Airport plans ended, back to square one
A RARE unanimous vote by Vanuatu’s MPs to end plans for a new controversial V$350 million (US$3.66m) international airport have refocused attention on the parlous state of Bauerfield International Airport. Plans
Time runs out for Samoan airline
Board decides against extension request Fiji’s Air Transport Licensing Board has made a startling revelation surrounding American Samoa based airline Inter Island Airways’ much awaited entry into
US seeks dismissal as nuke lawsuit gains support
Islanders’ justice bill nears US$2.3 billion When the Marshall Islands filed legal action in late April against nine nuclear nations at the International Court of Justice and against the United States in federal
Leadership choice crucial to Fiji poll result
Fiji’s September 17 General Election will be decided primarily on the quality of political leadership on offer rather than on political platforms and manifestos. Media-driven interviews and general political
Thirty nine years of independent Papua New Guinea
Thirty nine years this month a proud independent nation, Papua New Guinea is starting at last to box its weight as a real regional force as well. At last month’s Pacific Islands Forum summit in Palau, Prime
Clearer skies ahead for economy
With its high dependency on tourism and agriculture, the Samoan economy is severely affected by natural disasters. In December 2012, Tropical Cyclone Evan is estimated to have caused damage of more than S$400 million
Samoa rolls out red carpet to the world
Proud moment for donors’ darling It’s Samoa’s biggest moment on the global stage. The third United Nations Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) Conference that gets under way on September 1 is
Forum debates fisheries management
At the Pacific Islands Forum, regional leaders adopted a new agreement to strengthen enforcement and surveillance over the region’s fisheries. In a ceremony during last month’s meeting in Palau, New Zealand
Whispers
PNG’s Meg Taylor: is the Pacific Islands Forum’s new head, the Melanesian Spearhead Group solidarity is in tatters and the whisper is that Fiji is fuming still. So much so that Fiji’s losing candidate,
Seasonal worker programme shows promise
One of the two biggest income earners for most Pacific Island countries, particularly in Polynesia, is remittances – the other being tourism. Vast numbers of Pacific Island people live and work mainly in
Nauru, Cook Islands elect women MPs
The Pacific Islands region has often figured at the bottom of global gender parity statistics. The region has the fewest women parliamentarians, at no time in their histories since independence more than a handful
