Opinion: FestPAC: Protecting Oceania and charting future voyages
It’s the first time the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, which starts Thursday, will be held in Hawaii. The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture is the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific
Tonga Development Bank claims Police warrant to search bank was unlawful
Tonga Development Bank says it is taking legal action against Tonga Police following a police search of the bank’s premises on Friday 24 May, where Police were acting on a complaint regarding an alleged breach of
Fiji Airways interested in reviving Port Vila, Tanna and Santo flights
Vanuatu deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Matai Seremaiah, has announced that Fiji Airways is interested in connecting Port Vila to Tanna and Port Vila to Santo flights via an ATR, ensuring
Air Vanuatu to lose 170 staff as liquidators try to save embattled airline
Nearly 200 people have lost their jobs as liquidators restructure Air Vanuatu to reduce the embattled airline’s operating costs. Approximately 170 staff members have been made redundant as liquidators try to
Survivors of PNG landslide :“The stones from the mountain keep falling, we are afraid more could be killed, we don’t sleep at night”
“We don’t have a place to stay, and we barely eat and drink. We have nothing left,” said a survivor of the landslide in Papua New Guinea’s Enga Province. Twenty-year-old Frida Yeahkal, a community member whose
Opinion: Silent epidemic: The devastating impact of drugs on Fiji’s health and wellbeing
Fiji faces a critical mental health crisis, with rising drug abuse cases being one of several contributing factors. Social and economic challenges, along with limited access to mental health services, are also believed
New Zealand PM Luxon heads to Niue and Fiji this week
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to Niue and Fiji this week (04-07 June) as New Zealand continues to sharpen its focus and engagement in the Pacific. It will be Luxon’s first visit to the
French surfer Fierro crowned in Tahiti Surf Event ahead of Paris 2024
French Olympic surfer, Vahine Fierro, became the first Frenchwoman to win the women’s Tahiti Pro on the waves of Teahupo’o on Wednesday, just two months before the Olympic surfing events to be held on the French
More than 1,000 invasive trees harvested to build village for the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture
The Hawaii DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife worked with the Albizia Project to cut down more than 1,000 invasive trees — mostly albizia, macaranga, and gunpowder trees — that will be used to make 28 hale for
Eileen Cikamatana aims to end weightlifting medal drought in Paris
Eileen Cikamatana had to wait for her Olympic debut and now she plans to make it count. The Fijian-born star will join Jacqueline Nichele and Kyle Bruce in Australia’s weightlifting team for Paris. All are
Fijian Drua head to the Super Rugby quarterfinals
It was a spectacular show of skill, talent and power when the Fijian Drua played the Melbourne Rebels this weekend in Lautoka. Tevita Ikanivere continued to be instrumental for the Drua. He had more than a couple
The tragedy of New Caledonia
On the night of Monday 13 May, Noumea exploded. Across many parts of New Caledonia’s capital, young people took to the streets, stoning French riot police, looting and burning shops, car yards and factories. The next
Change in direction, or just smoother sailing?
It was perhaps the most watched and closely observed elections to have taken place within the Pacific region in the last decade. As voters in Solomon Islands went to the polls on 17 April 2024, the world’s two
The complexities of undersea cables
While outside actors may see undersea cable infrastructure through a lens of geopolitical competition, political leaders in the Pacific Islands region are geared towards providing digital connectivity to the islands, an
In the shadow of global challenges
Cybersecurity threats and governing generative AI are amongst the most pressing challenges facing telecommunications companies globally. While the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) characterises the
USP problems fester behind veil of silence
One month after the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Council voted to move controversial Vice Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia from Samoa to Fiji, the University’s two unions are demanding Ahluwalia’s
Opinion: A turnstile of bad debt
Buried beneath the big-ticket items in the Australian Government’s latest budget statement, a relatively small outlay to Papua New Guinea (PNG) barely rates a mention. But, while the commentariat hones in on Stage
SOGIESC activists rally for inclusivity and justice
Advocates for SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, and sex characteristics) are rallying for inclusivity and justice in the Pacific, saying that their struggles intersect with broader issues such as
Whispers
Against independence – and each other As French President Macron flew into Noumea for 18 hours, there were sharp divisions between political leaders – and that’s just on the anti-independence side! Even though
Vanuatu women stump Zimbabwe in World Cricket Qualifier
A decade after its women’s cricket debut, Vanuatu’s women’s cricket team defeated 12th-ranked Zimbabwe in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier in Abu Dhabi in April. It was the first for a Vanuatu team to
Briefs
American Samoa American Samoa is working to establish and record physical addresses. Talanei News reports that the absence of official physical addresses or location identifiers for streets, households, business,
Movers and Shakers
The Solomon Islands Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) has sworn in 12 Members of Parliament as Ministers. They are:- Rex Annex Ramofafia, National Planning and DevelopmentCoordination.- Makario
Opinion: How integrating traditional leadership will impact Pacific Islands governance and diplomacy
Pacific Island nations have declared a campaign to move toward recognition of indigenous and traditional leaders in policy development. While it may appear an unconventional move in the Pacific’s contemporary context
