Samoa legislators pass electoral amendments despite concerns

Samoa’s electoral laws have been amended giving citizens the right to register to vote from overseas, despite the opposition raising concerns about the country being governed by “outsiders”.  The

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U.S. passes deal to fund Pacific Islands pacts after delays

The U.S. Congress has passed legislation that will fund key U.S. agreements with Pacific Island nations, in an outcome that will spark relief across the Indo-Pacific after previous delays undermined efforts to counter

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U-turn on electric vehicles: Cook Islands Government retains unsold vehicles due to lack of bids

Cook Islands Government will retain and distribute eight electric vehicles (EVs) it previously tried to sell due to lack of bids likely caused by affordability concerns.  These eight EVs were part of a larger purchase

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700 plus UXOs destroyed in Solomon Islands Western Province

Seven hundred plus unexploded ordnance (UXOs) have been destroyed in Western Province in Solomon Islands after a 12 days operation.  Explosive Ordnance Disposal Department (EODD) of the Royal Solomon Islands Police

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Eramet reaches deal to convert debt of New Caledonia nickel unit

Eramet said on Monday it had reached an agreement with the French government to remove from its balance sheet hundreds of million of euros of debt related to its loss-making nickel subsidiary SLN in New Caledonia.

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Fukushima nuke wastewater discharge case hearing begins

Japanese citizens have called for a halt to the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean and demanded that the government revoke the permission for

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Will Marshall Islands sign the TPNW nuclear ban treaty?

The two teams lined up face to face. Students from the College of Marshall Islands (CMI) and the Majuro campus of the University of the South Pacific (USP) squared off in a mock debate: should the Marshall Islands sign

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CNMI to lose 50 percent of workforce in 7 years, Senate president tells U.S. official

“In seven years, the CNMI stands to lose 50 percent of its entire employed labour force,” Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero told U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular and International

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ICJ grants Parties to the Nauru Agreement participation in Climate Change advisory proceedings

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has granted authorisation to the Parties to the Nauru Agreement Office (PNAO) to participate in advisory proceedings concerning the Obligations of States in respect of Climate

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Study finds Pacific accounts for nine of the 10 most obese countries in the world, Cook Islands grapples with highest childhood obesity rates in the world

Study finds Pacific accounts for nine of the 10 most obese countries in the world New analysis published in the Lancet has found that Pacific island countries account for nine out of 10 of the top countries in the world

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Bill to fund U.S. Government includes money to counter China in Pacific 

U.S. congressional negotiators released a bill Sunday that would fund key parts of the government through the rest of the fiscal year, which began in October 2023.  Among provisions in the appropriations package are

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Fiji Business Briefs: Energy price hike rejected, SPX results, BSP Life payout

FCCC rejects energy price hike The Fijian Competition & Consumer Commission (FCCC) has rejected Energy Fiji Limited’s (EFL) bid to increase electricity prices. EFL wanted the adoption of both fixed and variable

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Tuvalu’s new PM says democracy and loyalty are reasons for preferring Taiwan over Beijing

The new prime minister in the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu said on Friday his country shares democratic values with Taiwan and reaffirmed that his government would maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei, ruling out a

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Moana Pasifika hold on for thrilling win over Drua

Exhausted Moana Pasifika players have been left praying and rejoicing after resisting a fierce fightback to hang on for an historic 39-36 Super Rugby Pacific win over Fijian Drua. Down to 13 men for much of the last 15

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RMI President questions US commitment on COFA funding

Republic of Marshall Islands President, Hilda Heine, has questioned whether the Marshalls have reached a crossroads in its relationship with the United States. As Marshallese gathered to commemorate Nuclear Victims

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Prioritise cyber risk management: ANZ

A cybersecurity expert with the ANZ bank says many organisations fail to keep their systems up to date, and as a result, they expose themselves and their customers to cyberattacks. Eli Hirschauge, ANZ’s Head of

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Tuvalu PM announces new Cabinet

Tuvalu’s newly-elected Prime Minister, Feleti Teo has named his Cabinet lineup. Governor General Tofiga Vaevalu Falani, in the exercise of authority granted by sections 63, 64, and 68 of Tuvalu’s

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PNG, Indonesia ratify defence deal to expand security cooperation

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea will boost defense cooperation, officials from the two countries said Tuesday, including border patrols in a region where indigenous Papuans have waged a decades-long insurgency against

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PNG fuel supplier Puma granted relief from court order

Puma Energy would now be able to make its own decision on fuel supply to the national airliner, Air Niugini. This follows a National Court order by Justice John Carey at the Waigani National Court Tuesday which releases

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UOG Professor Leads Efforts to Uncover Chuuk Lagoon’s Wartime History

A little-known chapter of World War II history is being meticulously unearthed in Chuuk Lagoon, in research spearheaded by Dr William Jeffery, Associate Professor of Archaeology and Micronesian Studies at the University

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Pacific Islands nations should consider debt-for-nature deals to lower borrowing costs, IMF says

Pacific Islands nations most at risk from rising seas should consider novel debt-for-nature deals as high debt levels across the region make traditional loans unsustainable, a senior International Monetary Fund official

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Puma stops fuel supply in PNG, PM searches Australia for fuel

Puma stops fuel supply in PNG PNG’s fuel dilemma is far from over.  Service stations are shutting down while Jet A1 that keeps planes flying might finish today, says the country’s major fuel supplier Puma Energy

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‘Greenwashing’: Cook Islands Environment group slams ‘mineral harvesting’ in Seabed Mining Act

The introduction of the term ‘mineral harvesting’ in the legislation governing seabed minerals in the Cook Islands is an attempt to ‘greenwash this destructive industry’, says a local environment group.  Te

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Secrets in the canopy: scientists discover 8 striking new bee species in the Pacific 

After a decade searching for new species of bees in forests of the Pacific Islands, all we had to do was look up.  We soon found eight new species of masked bees in the forest canopy: six in Fiji, one in French

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