‘Black eye’ for Marshall Islands: Hilda on alleged bribery scandal

The arrest and extradition to the United States last week of two naturalised Marshallese citizens indicted by the Justice Department for allegedly bribing multiple elected leaders is “a big black eye for the

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Kiribati govt suspends all Court of Appeal judges

Kiribati’s government has dramatically escalated its campaign against the judiciary reports the ABC, suspending the country’s three remaining senior judges after they blocked the deportation of High Court

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Connecting French Polynesia to the world

ICT in French Polynesia will likely see further improvement as the territory’s infrastructure is expected to connect to a new submarine cable. Hawaiki Niu Submarine Cable LP, a subsidiary of BW digital, and Office Des

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Rugby Unions meet in Fiji to plan post COVID

Over 24 representatives from member rugby unions across the Pacific, including Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Nauru, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Kiribati are attending a combined 5 day World Rugby and

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Kiribati drought at critical stage says UNICEF

Fears of malnutrition and other illnesses are mounting in Kiribati as the country grapples with an ongoing drought. The Kiribati government in June declared a state of disaster after the discovery of high salinity

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Verdict on Vanuatu Dissolution to be declared September 9

The constitutional case to decide whether or not there will be an early election in Vanuatu will not be decided until the end of this week. At Friday’s hearing before Chief Justice Vincent Lunabek, the counsel for the

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Pacific Islands Forum re-engages with Kiribati

Fijian Prime Minister and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum Voreqe Bainimarama says Forum Leaders are committed to exploring options for closer diplomatic engagement between Kiribati and the Pacific Islands Forum.

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American Samoa: Amata says No to U.S. citizenship

American Samoa Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata supports U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision not to ‘impose’ U.S. citizenship on U.S. nationals in American Samoa.  “I am gratified that the Biden

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Fijian Warriors finishes the series in style

Fijian Warriors finished off the Fiji Rugby Invitational Series in style beating Manuma Samoa 39-22 in the final match at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, Saturday. Captain Tetiva Ikanivere opened the scoresheet for the Fijian

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‘If we win, it’s going to be huge!’ : Cook Islands Cricket coach

The Cook Islands national cricket squad departed for Auckland last week to join the other half of their team before going to the East Asia Pacific Sub-Regional Qualifying Tournament in Vanuatu. The national side,

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Fiji Tourism looks north

As Fiji reopens to the world, Tourism Fiji’s top priority is securing new markets. “We were very serious about what we were doing over there,” says Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill about Fiji Airways’ recent

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Economic diversification is key for Fiji

Fiji’s recovery is good; however it needs to diversify its economy said Dr Kishti Sen, ANZ Pacific Economist, during his visit to Fiji last week. “Our expectations towards the end of last year was that the tourism

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Niue premier warns against falsifying travel documents

The Niue government is concerned as allegations emerge of passengers falsifying travel application requirements while the Health Department continues investigations into the origin of the index case of the current

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PNG facing downgrade, says Popoitai

Frustrated by the lack of prosecution of financially-motivated crime cases, Bank of PNG has warned that the country’s global standing and cost of banking could be affected as a result. Bank of Papua New Guinea acting

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PNG proposed carbon credit law queried

Hiri-Koiari MP Keith Iduhu has asked in Papua New Guinea Parliament for an update on a proposed amendment by the Forestry Authority to include forestry produce under its authority. This would include classifying carbon

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Fisheries important to recover Pacific economies

Pacific Fisheries Ministers have identified maximising value from their fisheries as key to supporting the economic recovery from COVID-19. This was raised by delegates at the annual 19th Forum Fisheries Committee

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PNGDF probe shooting in PNG waters

Papua New Guinea’s Defence Force has set the terms of reference to start off internal investigations into the shooting of an Indonesian fisherman in PNG waters allegedly by soldiers last week following the

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Air Vanuatu confirms interim plan with lessor to safeguard 737

The national airline Air Vanuatu has confirmed that its Boeing 737 is at risk of repossession by its lessor. Air Vanuatu owed USD$8 million lease payments to American Leasing Company (ALC), which is approximately VT897

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PNG remain neutral with issues in the APEC region: Marape

Papua New Guineans will not be caught up in the fight between the Eastern and Western countries but will maintain its stand on being friends to all and enemy to none. Prime Minister, James Marape made this known when

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Opinion: Assessing Remittances Potential to Build Climate Resilience in the Pacific

While contributing very little to global warming, Pacific Island nations are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, already experiencing extreme climate-induced disasters such as tropical cyclones.

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PNG to likely join NRL by 2025: Hill

Australia’s Foreign Ministry is working with PNG Sports executives to get the NRL bid up and running. Australia’s Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong said this when appearing at NBC National Radio. She said

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Opinion: The Pacific Labour Scheme and the Royal Commission into Aged Care

In Suva, new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took a smiling selfie with Fijian aged care workers, who are preparing to come to Australia to look after our elderly in a new pilot program. Raising the standard of aged

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PNG youth carrying weapons ‘becoming a norm’

The rise in the use of a newly invented weapon called the wire-catapult or “silencer” is a big concern for East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea, says East Sepik Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Superintendent

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PNG negotiates security pact with Australia

Papua New Guinea’s new Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko has revealed his country is moving to negotiate a security treaty with Australia — and potentially New Zealand — in a move that could have far-reaching

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