Vanuatu’s Citizenship Commission defends granting citizenship to convicted Australian entrepreneur
Vanuatu’s Citizenship Commission says convicted Australian entrepreneur cleared the necessary checks before he was granted citizenship and given a Vanuatu passport. Andrew Spira was granted citizenship
Tonga Government appeals to public to rent out homes for PIF visitors
On the streets of Nuku’alofa, the rush is on to complete two hundred container houses to provide much needed accommodation for this year’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting, to be held in August. Prime
Opinion: How the small Pacific island nation of Vanuatu drastically cut plastic pollution
With lagoons once choked by rubbish, pressure from the appalled community led the government to ban certain single-use products. For generations, the people of Erakor village in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu would pass
OFC: Fiji continues unbeaten run in scintillating form
The action continued in the second round of the OFC Men’s Nations Cup in Suva yesterday. PNG and Tahiti took to the field yesterday afternoon in what was expected to be a fair and hard- fought contest. Tahiti’s
Slow start to PNG Census
Despite a slow start and the expected initial hiccups to contend with, national statistician John Igitoi is confident that National Census 2024 will be completed successfully. “It’s just the start, so we expect to
200 bodies yet to be recovered PNG landslide
About 200 persons are still to be recovered with 11 bodies retrieved and buried from the 24 May Landslide in Enga’s Mulitaka, according to Enga administrator Sandis Tsaka. Tsaka, who is also the disaster committee
Pacific voyaging organisations forge new path of collaboration
A gathering of all the voyaging organisations from Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, including around 10 Pwo navigators, was held last week before master navigator Peia Patai and Vaka Marumaru Atua left Hawai’i
Palau minimum wage to increase to US$4.25 in October
Palau’s minimum wage will rise from US$3.50 to US$4.25 per hour, effective 01 October 2024. The increase was passed as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Supplemental Budget bill, signed into law by President
FestPAC closes with fond memories and call to preserve Pacific Arts and Cultures
The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC 2024) ended in Honolulu, Hawaii after 11 days for arts and cultural celebrations fostering fond memories of the event and a huge challenge to preserve Pacific Arts and
Pacific nations strengthen ties at massive FestPAC celebration in Hawaii
A crowd of thousands bid farewell to the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture on Sunday during a large-scale celebration at the University of Hawaii that hosted delegates from 27 island nations. FestPAC, hailed
Papua New Guinea head count begins amid census preparation concerns
Counting is underway in a highly anticipated national census in Papua New Guinea that is hoped will dispel wildly diverging population estimates ranging from 9.6 million to nearly twice the number. Just after midnight
Pacific Netball Series: Tongan Tala secure ‘four-peat’ after overpowering Fiji for title
Tonga Tala’s head coach Jaqua Pori-Makea-Simpson predicted her team would be competitive before the Pacific Netball Series 2024 rolled off in Brisbane on 10 June. And a weekend later, the young side named to
Opinion: Samoa should make the most of the Pacific Engagement Visa
When presented with an opportunity like Australia’s Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) scheme, don’t demur. Grab it with both hands and be grateful. Other Pacific countries including Fiji are all ready to sign
Opinion: Trump vs Biden: the aid dimension
Republican candidate Donald Trump is the favourite to win the US presidential election on 5 November over Democratic incumbent Joe Biden, according to recent forecasts by media outlets such as The Economist. The
At FestPAC, a call to preserve the ocean that separates — and connects
All of the 28 nation’s participating in 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture on Oahu are separated by miles of ocean. That same ocean, they say, connects them. That’s why they’re working to protect the
‘A Pacific notion of presence’: FestPAC attendees show solidarity for New Caledonia
When Fijian Mika Sela saw New Caledonia’s glaringly empty hale at the Hawaii Convention Centre, the Fiji delegate took his kava bowl and sat alone. The Indigenous Kanaks of the French territory were forced to
U.S Marines’ transfer to Guam from Okinawa to start in December
The transfer of U.S Marine Corps troops stationed in Japan’s Okinawa to Guam will start in December, a Marines official said Sunday, the latest development in a long-agreed Japan-U.S forces realignment plan aimed
Micronesian Games open in Majuro
The Micronesian Games kicked off in Majuro Saturday night with a gala celebration that featured sports delegations from the 10 islands in the sub-region parading in uniform with flags and banners along a newly opened
Samoa Anti-corruption body soon
An entity to look into corrupt practices in the Samoa government will be set up soon as the first National Anti-corruption Policy and Strategy was officially launched last Thursday at Tanoa Hotel. The policy marks the
FLNKS congress postponed, as independence movement debates the way forward
In a fast moving and complex situation, both supporters and opponents of independence in New Caledonia are preparing for the outcome of French elections later this month. Islands Business correspondent Nic Maclellan
Fiji dominant start in the OFC Nations Cup after round 1
It was an exciting Sunday of Football in Suva, with a small but vocal crowd at the HFC stadium to witness the first round of Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) games for Group B. Tahiti and Samoa took to the field
Budget should target Fijian diaspora, says investment body CEO
As Fiji launches a strategic initiative this week designed to showcase its outsourcing sector to potential investors offshore, the head of Fiji’s investment agency has called for the Fijian government to focus on
Tonga’s $899.2 million budget for 2024-25
A draft budget of TOP$899.2 million (US$381 million) for the year 2024/25 was announced by the Government of Tonga, stating that it is the first balanced budget proposed by government to parliament since 2019/2020. The