Fiji Business Briefs: Chequing-out, Pacific Green growth, Movers and Shakers
Bank cheques phase out While the phasing out of cheques by Fiji’s banks is inevitable, indications from the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) are that there is still flexibility around the timeline. RBF Governor Arrif Ali
Opinion: Communities worry anew as PNG revives seabed mining plans
Chris Malgan sits in his outrigger canoe, singing and shaking a ring of coconut shells in the water next to the boat. The inky skies backdropping the reef portend a late-morning storm that will bring a deluge of rain
Opinion: Tonga MP Piukaka’s rhetoric about the King hand picking Noble MPs is a serious threat to our half-cooked democracy
Member of Parliament Piveni Piukala’s proposal to revoke Tonga’s current nobility electoral system to allow the king to hand pick them for Parliament would be a fatal blow to Tonga’s fragile democracy. It flies in
Internet cost cheap says Samoa regulator
Samoa Telecommunication regulator, Lematua Gisa Purcell has maintained that the current internet price is cheaper compared to previous years and the network cost will drop again before the end of the year. Lematua
Fiji Cabinet approves bid for NRL license
Fiji’s Cabinet has agreed that Rugby League Bid (Fiji) Limited facilitate the bid to secure a licence to enter the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) premiership competition with men and women rugby league
Economist outlines six problems affecting PNG
Westpac economist Justin Smirk says there are six problems affecting the national economy and businesses in Papua New Guinea which are: shortage of expertise and skills, foreign exchange, security, unreliable utilities,
Bendigo Bank delays exit from Nauru as Chinese state-owned bank emerges as replacement
Bendigo has temporarily delayed its plan to pull out of Nauru and close the Pacific Island country’s only bank after a Chinese state-owned bank signalled it might be willing to fill the void, setting alarm bells
Opinion: Mobile internet prices falling in Papua New Guinea
After years of high prices for mobile data in Papua New Guinea, consumers are now able to access lower prices that represent better value. We have been monitoring mobile internet prices in PNG since the start of 2020.
China Southern Airlines to increase flights to PNG
China Southern Airlines is considering the possibility of increasing the number of its flights to PNG. Last December, the Chinese airline company landed for the first time in PNG opening a direct route between
IMO to open regional office in Fiji to serve the Pacific
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will open its seventh Regional Presence Office, in Suva, Fiji, to serve countries and territories in the Pacific Islands region. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez and
Pressure builds at IMO meet for charge on global shipping sector’s CO2 emissions
The European Union, Canada, Japan, and climate-vulnerable Pacific Island states are among 47 countries rallying support for a charge on the international shipping sector’s greenhouse gas emissions, documents reviewed
Blas: CIFA doesn’t clear out outstanding tabs for Compact impact owed to Guam
The U.S. federal government still owes Guam for the costs incurred by the territory on services provided to migrants from the freely associated states over the past 20 years, Senator Frank Blas Jr. said. According to
CNMI seeks to address fiscal crisis
CNMI leaders on Sunday announced plans to revise the government’s current budget to address the “urgent fiscal challenges” facing the commonwealth. “While it’s not easy to share this news, I believe we
Cook Islands migrant workers welcome High Court ruling on residency threshold
The Cook Islands High Court has found that the country’s immigration law that offers preferential treatment to New Zealand citizens over those from other nations is “invalid”. New Zealand passport holders only
Fiji Business Briefs: McDonald’s expansion, hotel room demand, reporting season
McDonald’s Fiji expands back-end operations Vuvale Restaurants (Fiji) Ltd, the parent company of McDonald’s Fiji, has announced a $25 million investment of a new retail and supermarket complex
Brave Reds fall to Fijian flourish in Super Rugby Women’s, Moana Pasifika fight their way to victory over Western Force
Brave Reds fall to Fijian flourish in Super Rugby Women’s The brave Queensland Reds dug deep before bowing 32-21 to the two-time champions from Fiji when Buildcorp Super Rugby Women’s launched at Ballymore Stadium
Severe weather kills 23 in PNG
Twenty three persons, including a pregnant woman and seven children, died as flash floods and landslips wreaked havoc across Chimbu in Papua New Guinea last week. The tragedies, resulting from continuous heavy rains,
Corruption watchdog to probe whistleblowers’ claims
Claims whistleblowers were targeted for speaking out about a remote tuberculosis unit’s patient care have been referred to Queensland’s corruption watchdog. Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman on
Former Fiji PM, suspended police commissioner found guilty
Former Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama was found guilty Thursday of illegally shutting down a sensitive police investigation, local media and a court official said. Bainimarama, a former military commander who
Opinion: The Rabuka government: a first-third assessment
Ice hockey is, almost uniquely, a game played over three thirds. You won’t find much ice hockey in tropical Fiji, but its speed and brutality certainly find parallels in the world of Fijian politics. The Sitiveni
Women make up just six percent of candidates for Solomon Islands election
The Solomon Islands Electoral Commission has revealed the number of women candidates running at the 2024 national election will be just six percent of the total number of candidates contesting, lower than the previous
No rain for three months in some of the Marshall Islands
A humanitarian operation supported by the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund was getting underway late last week in the Marshall Islands, some of whose atolls and islands are said to have had no rain this year.
Opinion: Micronesia in the Headlines
The rise of China and its role in the region is driving U.S. “re-engagement” with the island Pacific. In the case of those Micronesian states who have Compacts of Free Association with the United States (COFA), the
