KOLONIA, Pohnpei (Embassy of the United States of America) —  From Feb. 25 to March 3, U.S. Ambassador Peter A. Prahar made his inaugural trip to Yap state.

COLONIA, Yap (Yap State Government) — For the last several months, the Asian Development Bank has been providing technical assistance to the FSM that focuses on strengthening economic management and planning at the national and state governments.

PAGO PAGO (RNZI) — American Samoa’s balance of trade will see a worsening deficit this year due to the closure of the Samoa Packing tuna cannery.

KOROR (Palau Horizon) – To revitalize the economy of Angaur State, the government is eyeing to exempt the area from the foreign investment regulation.

President Johnson Toribiong told reporters that the government is also considering making the state a tax-exempt zone to help its economy boom.

He said

“The economy of Angaur is spiraling down, we need to revitalize it,” he said.

Tax exemptions will entice foreign investors to consider the state a location for businesses.

He added that the tax exemption can run for a certain period of time.

The president also noted that the Angaur Legislature can also be given the final authority in approving businesses.

The state has an area of 8 km² (3 mi²). Its population is 188 based on the population census of 2002.

Angaur is the site of major World War II battle site and there are many American and Japanese battle relics scattered throughout the island. Angaur is also well known for feral monkeys that is why it has been called Monkey Island.

From to 1909 until 1954 phosphate mining took place on Anguar, originally by Germans, then Japanese, and finally Americans.

KOROR (Palau Horizon) – Special Prosecutor Michael Copeland asked President Johnson Toribiong to consider reconstituting the Office of the Attorney General’s Office (OAG).

Copeland who resigned last week, in his resignation letter accused OAG of failing to provide “the highest level of services to the people, which I strongly believe it presently does not.”

President Johnson Toribiong accepted the resignation of Copeland only on Thursday. Copeland will be serving the position until the end of the month.

A copy of Copeland’s letter dated Feb. 1, he said that his reason for resigning is because of “the obvious and acute animosity between his office and the OAG.”

“I think it is very clear that if I continue as the Special Prosecutor, the contentiousness between OAG and OSP will only escalate. The tension are now very high and the situation could easily spin out of control resulting in a very public and unfortunate situation,” Copeland said.

The president said to keep the mutual respect between the Office of the Special Prosecutor and the OAG, he decided to accept the resignation of Copeland.

He said the feud between the two offices are “undermining the confidence of the people.”

He however said he is not putting any blame to any of the offices.

The president has not named any replacement and instead considering the passage of the proposed measure which will abolish the Special Prosecutor’s Office. The measure introduced by Sen. Hokkons Baules proposes that a special counsel handles the SP work on a case-by-case basis.

The president in an interview yesterday has asked Charge d’ Affaires William Berkel to ask the U.S. Department of Justice to provide candidates to Palau for the SP position.

KOROR (Palau Horizon) – The Office of the Attorney General sought the dismissal of the case it filed against American national James Dugan who is facing charges for alleged threats to President Johnson Toribiong.

KOROR (Palau Horizon) – Six team joins this year’s Elementary School Inter Scholastic League Basketball for Boys to compete for who will be next hailed supreme in the game of hoops for elementary kids.

Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) – Kings, Koror Elementary School (KES) team A and B, Meyuns Elementary School (MES) – Dolphins, George B. Harris Elementary School (GBH), and Maris Stella School (MSS), joined the basketball competition among elementary school on the island that started on the 1st of March.

The results of the first week of games showed that KES B succumbed to the MES boys with a final tally of 68 – 51, while KES A escaped with a win against team GBH, 36 – 33, then SDA Kings routed MES Dolphins with a final tally of 71 – 56. Other winners for the start of the league were GBH pounded on team KES B with a whopping score of 71 – 24 and MES beat team KES A at a final count of 72 – 43.

Elementary School ISL is supervised and organized by the Palau Basketball Federation.

KOROR (Palau Horizon) – In order to ensure the protection of public health and safety and the environment of Palau, the Environment Quality Protection Board (EQPB) has decided to temporarily ban all open burning and request the support of the public in this effort.

EQPB Executive officer Portia Franz, said that effective on March 15, 2010 the EQPB will stop issuing permits for open burning. This ban on open burning will remain in effect until April 30, 2010.

The ban is being imposed because of the current and anticipated drought-like conditions found throughout Palau.

Rainfall is normally lowest during the months of February, March and April. There have already been major uncontrolled wild fires recorded on Babeldaob during the last several weeks, Fires that begin as efforts to clear land or burn trash may potentially get out of control because of the current dry conditions.

Uncontrolled burning presents an immediate danger to public health and safety. In addition, the burnt land is difficult to re-vegetates leading to increased soil erosion and possible landslides.

This ban is imposed pursuant to the authority delegated to EQPB under 34 PNC &501 and EQPB Air Pollution Control Regulations on the Control of Open Burning at Chapter 2401-71-40. The ban will be enforced by EQPB with the continuing assistance of the Bureau of Public Safety. Failure to stop open burning during this period may result in a fine of up to $10,000 per day of violation.

Earlier, several cases of bushfire were reported to the Division of Fire and Rescue

Thousands meters of wild land, trees and animals were affected by the bushfire at Meyuns in Koror State, Airai and Melekeok States and others.

Fire Division Chief Benhart Baulechong said that bushfire is common during this dry season. But he added that there are instances that the bushfire are either set by an arsonist or fire spread to lands when farmers burn leaves unattended.

With this new directive issued by the EQPB the fire incident maybe prevented during this dry season.