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MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, Sept. 2) - Organizers of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in the state of Victoria say A$30 million (US$19.3 million) will be spent on the opening and closing ceremonies.

Jack Morton Worldwide has won the contract to stage the ceremonies.

The company has previously delivered ceremonies for the Manchester Games, the Sydney Millenium celebrations and the Salt Lake City 2002 Paralympics.

September 2, 2003

Radio Australia: www.abc.net.au/ra

MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, Sept. 2) - Praim Minista blong Australia, John Howard, itok ol lida blong South Pacific ibin soim wanpela nupela kain sanis long stretim ol heve blong corruption na blong kamapim gut ekonomi.

Mr Howard itok em ibin lukim dispela Pacific Forum miting insait long Auckland i kamap gut na kamapim sanis long histori blong Forum.

Mr Howard ibin tok aut long wanpela scholarship program blong ol sinia public servants blong ol kantri blong Pacific.

Long wan wan yar, faifpela public servants blong Pacific bai wok long tripela mun insait long wanpela dipatment blong Australia gaman, na bihain stap insait long wanpela tripela wik kos long Australia na New Zealand School of Government.

Mr Howard itok scholarship nau bai kamap wanpela investment blong Australia insait long Pacific.

September 2, 2003

Radio Australia: www.abc.net.au/ra

Editorial

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Sept. 2) - The Government’s commitment to "good governance" as outlined by the Prime Minister in August 2002 needs implementation to achieve tangible results.

One of these tangible results is to give more teeth to the Ombudsman Commission by amending the Leadership Code to ensure that leaders who resign from office to avoid prosecution are prosecuted.

This is one of the most glaring loopholes in the present law that is clearly making a joke of the Code. It needs to be strengthened without delay and will go a long way towards ensuring that those who are defined as "leaders" under the Leadership Code are held fully accountable for their actions regardless of their personal circumstances.

An increasing number of leaders are taking advantage of this loophole to avoid prosecution before the leadership tribunal to answer for alleged breaches of the Code.

We suggest two things need to be done:...

Editorial

HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Sept. 2) - More than two years after spilling 20,000 gallons of oil in Toto, landowners wait for the Guam Power Authority to finish cleaning up the site.

The utility did some initial cleanup work, but only about half the spill area has been cleaned properly, according to Guam Environmental Protection Agency officials, even after Guam Power Authority was served a notice of violation last year by Guam EPA. The power utility says it hasn't finished because of financial limitations.

That is absurd and unacceptable.

The Consolidated Commission on Utilities and the management of the Guam Power Authority should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring this ecological problem for so long. They should have found other areas to cut back so the spilled oil could be cleaned properly. They have a responsibility to the public to mitigate and repair the environmental damage caused by the power utility.

Our elected...