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PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Dec., 23) - THE PNG gas pipeline project received a timely boost as it reached an agreement to sell gas to Mt Isa Mines.

The latest development was particularly welcome news for the project after it lost out on gas sales to Australian Gas Light Ltd. last week.

Project operator Esso Highlands Ltd., a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, said it had reached an agreement with Mt Isa Mines on terms regarding the supply of gas.

Mt Isa Mines is a subsidiary of MIM Holdings, based in Queensland.

Bill Threlfall, president of Esso Highlands and chairman of the PNG Gas Project Owners’ Group, said the gas would be supplied to the proposed zinc refinery at McArthur River in the Northern Territory.

The conditional term sheet covers the sale of gas over a period of 20 years from approximately 2007 at annual quantities of 25 petajoules per annum (PJPA).

"This is our first customer in the Northern...

SUVA, Fiji (PINA, Dec. 22) – American Samoa has added Fiji to its list of nations under a special terrorism watch, making it increasingly difficult for Fiji citizens to gain entry to the South Pacific territory of the United States.

According to Radio New Zealand International, Attorney-General Fiti Sunia said American Samoa will no longer issue entry permits to people from Fiji and certain other countries without his specific approval.

The list of countries whose nationals will now experience American Samoan restrictions includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Fiji.

American Samoa is already embroiled in controversy over a policy announced in August banning people of "Middle Eastern" descent. American Samoan authorities said this ban was part of efforts to stop terrorists...

HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Dec. 24) - As lights flickered back on in parts of villages across the island, others areas -- including nearby neighborhoods -- remained in the dark.

"All over the island you are seeing power go on," Guam Power Authority general manager T. Ann Aguon Perez said. As of yesterday, parts of Umatac, Agat, Santa Rita, Tamuning, Dededo, Yigo, Barrigada Heights, Sinajana and HagÂtÒa were back on island power, Perez said.

San Antonio Road in Tamuning, the Department of Administration, HagÂtÒa Police Precinct, HagÂtÒa Treatment Plant, and ComNavMar also were expected to have their power restored last night.

Perez said crews also are working on restoring power to Hyundai, Santa Rita but have run into a transformer problem.

"Hopefully some of that will be mitigated," Perez said. "We are crossing our fingers that we can take it all the way through Merizo, and then we'll take it to Inarajan."

Perez said yesterday that...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (RNZI, Dec. 24) - The Papua New Guinea army officer who led the campaign to put down a mutiny at Moem Barracks in Wewak earlier this year has expressed anger at what he says are the light sentences handed down.

Last week 24 soldiers were convicted of mutiny and sentenced to jail for terms ranging from 15 years to nine months, after an armed take over of part of the barracks for two weeks last March.

The dozens of soldiers involved had wanted the removal of the Morauta Government and the end of a retrenchment exercise in the army.

The mutineers lawyers argued that nine months jail, the time they have already been incarcerated, be the maximum term given, while the prosecution said the mutineers should have been executed.

Lieutenant Colonel Willie Janguan, the commander at the Barracks, agrees, and says he almost wishes they had killed the soldiers when the mutiny was put down.

Colonel Janguan says the light sentences...