Fukushima nuclear plant operator says equipment to release treated wastewater into sea is complete
All equipment needed for the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant has been completed and will be ready for a safety inspection by Japanese regulators this week,
PNG Stock Exchange adopts corporate governance code
The National Stock Exchange of PNG (PNGX) has adopted a new Corporate Governance code developed with characteristics of the PNG market in mind. Chairman David Lawrence said this initiative aimed to provide to the boards
PNG logger fined K140million by Internal Revenue Commission
A major logging operator in Papua New Guinea has been charged a whopping K140 million (US$39 million) for tax evasion, Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) boss Sam Koim announced Monday. Koim said IRC has imposed a
Solomon Islands optimistic to reduce electricity costs through reforms: Vehe
Solomon Islands Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification Dr Chris Vehe has highlighted the energy challenges facing Solomon Islands and reforms the Government is undertaking to
Marshall Islands Compact held up by nuclear legacy
The lack of agreement on the nuclear legacy issues holds up the Marshall Islands’ Compact Review negotiations with the United States, according to Marshall Islands Speaker Kenneth Kedi during the Marshall Islands
Pacific communities placed on El Niño alert
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Programme has advised Pacific communities to prepare for the potential impacts of an El Niño. SPREP says there is approximately a 70 percent chance of El Niño forming in 2023,
Community building as state building in a Port Moresby suburb
Where do you start to build a state? We often imagine top-down processes of constitution writing and elaborate institutional frameworks of national governance. But what if we move beyond narrow institutionalist
Lethal force to be used by PNG Police
Papua New Guinea police will be able to use lethal force to deal with crimes that come under Domestic Terrorism through the amendments to the Criminal Code Act. Police Commissioner David Manning said this as the
World Bank to suspend debt repayments for disaster-hit countries
The World Bank will start offering a pause in loan repayments to the “most vulnerable” countries when they are hit by catastrophic events including climate-related disasters. The bank’s new chief Ajay Banga
Largest solar and storage project in western Pacific online in Palau
The largest solar and battery storage project in the Western Pacific has been installed in Palau, a 15.3 MW solar system combined with a 13.2 MWh battery. The US$29 million installation will meet more than 25% of the
Overseas medical cost a concern: Samoa PM Fiame
Samoa’s Government remains concerned about the affordability of overseas treatment for non-communicable diseases, says Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa. The Prime Minister made the comments when she
Japan’s Fukushima wastewater plan is safe, says expert on Pacific islands panel
Fish that swim in treated wastewater from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant would be safe to eat, according to an expert who is part of the Pacific islands scientific panel that criticised Japan’s plan to
Pay our nurses, says Fiji Women’s Rights Movement
The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) has called on Fiji’s Government to place more emphasis on the appropriate allowances and pay for nurses and midwives. For several years, nurses and midwives in Fiji
PNG payroll blowout
The Papua New Guinea Special Parliamentary Committee on Public Sector Reform and Service Delivery is concerned about what the country gets in return for employing 132,898 public servants. Committee chairman Gary Juffa
PNG National Fisheries Authority clarifies tuna supply issues
Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority (NFA) says tuna supply issues facing the processors in Lae have nothing to do with the lack of fish stocks in the waters. It added that the issues resulted from supply
Tonga PM urges Pacific partners to properly manage seabed minerals
A fifth Pacific-SIDS regional and capacity development workshop and a high level panel for sustainable management of seabed minerals of the Blue Pacific continent is being held this week in Nuku’alofa.
New website to monitor PNG government funds
Community advocacy organisation ACT NOW has launched a new website to promote transparency and accountability in how government funds are used across all 94 Districts in Papua New Guinea. The website –
World leaders headed to Paris summit in push for global debt, climate reform
World leaders will gather in Paris this week with ambitions to reimagine global financing for a new era shaped by climate change, as a cascade of crises swamps debt-burdened countries. French President Emmanuel Macron
Preferred supplier system – one of Solomon Islands government’s wallet-holes
Solomon Islands Government’s preferred supplier system is one which is wrapped in controversy despite its purported creation with good intentions. Not for its initial purpose of bringing about efficient service for
Samoa Government takes over $30 million Aggie Greys hotel shares
The Samoa Government now holds 30 percent preference shares in the Aggie Greys Hotel Limited which owns the Sheraton Samoa and Aggies Greys Hotel & Bungalows in Apia. This was confirmed by the Minister for the
Pacific calls for immediate ratification of Highseas Treaty
As the global community embrace the adoption of the new Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty, the Pacific are calling on the international community to seize this milestone momentum and rally
Palau President Whipps supports Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater into Pacific Ocean
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr is the first Pacific Island country leader to publicly express support for Japan’s plan to release treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific. After meeting with Japan’s
France not seeking to ‘fuel competition’ in region
France’s Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific says the Indo-Pacific Strategy should not fuel further strategic competition in the region. During a recent visit to Fiji, Ambassador Marc Abensour said while there is great
