Proposed law on tainted cryptocurrency ‘terrible’ for human rights, says Cook Islands expert
A Cook Islands cryptocurrency expert is critical of a proposed law targeting tainted cryptocurrency, arguing it undermines human rights and doesn’t address the real channels of money laundering. In the rapidly
Four funds to get Marshall Islands’ cryptocurrency
By Dionisia Tabureguci The Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) government has released the names of four funds that will receive a certain percentage of the country’s soon to be released government backed digital
Fiji Business Briefs
Fiji Cabinet approves review of national minimum wage Fiji’s Cabinet has given the greenlight to a review of the national minimum wage and will also assess job classifications. The review will include a number of
Government insists on value of crypto bill despite criticism
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in Cook Islands has hit back at the critics of the draft Tainted Cryptocurrency Recovery Bill 2023, saying the media did not highlight positive aspects of the Bill. The Bill,
Briefs
American Samoa American Samoa’s government has passed a bill that will prohibit the use of polystyrene foam containers, with fines of up to US$1000 for its importing, sale, and use. In 2019, a bill was drafted to
Samoa wanted Chinese tourists – it got a dreamer and grifters instead
When the first direct tourist flight from China to Samoa landed in the Pacific Island country in late May, it was the culmination of years of effort to tap into the potentially lucrative Chinese market. Top Samoan
Chinese grifters tie up UN, Marshalls in scam
The stakes could scarcely have been higher for Hilda Heine, the former president of the Marshall Islands. For years, her remote archipelago nation of just 40,000 people was best known to the world — if known at all
Niue Launches Ocean Protection Funding Initiative
Niue, a small island nation in the South Pacific, is taking a bold step towards its ambitious conservation goals with a first-of-its-kind sustainable funding initiative to safeguard its sovereign waters: Ocean
Whispers
Trouble in the air (1) A Pacific airline is flying through a rough patch with its CEO receiving orders to leave by the end of the month. Earlier this year he dismissed two Fijian executives who promptly sued the
Whipps responds to concerns over Chinese interests
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr has responded to an investigative report that has revealed activity in Palau by “organised criminals with links to the Chinese Communist Party”, by stating that there is
Pacific gambit: Inside the Chinese Communist Party and Triad push into Palau
Palau is a key hotspot in the growing rivalry between China and the West. Organised criminals with links to the Chinese Communist Party are trying to find a way in — and many in the local elite have welcomed them,
