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By La Poasa

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (May 3, 2000 - Samoa News/PINA Nius Online)---The loss of the territory's only scheduled full-cargo service has created a profound impact on how many local businesses will be doing business in the next several weeks, if not longer.

Air cargo company Kitty Hawk, which took over American International Cargo and its air route to American Samoa last year, announced last Friday that it was "suspending international operations" as of May 1.

Earlier this month, Kitty Hawk said that high fuel costs, delays and unexpected costs for aircraft maintenance, as well as weaker-than-expected demand for scheduled freight, "seriously eroded cash resources" and increased first-quarter losses.

Kitty Hawk's cargo flight flew into the Territory every Saturday. Its local agent is Samoa Air.

The sudden loss of service has already affected many mom-and-pop operations and will soon impact the larger players in the local economy, if it...

SUVA, Fiji Islands (May 2, 2000 – Fiji’s Daily Post/PINA Nius Online)---Fiji's economy continued to strengthen and the economic outlook for the remainder of the year looks positive, according to a statement from the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF).

RBF noted two positive elements of monetary policy -- low inflation and adequate foreign exchange reserves.

The key macroeconomic features were:

The major down risks to the economy remain largely unchanged from six months ago. These are:

The bank said the latest projection was economic growth of around 4 percent, up from the 3 percent anticipated six months ago.

The pickup in economic activity is broadening across sectors. The major boost to output growth this year is expected from cane and sugar production, tourism, construction and mining.

Strong sugar production is expected for this year. Output is forecast around 410,000 tons.

Other main sectors of the economy are also continuing to show...

CONGRESSMAN ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD Delegate from Guam U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C.

NEWS RELEASE May 3, 2000

GUAM ELIMINATED AS PCB STORAGE SITE

Congressman Robert A. Underwood said he was informed today that Guam will not be considered among a short list of temporary storage sites for a shipment of polychlorinated biphenols (PCB)-contaminated materials currently on a commercial vessel docked in Japan.

"I spoke with Sherri Goodman, the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security, today and she said that Guam has been removed from the list of consideration," the Congressman said. "That's good news and I'm glad that it's turned out this way. But of course, it still leaves the issue of how we are going to deal with the PCBs that continue to be on-island."

The Wan He, a commercial vessel contracted by the U.S. Navy to remove more than 200,000 pounds of PCB-contaminated material from Yokohama to a processing plant in...

ALOFI, Niue (May 2, 2000 - Niue Economic Review/PINA Nius Online)---The NPP-led government's first attempt at a major project -- Coral Air -- has crashed . . . a costly smoldering wreck. But that has not deterred the nation's leaders from proposing more massive economic expansion.

Niue (pop: 1,700) now awaits developments in a second series of Think Big projects announced by the Premier, Sani Lakatani, before he departed on an overseas trip to Japan and Thailand.

The first series of Think Big projects included Coral Air, the Lord Liverpool University, a 3,000 acre nonu and herbal medicine orchard; a NZ$ 50 million golf course for Avatele and a NZ$ 300 million Cyber City with promised returns of NZ $500,000 per month in royalties beginning July of this year.

(NOTE: US$ 1.00 = NZ $ 0.4892)

In a speech to the Legislative Assembly before winging off to the PALM 2000 Japan Conference and an Asian Development Bank meeting in Thailand, the Premier unveiled the...