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Delegation hopeful move will encourage Indonesia to resolve issues

By Ricky Binihi

PORT VILA, Vanuatu (Vanuatu Daily Post, Feb. 4, 2013) – The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat has received the application from the West Papua Coalition for Liberation for West Papua to become full member of the MSG.

Director General of MSG Peter Forau will now send the application to the Chairman of the MSG, Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, and he along with other Melanesian Leaders will make a decision on the request.

Daily Post contacted the office of the Director General of the MSG to ask when that decision will be made but Mr. Forau could not be contacted as he was at a meeting Friday morning.

A press statement from the West Papua office in Port Vila said Mr. Forau’s role is only facilitating the process, but he has no decision on the issue but still wished the WPNCL well in its pursuit of membership.

WPNCL submitted the application...

Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai‘i

News Release

University of the South Pacific Suva, Fiji

Monday, February 4, 2013

Graduate student researcher from IAS, Mereia Katafono conducting field work in the Vago Reserve in the Naitasiri Province, Fiji.

A new plant belonging to the non-vascular group of bryophyte plants was recently discovered in the lowlands of Viti Levu - Fiji’s largest island.

The genus called Cephaloziella has never been previously recorded in Fiji. A plant in this genus was found growing on the lower trunk of a tree fern in the Vago Reserve near Colo-i-Suva in the Naitasiri Province.

Cephaloziella belongs to the family Cephaloziellaceae, which is a group of very small, thread-like liverwort plants.

The discovery of the Cephaloziella liverwort was made by the Institute of Applied Science (IAS) at the University of the...

Pension obligation bond, reduced benefits considered

By Haidee V. Eugenio

SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, Feb. 6, 2013) – Lawmakers have a few days left to come up with a list of proposals to help prolong the Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund's lifespan-as requested by trustee ad litem Joseph Razzano-for presentation to the court on Feb. 19.

As of yesterday, Senate Fund Committee chair Sen. Ray Yumul (IR-Saipan) said his suggested measures include seeking a U.S. Congress-backed pension obligation bond or an $80-million short-term bond.

Yumul said the immediate goal is to prolong the pension agency's lifespan beyond March 2014.

"My idea is a United States Congress backing of the pension obligation bond, and that means going to Delegate [Gregorio] Kilili [Sablan] for congressional support," Yumul said. "If not, we are going to look for a pension obligation bond that's short-term, maybe less than $80 million, at least to carry us for the next...

Majority to be raised domestically via Central Bank

By Isaac Nicholas

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Feb. 5, 2013) – The national government of Papua New Guinea will borrow up to K2.6 billion [US$1.2 billion] both domestically and internationally to fill the deficit in the 2013 budget, Treasury Minister Don Polye said yesterday.

Mr. Polye, who was speaking at an Implementation conference in Port Moresby, said cabinet has given its approval for Treasury to look at the internal domestic financial market to raise the capital needed to finance the K2.6 billion budget deficit for 2013, as well as other accrued debts over the years totaling K6.4 billion [US$3 billion].

"First we will raise K1.6 billion [US$757 million] within the PNG financial capital market, and the second strategy is through the international sovereign bond to raise the finance (the balance of K1 billion [US$473.1 million])," Mr. Polye said.

Prime Minister Peter O’...