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NUKU΄ALOFA, Tonga (Matangi Tonga, Jan. 31, 2008) - Mineral exploration for high grade copper-gold-zinc-silver sulfide deposits will start in Tongan waters in May, according to the manager of Nautilus Minerals Tonga, Paula Taumoepeau.

Paula said that the parent company, the Canadian registered Nautilus Minerals Inc., is the first in the world to commercially explore the seafloor for high-grade minerals. It currently holds more than 300,000 kilometers of tenement licenses and exploration applications in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, New Zealand and along the western Pacific Ocean’s Rim of Fire.

[PIR editor’s note: According to a January 2 story in The National, Nautilus Minerals awarded a £33 million (K168 million) contract to offshore technology company SMD Hydrovision to build the world’s first undersea mining equipment. The UK-based equipment supplier was commissioned to design two seafloor mining tools and also to develop Nautilus’ mining site...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Jan. 31, 2008) - An early morning kidnap by gun-wielding Yamka tribesmen yesterday ignited a roadblock near Anglimp along the Highlands Highway, creating commotion and disrupting traffic for hours.

Relatives of the kidnapped man from the Kuli tribe smashed two police vehicle windscreens with bush knives when police attempted to clear the highway.

Police fired warning shots into the air and dispersed the rowdy crowd after four hours of road blockage. After the attempt, a man was admitted to the Mt Hagen General Hospital after he was wounded in the leg by a stray bullet. The man, who was heading for Banz with some relatives in a bus to sell coffee, was shot during the commotion.

Several private vehicles also had their windscreens damaged during the commotion that followed.

PMV buses loaded with passengers heading down the Highlands Highway lined up outside Mt Hagen police station as early as 7:30 a.m....

By Bernadette H. Carreon

KOROR (Palau Horizon, Feb. 1, 2008) — The Philippine Embassy has asked President Remengesau to grant clemency to three Filipino convicts.

Charge d’ Affaires J. Anthony Reyes said that the embassy here has petitioned President Remegesau for executive clemency for Filipino nationals Jose Eller Daguinot, Jose Frias and Virgilio Esteban.

Reyes said the embassy is requesting the president to release them in jail and allow them to go home.

Daguinot and Esteban are both serving jail terms for drugs while Frias is in prison for manslaughter.

Reyes said the three had already served most of their jail sentence and asked the embassy for help to finally see their families back home.

Reyes said that granting of executive clemency will strengthen the goodwill between Palau and the Philippines.

Reyes said "the act of mercy" from the Palau government will be appreciated by the Philippine government.

PAPEETE, Tahiti (Tahitipresse, Jan. 30, 2008) – Voters in Tahiti and Her Islands face an historic second round of a general election on Feb. 10 for the 54 remaining seats to be filled in the 57-seat French Polynesia Assembly.

But if none of the three political groups end up with a minimum majority of 29 seats on Feb. 10, there will be a third round of voting on or shortly after Feb. 21 when the assembly begins meeting to elect a new French Polynesia president.

The lists of candidates filed Tuesday night for the Feb. 10 voting in the five remaining electoral districts contained no alliances and no surprises. Each of the three political powers basically decided to go with the same candidates they put before voters last Sunday.

The Feb. 10 voting will be historic because it's the first time Tahiti has ever held two rounds of voting to elect the assembly members. The four possible scenarios for the Feb. 10 voting results are:

If the fourth scenario becomes...