European countries, which became rich by seizing natural resources from their Colonial empires, are now engaged in a new resources grab using free-trade policies that undermine developing countries and lock them into a cycle of poverty.

This is the conclusion drawn in a compehensive new report on European Union trade policies written by Mark Curtis for a number of European charities and, ironically, funded by the EU.

While the PNG government says in its budget unveiled this week that it wants to 'lower barriers to foreign investment' and remove 'business impediments, lower import tariffs and reducing regulatory burdens' it seems to have forgotten the interests of its own citizens in its rush to support foreign companies.

A new report by the International Trade Union Confederation says there are "serious and continued violations of fundamental workers' rights" in Papua New Guinea.

There has been a lot of talk in the media about the proposed new law to reserve 22 Parliamentary seats for women but very little detail about how the law would work in practice. To try and explain what the law would mean, below are four slides used in the Regional Roadshow that toured the country earlier this year.

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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.