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HEALTH
State of Somare’s health and mental state at issue

By Joshua Arlo and Kolopu Waima PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Sept. 2, 2011) – The East Sepik provincial government has been ordered to obtain and provide to the five-man Supreme Court medical records in respect of the medical condition of Sir Michael Somare.

The referrer is also to present to court evidence of a resolution by members of the East Sepik provincial executive council that states for this administrative government body to bring the special reference to court.

The court has requested that these orders be complied with by next Tuesday. These are part of several directional orders unanimously agreed and issued yesterday by the Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia, Deputy Chief Justice Gibbs Salika and senior judges, Justices Bernard Sakora, Nicholas Kirriwom and Les Gavara-Nanu.

This follows the court’s earlier unanimous decision to allow Attorney-General Dr Allan...

OPERATION
Nautilus Minerals plans initial stock offering

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier,Sept. 2, 2011) – Nautilus Minerals is going to raise US$100 million (K242 million) to fund the development of its first project, Solwara 1 in the Bismark Sea of PNG.

The Company announced that it will raise the US$100m through a private placement of its common shares and will involve the issue of approximately 39 million shares to a number of investors at a price of US$2.58 (CAD$2.52 or K6.24) per share.

Nautilus President and CEO Steve Rogers said the private placement would provide funds for the construction of the seafloor resource production system, which initially will be deployed at Solwara 1 – the company’s first deepwater copper and gold project.

The net proceeds of the non-brokered private placement, combined with the US$112 million (K271m) in cash reserves held at the end of June 2011 and the contribution from joint venture partner...

PLANS
Papua New Guinea, Nauru facility proposals unlikely

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Sept. 5, 2011) – The Australian government’s plans to re-open immigration centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru Island are in jeopardy.

Cabinet will meet today to discuss whether the government should give up on the idea of offshore processing.

This follows the High Court ruling last week that the government’s plan to send 800 asylum-seekers to Malaysia in return for 4,000 refugees over four years was unlawful.

Last month, Australia signed a memorandum of understanding to re-open Manus Island in PNG, which the Refugee Council has called "the Pacific Solution 2.0".

Meanwhile, Northern Territory Labour senator, Trish Crossin, told the ABC that offshore processing should be abandoned altogether.

"We’ve got a very strong platform about people who should be treated humanely - who should be treated with compassion. And those...

‘Laninbwil’s Gift earlier won at Vancouver festival

By Giff Johnson MAJURO, Marshall Islands (Marianas Variety, Sept. 5, 2011) – A film made in the Marshall Islands has been nominated as one of four finalists in the Guam International Film Festival.

The festival, which runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, on Thursday named Lañinbwil’s Gift as a finalist for "best feature narrative," according to Kel Muna, the program director for the Guam festival.

The film’s finalist nomination in Guam follows it winning the "Best International Feature Film" award at the Columbia Gorge International Film Festival in Vancouver, Washington last month.

"Only four films out of over one hundred submissions from 18 countries around the world were chosen to be honored with this prestigious recognition," said Muna. Lañinbwil’s Gift and the other three finalists will be screened at the Micronesian Mall Stadium Theaters Sunday October 2, the last day of the Guam International Film...