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Air Niugini cites global recession, flu fears

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, June 30, 2009) – Airlines around the world are currently undergoing intense pressure with a gloomy outlook for this year as a result of global recession aggravated by the H1N1 swine flu outbreak.

Air Niugini, the country’s flag carrier, has also experienced a reduction in passenger numbers in some of its international and domestic routes this year.

While the airliner’s Australian routes and some Asian destinations have shown growth, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have suffered significant drop in traffic while some domestic sectors too, have shown a reduction in passenger traffic.

"Demand is also affected by infrastructure development which is limiting capacity to some parts," Air Niugini said in a statement.

Chief executive...

Scarce materials means costumes imported from Hawaii

PAPEETE, Tahiti (Tahitipresse, June 30, 2009) – Traditional dance groups say they have trouble making vegetal costumes in Tahiti. They have to import them from Hawaii and taxes for these products are too high, they claimed.

A few days before the beginning of the Heiva I Tahiti and the traditional songs and dances contest held each year in July, leaders of traditional dance groups said costumes' prices are too expensive.

"We just cannot find the vegetals needed for costumes in Tahiti", Marguerite Lai, from the O Tahiti E dance group said.

She recalled that back in the 1960's Hawaiian dance groups were using imports coming from Tahiti for their costumes.

It is now the other way around. Furthermore, Hawaii now exports its products to Japan - where there are more than 1,000 dance groups - and California, Lai added.

Quality products cannot be found anymore [in] Tahiti and they are costly too,...

New administration requires electronic reports

By Junhan B. Todeno

SAIPAN, CNMI (Marianas Variety, July 1, 2009) –WITH a new administration in Washington, D.C., new regulations are also being implemented for federal grant programs, particularly those provided by the American Recover and Reinvestment Act, or the stimulus law.

"A lot of the rules are the same but some of the rules are really unique under the ARRA and so we want to make sure that everyone here understands the rules," said Charles Hester, who is conducting a grant management workshop for CNMI government employees.

The ARRA requires beneficiaries to submit reports to the federal government, he added.

The reporting requirement has "substantially increased" and now includes an electronic system, he said.

This system has yet to be developed in the federal level although the first reports are already scheduled to be submitted this October, he added.

Hester yesterday started...

Authorities ban milk sales in Tailevu Northern Mariana Islands

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, July 1, 2009) – A bacterial disease which has been dormant here for more than 10 years has forced the destruction of more than 200 cows in Tailevu North.

And authorities have banned all milk supply from the Wainivesi/Waimaro area from June 16 as part of efforts to prevent any possibility of transmission to humans.

This is after the bacterial disease known as brucellosis re-emerged in cows in the Wainivesi/Waimaro region, forcing authorities to place a quarantine over the area.

According to the Ministry of Primary Industries, the quarantine has been in place since June 16, with the monitoring of all movement in the area and calls for the disinfection of all vehicles leaving Wainivesi Road. The ministry said tests were conducted on 2464 cows on 10 farms in Wainivesi, with 244 testing positive for the brucella abortus.

"We have started slaughtering infected cows,"...