Dede Sophie

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, James Marape, and Governor General, Sir Bob Dadae, will have the opportunity to meet the newly proclaimed King, King Charles III tomorrow. The Prime Minister and the Governor General are in London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. PNG Prime Minister James Marape and his delegation arrive in UK [Photo by PM’s Media] Both leaders are scheduled to meet King Charles on Monday September 19. Their meeting with King Charles III coincides with P-N-G’s 47th Independence anniversary. The day of their meeting is significant as King Charles III was in PNG in 1975 (as Prince Charles)  to witness the young nation gain its Independence. Foreign Affairs Minister, Justin Tkatchenko, confirms says their meeting with King Charles III is also historic in itself. Meantime, Prime Minster James Marape and Madam Rachael Marape arrived in London today. They were received upon arrival by United Kingdom’s Special Representative to the Foreign Secretary Gordon Dav...

Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai said the Commission will consult with relevant authorities including the Department of Justice and Attorney General to review the cost of legal fees that are charged by private firms on elections petitions and other matters. He said the State remains the single biggest clients to most of the law firms that are operating in the country, where all government departments and State agencies continue to hire their services. Mr Sinai said the government has been paying huge sums of money to private law firms without using an approved legal fee structure. “It is unfortunate that we don’t have a standardized or a prescribed legal fee structure that can be used as a guide to pay appropriate levels of fees to private lawyers. Currently the Commission is paying fees based on different categories of tasks that are undertaken, especially with election petitions. And that’s how we have been operating since the engagement of private lawyers in 2002 ...

Chinese auto maker BYD has been introduced to the Irish market with the arrival of their all-electric Atto 3 C-segment SUV designed, by German auto designer Wolfgang Egger with electric European customers in mind, writes Trish Whelan. The car is aimed at the compact family crossover segment and BYD stands for ‘Build Your Dreams’. It will be followed by two other models in August and September. The Atto 3 is the first car to use the brand’s dedicated electric platform bringing what BYD say is the latest in EV innovation in terms of safety, system efficiency, integrated vehicle intelligence and performance. It is powered by a 60.48 kWh battery with a rated 420km range (WLTP combined). The battery, styled ‘Blade’, passed serious safety impact and piercing tests, and is said to provide an efficient and longer range as well as more power density for optimum performance, including faster charging. The car can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds.  Energy consumption is 1...