting Member for Wapenamanda, Rimbink Pato and two other candidates are seeking interim orders from the National Court in Waigani to stop the counting of ballot boxes for the electorate in the province. Lawyer appearing on behalf of the plaintiffs, Nathan Pilamb made the application verbally as a matter of urgency. He submitted that word on the ground is that the Election Manager for Enga or the Returning Officer for Wapenamanda have brought the ballot boxes to the counting venue, in preparation for counting to begin this afternoon. Mr. Pilamb claims that this is despite a lawful directive from the Electoral Commissioner on July 19th, 2022 to transfer all the ballot boxes for Enga to Jiwaka Province, for scrutiny and counting, because of security reasons. Therefore, they are seeking interim injunctions to stop counting in the Province and for the Court to give effect to the Electoral Commissioner’s directive, to be complied with. Justice Joseph Yagi will make a ruling on this mat...

 Papua New Guinea Prime Minister  James Marape says the allocation of four ministries to the agriculture sector is a complete paradigm shift to get agriculture moving again. The Marape Government’s focus on ‘Taking Back PNG’ is deeply embedded in the agriculture sector – which is the backbone of Papua New Guinea to drive the country and economy. The Prime Minister said it was no secret that agriculture had declined since Independence in 1975, and allocation of the four ministries was to rekindle the sector, for it to be a major income-generator for PNG. PM Marape said this when explaining the rationale for his allocating four ministries to the agriculture sector. “Albert Einstein once said, ‘insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result’, which is exactly what has happened to the PNG agriculture sector since 1975,” he said. • Goroka MP Hon. Aiye Tambua (Pangu Pati) is the Agriculture Minister responsible for administration of the department ...

Kia’s Sportage model has been the company’s best-selling car for over 10 years, writes Trish Whelan. Year to date, official Irish sales of the new fifth-generation Sportage are over 3,532. The Sportage range consists of hybrid, mild hybrid, diesel, and a plug-in hybrid electric which arrived here in mid July sharing the characteristics of both a conventional hybrid electric vehicle and an all-electric vehicle.  Many motorists would like to make the switch to EV but are not confident in the charging infrastructure which currently leaves a lot to be desired, so a plug-in hybrid makes sense as a half-way choice, going electric but backed up by a petrol engine. PHEV models account for 11pc of Kia Ireland’s sales. Adding this PHEV to their 22pc EV volume means that one in every three Kia cars sold here comes with a plug.  In looks, the exterior styling is sleek yet muscular, not too aggressive but still an impressive look. The type that appeals to buyers seeking a practical family means of ...

Volvo has updated its C40 and XC40 Recharge electric vehicles to provide longer ranges and faster charging rates, writes Brian Byrne. The company now rates the two cars’ ranges at up to 578km and 570km respectively, while the maximum charging rate has been increased from 150kW to 200kW where available. This cuts nine minutes of previous charging times. The changes were achieved by changing the FWD single-motor cars to RWD, and on the AWD versions providing larger batteries. Both cars are available to order now from €61,715, with deliveries expected from July. 

During our last visit to RHS Wisley UK, we were fortunate to be there as they were setting up the large light displays for their ‘Wisley Glow’ season. Although not quite dark enough for the full effect (which we may well have not been unable to film on our camera), conditions were suitable to get at least a hint of it while inside the arid glasshouse. Hopefully we will be popping back to watch the whole display at the end of the year and maybe have some suitable footage to share with you. If you think that the glow even is just in the arid glasshouse then you may be surprised to learn that is is in fact almost across the entire gardens – including fire and fountain displays.  Wisley Glow opening times for 2022 are from 17 November – 8 January from 4pm – 9pm. Just be aware that there is no Glow event 24–26 December.