To vote or not to vote? Debating a New Caledonia referendum delay
As France’s Overseas Minister Sébastien Lecornu visits Noumea, supporters and opponents of independence are debating whether the next New Caledonia referendum on self-determination should proceed in December. Key
Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone outlook
Weather authorities anticipate 9-12 named Tropical Cyclones (TC) could occur in the Southwest Pacific basin between November 2021 and April 2022. The seasonal outlook is for normal to slightly above normal activity in
Transformation of a Port Moresby settlement
Joyce Bay settlement, formerly known as Horse Camp, is a notorious settlement in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). It has been known for criminal activity, and as a place where many criminals live. The settlement is
Spain, Toulouse added to 2022 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series circuit
As part of its new look, three European cities have been added to the 2022 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. Starting with the traditional curtain-raising event in Dubai at the end of November followed by an additional
AUKUS disrupts “a very peaceful part of planet earth”
With anti-nuclear sentiment on the rise across the islands, the Morrison government’s nuclear submarine ambitions have undercut the prime minister’s claim to be part of the Pacific family. “The sense of a regional
International stats agencies concerned over Naiqama dismissal
Two international statistics organisations have written to Fiji’s Prime Minister to express their concern over the dismissal of the Fiji statistician, Kemueli Naiqama, as CEO of the Fiji Bureau of Statistics from
Fiji’s Unaisi Bolatolu-Vuniwaqa, UNMISS Police Commissioner
Police Commissioner Unaisi Bolatolu-Vuniwaqa is a mother, a career woman and above all, a committed police officer. In her professional life, she’s shattered many a glass ceiling and she does so with empathy, grace
Fiji domestic tourists return to resorts
This past weekend, a number of resorts on Viti Levu opened to domestic tourists for the first time since the second wave of COVID-19 hit Fiji. It was a trial run before international borders reopen, with a small number
Fiji ready to welcome international tourists
Fiji tourism operators are deep in preparations to welcome international visitors back to the tourism-dependent nation. Fiji has announced the opening of borders to Australia, New Zealand, United States of America,
Countdown to COP26: Pacific Notes
“We face the most difficult questions — which islands to preserve, what happens when our people are forced to move against their will, how will we preserve our culture?” Marshall Islands President David Kabua
How satellite technologies can aid Fiji & other Pacific Island nations to access finance & build climate resilience?
#Countdown to COP26 Sepesa Curuki and his community are coming to terms with the prospect of climate change-related relocation from Cogea village on Fiji’s second largest island of Vanua Levu. Their village, which
Fiji’s Abdul Lateef – An Untold Story
The late Abdul Lateef, founder of Lateef & Lateef Lawyers in Suva, was uninterested when it was suggested that a book be written about him. A lifetime of service to country before his retirement in the late
Offshore processing of PNG asylum seekers to end
The Australian federal government is ending offshore processing in Papua New Guinea for asylum seekers detained after trying to reach Australia by boat. The arrangement was set up in 2013 under the then-Labour
American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Samoa, Vanuatu remain on EU tax blacklist
Six Pacific Islands are on the EU tax blacklist, remaining listed an “non-cooperative”. They are American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Samoa and Vanuatu. The European Union blacklist was set up in 2017 to
COVID-19 cases in Papua New Guinea: the silent dead
Although only 65,000 suspect COVID-19 cases have been reported in Papua New Guinea over the last year, PNG’s own administrative health data show 2.6 million cases of flu- and pneumonia-like symptoms over the same
Milestone book features the Marshall Islands fishing story
How the Marshall Islands went from being a bystander in commercial fishing in the Pacific to operating the world’s busiest tuna transshipment port, two fish processing facilities, a purse seine vessel net repair
Tokelau gets high-speed internet access, as security concerns edge China edged out of laying undersea cables throughout Asia Pacific
Tokelau, whose nearest neighbour is 500 kilometres away, has become that much closer to the rest of the world, after a new submarine cable landed on its shores, bringing high-speed reliable internet access. The
Wish you were here: Pacific islands travel destinations inch towards reopening
Just a few months ago, whether travellers to the Pacific would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was still a matter of debate. But that discussion has moved as quickly as the Delta variant, and it now seems fait
He was lost in the system: Now he wants to change it
Fiji Airways Flight 360 from Singapore arrived at Nadi International Airport before I did the morning of 18 July 2018. I lost that race by minutes, and found myself in a pre-pandemic, bustling hub where hourly flights
“We stand by what we said”
The Micronesian Leaders Summit discussed COVID, transport and the Pacific Islands Forum. Leaders of five Micronesian countries have moved to strengthen their sub-regional co-ordination at the 20th Micronesian
More than skin deep: The Pacific beauty industry
Coconut oil is a staple in most Pacific households. It perfumes the air at many traditional events. We massage our babies with it, use it to treat hands roughened by sea, salt and soil (and a bowl too many of kava),
How effective is climate finance in the Pacific
“Climate finance cannot be about loans, we cannot give our children the burden of servicing our debts.” That was the message Oxfam in the Pacific’s Regional Director, Raijeli Nicole delivered at a recent online
Changing prescription for regionalism
The former Secretary General (SG) of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Dame Meg Taylor, discussed her prescription for Forum leadership when she participated at the Blue Pacific Futures Webinar on 3 November