1047. 🇰🇮 New Issue From Kiribati Commemorates Marine School.

  🇰🇮 The Kiribati postal service is to issue a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kiribati Marine Training Centre. The issue was designed by Derek Miller. Rating:- ****.

  🇹🇻 There is also news of issues from Kiribati's neighbour, Tuvalu, where IGPC holds sway over most, if not all, stamp issues.

  A sheetlet of 4 stamps and one miniature sheet was issued on 23 June 2017 to commemorate Astana Expo 2017 in Kazakhstan. This issue has some relevance, surprisingly, to Tuvalu since the exhibition's main theme is "Energy of the Future" and this is a subject of existential importance to Tuvalu which is rapidly disappearing under the waves of the Pacific Ocean due to climate change. Bearing this in mind. I give this issue a rating of *** which is *** more than it  would have received otherwise.

  Less acceptable is the continuing philatelic exploitation of the tragic Diana Princess Of Wales in which IGPC indulges on a regular basis. The 20th anniversary of her death affords the agency a new opportunity to try to squeeze money out of those who had an affection for her and collect Diana memorabilia. So, the Tuvalu postal administration is said to have issued 2 sheetlets, each of 4 stamps, on 26 June 2017. Not an issue for my Tuvalu collection, I'm afraid. Rating:- 0.

   🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea Post has brought its list of planned issues for 2017 up to date. The first is a typical IGPC product - 4 stamps and 2 miniature sheets which mark the Lunar new year, the Year of The Rooster. The designs are dire - gaudy and tasteless. These products were released on 23 June 2017 and were designed by Yang'hueng Yansom and lithographed by Henan Post Printing. Rating:- 0.

  In Blog 1036 I mentioned another IGPC set said to have been released on 28 June 2017 which commemorated the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana Princess Of Wales.

  Subsequent to that Papua New Guinea Post is planning to issue the following:-

  June 2017 - Faces of Papua New Guinea

  August 2017 - Valuable shells

   31 July 2017 - Year of The Dog (another IGPC issue)

  August 2017 - Rare birds of Papua New Guinea

  August 2017 - "Editable plants" (sic) 

  August 2017 - Joint issue with India, national birds

  August 2017 - "100 Years of St. Joseph's"

  September 2017 - "NBPOL 50th anniversary"

  Whether or not these numerous items actually make it to the philatelic market in the next 2 months remains rather a dubious question given Post PNG's performance in the last year or so.

  There is more stuff from IGPC - more Diana exploitation and depiction of the rather vulgar Donald Trump whose face on stamps is something we are going to have to get used to:-

   🇦🇬 Antigua And Barbuda - 1 July 2017 - Centenary of the death of Edgar Degas - see Blog 1039

  - 1 July 2017 - 40th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, an American entertainer - 2 sheetlets (one containing 6 different stamps and 1 containing 4 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

  1 July 2017 - "Peaceful plovers" - see Blog 1039.

  1 July 2017 - 20 th anniversary of the death of Diana Princess Of Wales - 2 miniature sheets (1 containing 6 different stamps and one containing 2 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

  🇬🇭 Ghana - 3 June 2017 - 40th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, an American entertainer - 2 miniature sheets ( one of 6 stamps and 1 of 4 stamps) Rating:- 0.

  🇰🇳 Nevis - Flowering trees - 2 sheetlets each containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- **.

  🇲🇸  Montserrat - 24 May 2017 - Bats - 1 miniature sheet of 4 different stamps and one containing a single stamp. All depicted species are to be found in Montserrat. Rating:- ****.

  - 12 July 2017 - The Soufriere Hills Volcano - 1 miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps Rating:- ****.

  🇬🇩 Grenada - 26 June 2017 - Donald Trump - 3 sheetlets (2 containing 6 different stamps and 1 containing 4 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

   🇬🇾 Guyana - 7 June 2017 - 20th anniversary of the birth of Diana Princess of Wales - 1 miniature sheet containing 11 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  🇻🇨 St. Vincent And The Grenadines - 29 June 2017 - 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist outrages - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 single stamp miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

- 3 July 2017 - Donald Trump - 3 miniature sheets (one containing  4 stamps, 1 containing 5 stamps and one containing a single stamp). Rating:- 0.

  🇹🇿 Tanzania - 26 June 2017 - 20th anniversary of the death of Diana Princess of Wales - 2 sheetlets (one of 6 different stamps and 1 of 3 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

 - 26 June 2017 - Birth Centenary of John Kennedy, former US president- 2 sheetlets (one of 6 different stamps and 1 of 4 different stamps) Rating:- 0.