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PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea Post-Courier/PINA Nius Online) - Papua New Guinea's hopes for a World Cup rugby tournament place next year were shattered when they lost 47-14 to a heavier Tongan side in Port Moresby.

The Pukpuks have to be thankful for a woeful day by Tonga's kicker Peirre Hola, who missed most of the conversions. Otherwise the final scoreline in this playoff game would have been much more humiliating.

"They were a much heavier side but I want to thank my forwards, they put their hands up against them," Pukpuk captain Paul Joseph said after the loss.

"We have one more game with them in Tonga and I am sure the boys will lift their game," Joseph said.

Tonga coach Jim Love said he was impressed with the performance of the Pukpuks.

Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Website: http://www.pinanius.org 

MANILA, Pilippines (PINA Nius Online) - How many people would be willing to dig irrigation canals and weed plantations without pay? In the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea, many seem willing to invest in their future in this way.

Each day, 30 men and women from the province tend a 39-hectare coffee plantation in the Daulo District in the Eastern Highlands. The plantation is about 30 minutes away over rugged roads from Goroka, which is famous for its organic coffee.

When their own rituals of work are done, they walk up the mountain to meet David Oromarie, who is teaching them new, more efficient techniques for producing coffee.

Oromarie is one of the service providers who has been contracted to help farmers in the Eastern Highlands and Morobe provinces increase their productivity and income. He is doing so under the US$7.6 million Smallholder Support Services Pilot Project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The project is expanding...

SUVA, Fiji (PINA Nius Online) - World AIDS Day has been marked in the Pacific region's two biggest countries with grim warnings from health ministers about the growing impact of HIV/AIDS.

In Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Health Minister Melchior Pep said the HIV/AIDS storm could leave a devastating effect on the country and its economy if it is not brought under control.

In Suva, Fiji, Health Minister Solomone Naivalu confirmed the ministry is looking at compulsory testing as one of the ways of trying to limit the spread of HIV/AIDS.

At the regional Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, secretary-general Noel Levi said: "With Pacific people being so mobile these days, what affects our neighbours, affects us."

Pep said the disease was spreading at an alarming rate and more and more people are dying from it every day. He said even though the National AIDS Council has worked very hard in the past years - with support from partners - to educate people...

SUVA, Fiji (AFP/Pacific Media Watch) - Australian aid provided transcriptions of Fiji's high profile treason trial were Friday being turned into a money spinning operation for the High Court Registry, Asia-Pacific Network reports.

An Australian company, Auscript, is providing full tape and written transcripts of the case against politician Timoci Silatolu and journalist Jo Nata who are in the dock, each facing a single treason charge containing seven overt acts. They have pleaded not guilty and are before Justice Andrew Wilson, of Australia, sitting in the Fiji High Court.

Auscript has previously covered major trials in Samoa and Papua New Guinea with the media provided with transcripts on disk, and in the case of Samoa, via a freely available webpage.

Justice Wilson, on an application from AFP, ruled in court Wednesday morning that the transcripts should be made available to the media at F$1 (50 US cents) a page.

The opening day session runs to 46 pages...