Restoring visions of paradise
“The meaning of my Japanese name is ‘naked autumn trees clothed by the falls of gentle snowflakes’,” says Samoan artist, Yuki Kihara. “It [speaks of] seasonal changes between autumn and winter, and I kind of
Rowena Singh
Water: A Connector, Not a Sector
Pacific water expert, Pitolau Lusia Sefo-Leau says the Pacific region is “far from achieving” the goal of having universal access to water and sanitation by 2030 or SDG6. “I feel that there is something very wrong
Addressing Kiribati’s ‘alarming’ water situation
In Kiribati, many people still struggle to get adequate access to safe, clean drinking water. But work is well underway to try and ensure more schools can provide this basic human need to students. “If you don’t
Briefs
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Star Marianas Air, a commuter airline that provides passenger and air cargo service in the Northern Marianas, plans to terminate its air services to these locations effective
Movers and Shakers
New Zealand’s first female Professor of Law of Pacific origin, and a former Supreme Court Justice from Samoa, Professor Tafaoimalo Tologata Leilani Tuala-Warren, has been appointed to lead the Te Piringa Faculty of
Chair of PNG NRL bid hoping for announcement by end of 2024
Papua New Guinea’s bid to have a team in Australia’s National Rugby League will “hopefully” be confirmed by the end of this year, bid chairman Wapu Sonk has told the 2024 Business Advantage PNG Investment
Vanuatu to bid for 2031 Pacific Games
Vanuatu plans to bid to host the 2031 Pacific Games in Port Vila, with a proposal expected by the end of the year. A high-profile government delegation is expected to travel to Palau to formally submit the bid, aiming
Vanimo prepares for Pope’s Visit, Panning gold to assist with preparations
Faithful Catholics and citizens in Vanimo, Sandaun Province are transforming the town in preparation for the Pope’s visit to the Papua New Guinea province next month. The preparations in the province is being led by
Opinion: Bougainville in Transition
It is now 35 years since the Bougainville crisis erupted and 23 years after it officially ended through the signing of the Bougainville Peace Agreement in August 2001. Children in Primary school in 1989 are now in their
Kiribati poll results show Maamau retains parliamentary seat
Kiribati’s President retained his parliamentary seat in a landslide, according to the first results on Thursday of an election that hinged on worries about the cost of living, rising sea levels and closer ties
Elon Musk invited to Pacific Island Leaders meeting amid Tonga’s internet crisis
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, has been invited to attend the 53rd Pacific Island Leaders Meeting, scheduled from 26-30 August, 2024. The invitation reportedly comes from the Tongan government,
USP Fiji staff vote to go on strike for the second time in 5 months
University of the South Pacific staff in Fiji, where the University is headquartered, have voted to go on strike for the second time in five months, this time demanding to have Vice Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia
Fijian writers launch new book on equality
Emerging Fijian writers, Stephanie Datt Wise and Asish Vinay Prasad, have launched a new chapbook to further conversations around the topic of equality. ‘The After’ is 23 pages of poems and short
Opinion: Free(r) movement at the Forum
The annual Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) always has a wide-ranging agenda. This year the FEMM, which was held at the start of August in Suva, endorsed the now-finalised but yet-to-be-released
New Zealand refugee resettlement deal likely to wind up
New Zealand is set to walk away from its agreement to resettle refugees from Australia, with about half the places on offer unfilled. In 2022, the governments agreed a deal for 450 people in Australian offshore
Some Islanders don’t want to leave homelands despite climate closing in – research
A Tongan researcher from the University of Waikato found that in the Pacific region, particularly in Tonga and Samoa, people don’t want to move despite what she calls the “stigma” associated with
Fiji Cabinet removes duties on EU goods under iEPA
Fiji’s cabinet has approved the implementation of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) with the European Union (EU) and decided to remove duties on certain goods from EU countries. This move is part of
Fiji reinstated to World Rugby Council after governance overhaul
World Rugby has reinstated Fiji to the World Rugby Council, effective immediately. This decision comes after the Executive Board approved the recommendation from the Fiji Oversight Committee, following the adoption of a
PNG jolts donors over power grid roll-out as China sale dismissed
The chairman of Papua New Guinea’s national power provider has called for a faster U.S. and foreign donor roll-out of promised electricity infrastructure while saying there is absolutely no plan to sell critical grid
Kiribati elections 2024 – what we know
The I-Kiribati people will go to the polls for the first round of voting today. The Kiribati Electoral Commission is responsible to conduct the election with the support of the Ministry for Culture and Internal Affairs.
Federated States of Micronesia eyes wider access to global market for tuna
The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is seeking to expand its tuna industry by securing broader access to the international market and reforming its foreign investment policies. At the Second National Fisheries
Tonga’s fibre optic cable repair underway despite ‘data glitch’
The Cable Ship Lodbrog located the northern end of Tonga’s damaged domestic fibre optic cable on Sunday and is now searching for the southern end attached to Tongatapu. The repair is expected to be completed by this
“India and Fiji share a close bond”: Rugby legend Serevi proud to take charge as Head Coach
Despite the soaring humidity, World Rugby Hall of Fame legend turned coach, Waisale Serevi, is thoroughly enjoying his time at India’s Rugby Sevens camp in Kolkata, West Bengal. Serevi, affectionately known as the
