Papua New Guinea is likely to suffer a strong El Nino induced drought from mid-2011 which could last for up to 18 months.

This dire warning comes from the Director-General of the National Agriculture Research Institute, Dr Ragunath Godake, and National Disaster Centre acting director, Martin Mose. 

We must never forget that as ordinary citizens we have a powerful voice and that when we take the time to make our voices heard then change is possible.

By Scott Waide

Tucked away behind the Nobnob mountain on Madang’s North Coast is a small school – the Nobnob primary school. Its students are the liveliest bunch of youngsters I’ve met this year. Keen to learn and well behaved even when the teacher is not there.    

Opposition MP and former Somare Minister, Belden Namah, has urged the Supreme Court, Public Prosecutor and the Ombudsman Commission to speed up the referral of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and his son, Public Enterprises Minister, Arthur Somare, who are both facing misconduct charges.

Namah says the referral of the father and son by the Ombudsman Commission involves two high profile state officials and is of national interest and the constitutional office holders are duty bound to ensure the cases were dealt with in a timely manner.

Australian listed Highlands Pacific, part owner of the Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea, has finally come clean to Australian investors about a court injunction that is preventing the dumping of mine waste into the sea and therefore the start of production from the mine.

Three weeks ago ACT NOW! made formal complaints to both the Australian Stock Exchange and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission that Highlands Pacific was issuing incorrect and misleading information in its disclosures to the Stock Exchange. 

 By NORIMITSU ONISHI, New York Times

A founding myth in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea is said to have foretold the arrival of Exxon-Mobil, the American oil giant that is preparing to extract natural gas here and ship it overseas.

The controversial Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea is set to be part of Papua New Guinea's first Special Economic Zone, writes Alex Harris. Such zones allow foreign companies to take advantage of cheap labour costs and lax environmental regulations, but cause misery and suffering for local people. 

THE RAPID GROWTH of China as a supply centre has seen its rise as an economic powerhouse, that is itself now ‘off-shoring’ to cheaper labour locations with even more lax environmental regulations…such as Papua New Guinea.

By Ilya Gridneff, Papua New Guinea Correspondent PORT MORESBY, Oct 20 AAP -

The Papua New Guinea government has attacked the development group headed by Australia's climate change expert Ross Garnaut for failing to deliver improvements needed after BHP Biliton's environmental disaster at the Ok Tedi copper mine.

ACT NOW! has filed complaints with the Australian Stock Exchange and Australian Investments and Securities Commission about Highlands Pacific Ltd and its involvement with the Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea.

ACT NOW! has complained that Highlands Pacific has both published misleading information and has failed to publish relevant information relating to the Ramu mine's waste dumping plans that might affect the company's share price. 

By LNG Watch Papua New Guinea