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PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (November 30, 2000 - The National/PINA Nius Online)---The central pillar for Prime Minister Sir Mekere Morauta's people friendly Papua New Guinea budget is the Development Budget.

The Development Budget for the first time in the country's 25-year history has been allocated over K 1 billion (US$ 345,000,000).

This represents nearly a third of the 2001 budget and is an increase of 10 percent on the expected level of expenditure in 2000 and an increase of 34 percent on the level of expenditure in 1999.

Moreover, for the period 2001-2005, the value of development projects in the Public Investment Program is estimated at K 2.965 billion (US$ 1,022,925,000).

Dubbed as a "people-friendly" budget, it contains the following prominent features:

* For the first time since Independence, the Development Budget has surpassed the K 1 billion (US$ 345,000,000) mark, comprising one third of the total budget excluding debt servicing...

SUVA, Fiji Islands (December 1, 2000 – Radio Australia)---World health officials say the number of people in the Pacific region contracting sexually transmitted infections, including the deadly HIV/AIDS, is steadily increasing.

They estimate that the number of people in the region who have been infected with HIV/AIDS is probably 10 to 20-times higher than official records show (see Pacific Community chart below).

Papua New Guinea's HIV/AIDS problem has been declared "very serious" by world standards, with well over 2,000 people infected.

The World Health Organization’s Pacific Advisor on HIV/AIDS, Steven Vete, says another 2,000 people have also contracted the disease in the wider Pacific.

"The most dramatic is, of course, Papua New Guinea. The number of officially reported cases from Papua New Guinea has increased very, very dramatically over the last few years.

"The rest of the Pacific is classified by the World Health Organization WHO as not so...

MARSHALL ISLANDS

MAJURO, Marshall Islands (November 17, 2000 – Marshall Islands)---The government’s move to revamp its vocational training system by establishing a National Vocational Training Institute separate from local public high schools was unveiled at the Chamber of Commerce meeting last Thursday by Education Minister Wilfred Kendall.

He indicated that the other part of the plan that has been approved by the Cabinet involves reducing the current vocational education programs provided at the government’s three high schools.

High school vocational opportunities will instead be shifted to a small number of "academics" that focus on specific occupations, such as nursing or teaching.

"A third of Marshallese students don’t get into high school," Kendal told the Chamber. "We need a safety net for those who are unable to get to high school or college."

Kendall said that an Asian Development Bank loan of about $9 million will be assisting this...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (November 30, 2000 - Post-Courier/PINA Nius Online)---The company setting up a Port Moresby oil refinery has made a buy-in to an oil field in the highly prospective Timor Sea area.

InterOil Corporation announced that it had signed a contract to purchase a 50 percent interest in production for the Buffalo oil field from BHP Petroleum (North West Shelf) Pty. Ltd. for AUS$ 40 million (US$ 20,849,920).

Industry sources said the InterOil move was a clever strategic move.

The favorable purchase price and the possibility of more oil reserves being discovered in the licensed area would give InterOil positive cash flows at a time when the company is involved in a big spending program to build its PNG refinery.

InterOil is focused on Papua New Guinea and the surrounding region, developing an integrated oil business consisting initially of an oil refinery and petroleum exploration.

The refinery is being constructed across the...