BSP: Businesses affected by Black Wednesday
The Black Wednesday Riots in Port Moresby earlier this year have significantly affected business and investor confidence. This is according to the BSP’s Pacific Quarterly Economic & Market Pulse for the June
Tuvalu calls for deep sea mining precautionary pause at ISA conference in Jamaica
Tuvalu and other nations have joined the call for a precautionary pause on deep sea mining at the 29th International Seabed Authority (ISA) Assembly meeting in Kingston, Jamaica. Guatemala and Honduras also backed a
114 candidates to contest Kiribati election, including 18 women
A hundred and fourteen candidates are to contest the Kiribati elections, starting on 14 August. A second round of voting for the 44-seat parliament, Maneaba ni Maungatabu, is scheduled for 19 August. Four
World Rugby aim to tweak calendar in wake of Olympic sevens high
World Rugby needs to recalibrate its international calendar to enable more players like Antoine Dupont to switch between sevens and 15s, according to the federation’s CEO, Alan Gilpin. Dupont played a starring
Opinion: Fiji’s emigration boom: will it last?
The spike in migration out of Fiji since the end of COVID has been widely commented on. It is certainly real. Prior to 2018 there were on average about 9,000 more departures than arrivals of Fijian residents every year.
Indian President Murmu to visit Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste
Indian President Droupadi Murmu will undertake a state visit to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste from 05-10 August 2024. This will be the first-ever visit by a Head of State from India to Fiji and Timor Leste, the
Tonga’s outer islands to continue facing internet issues as repair vessel breaks down in Fiji
Nearly a third of Tonga’s population still has no internet and is unlikely to have access until mid-August. Work on damaged cables in two of the Kingdom’s outlying islands was delayed after a special
New Caledonia’s mothballed nickel plant starts mass sackings process
New Caledonia’s mothballed nickel plant in Koniambo (North of the main island) has announced it has engaged in the mass sackings of some 1200 staff, despite efforts to identify a potential buyer. Koniambo (KNS
The future of deep sea mining hinges on a contentious election
The Pacific island nation of Kiribati is playing an outsize role in an election that will determine whether companies can begin strip-mining the world’s oceans for critical metals. Bloomberg reports that Leticia
American Samoa Governor places moratorium on seabed mining
An executive order that American Samoa Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga issued places a moratorium on seabed mining in the waters of American Samoa. The moratorium applies to the mining, extracting, or removal of
Tasi’s love for the water
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Olympic swimmer Tasi Limtiaco’s love for the pool is no surprise, given his island upbringing. “Tasi” means ocean or the sea in the indigenous languages of Guam and the
French Polynesia’s Marquesas islands join UNESCO’s World Heritage list
French Polynesia’s Marquesas islands are now part of UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The UN endorsement came as a result of the meeting of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee 46th session in New Delhi,
Family fuels Micah’s Olympic drive
Family support is what drives Team American Samoa’s Micah Masei to excel in every competition. Masei’s family has been his biggest supporters since he started swimming competitively at 10 years old. His sister
Official says Washington’s Indo-Pacific policy to remain in place no matter who wins the presidential election
Washington’s alliance with the Indo-Pacific region is sealed in place and won’t change no matter who gets elected president in November, according to a State Department official. “I’ve never seen a stronger
Samoa boxing coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito passes away at Paris Olympics
The International Boxing Association has released a statement mourning the death of 60-year-old Samoan boxing coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito. The coach reportedly passed away on Friday morning in the Olympic Village
France crowned men’s rugby sevens Olympic champions in Paris
At the end of three scintillating days of Olympic men’s rugby sevens action, played out in front of captivated, capacity crowds of 69,000 at the iconic Stade de France, it was hosts France who took Paris 2024 gold
Record women’s rugby attendance shattered as stars of sevens shine at Olympics
It was the women’s turn to shine on Sunday as the Olympics Games Paris 2024 women’s rugby sevens competition got off to a flying start at Stade de France, in front of a record crowd of 66,000 for a women’s rugby
Foreign Minister Wong announces new digital cable centre to limit China’s influence in Indo-Pacific
Australia is stepping up its attempts to limit China’s influence in the Pacific, with the establishment of a new “cable connectivity and resilience centre” designed to boost connectivity for Pacific nations. The
Pacific Women Leaders call for action to end ‘epidemic’ of gender-based violence
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a pervasive and devastating crisis for women and girls in the region with Pacific women ministers urging governments and communities to urgently address the issue through prevention
Pacific Women Leaders want action on nuclear legacy and Gender disparities
Almost eight decades after the last nuclear bomb detonated in the Marshall Islands, there is a call from the Pacific region for a concerted effort to study its impacts on women and girls. The Pacific solidarity call for
Samoa Gun amnesty starts next month
The Samoa Police has announced a comprehensive gun amnesty set to begin on 01 August running through 30 September in an attempt to collect illegal firearms in circulation. This initiative, spearheaded by Samoa’s
UN Rights chief ‘horrified’ at deadly PNG violence
Recent attacks on three villages in East Sepik province, Papua New Guinea, resulted in at least 26 deaths – including 16 children – an event that has left UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
UN shocked over Sepik atrocities
The United Nations Papua New Guinea office has strongly condemned the recent brutal rapes and killings of women and children in East Sepik’s Angoram. The UN, in a statement called on the local authorities to, without
French President Macron yet to sign off on Pacific leaders request to visit New Caledonia
The French Ambassador to the Pacific says President Emmanuel Macron is yet to sign a letter from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) requesting authorisation for a high-level Pacific mission to New Caledonia. Véronique
