Latest news in Papua New Guinea? September 28th, 2026

Key developments and recent news in Papua New Guinea around late September 2026:

• Seismic Activity: A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the New Britain region on the night of September 26–27 at a shallow depth of roughly 10 km, following a stronger magnitude 6.4 tremor that hit eastern New Guinea earlier in the month. No widespread casualties or catastrophic damage were reported.

  Xinhua

• Climate and Drought Pressures: Recent disaster and weather assessments highlight worsening dry conditions across multiple provinces. The National Capital District (NCD) and Gulf Province remain in ongoing drought, while Western Province transitioned into critical drought levels, threatening local water supplies and livelihoods under prevailing El Niño influences. Meanwhile, at the UN level, attention has centered on sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion severely impacting coastal and low-lying island communities in PNG.

  ReliefWeb+ 2

• Regional Media Leadership: Neville Choi of Papua New Guinea was named the new president of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), as PNG officially secured the bid to host the 2028 Pacific Media Summit.

• Energy and Economic Projects: Prime Minister James Marape emphasized progress toward the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Papua LNG project, marking a major upcoming investment phase intended to drive revenue and infrastructure development.

  Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council

• Sports: The Papua New Guinea women’s national football team clinched a spot in the MSG Prime Minister’s Cup 2026 final with a 2–0 victory over Vanuatu, continuing an undefeated run in the tournament.

  FBC News