Fiber optic bill signed into law
THE path to bring increased Internet speed in Palau is well on its way following the signing into law of the fiber optic bill on September 20. President Remengesau signed
Bernadette H Carreon
Act to ensure participation for prevention
THE annual UN Security Council Open Debate on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 hosted by Spain recalled the active mobilisation of women’s groups globally after the 1995 Fourth
WE Say
Vanuatu teaches region lesson in governance WHILE October was a tumultuous month for the people of Vanuatu, events in the former condominium taught the region valuable lessons in governance. Across the Pacific,
Pulpit platform for battle
Anglican primate tackles island issue head on WHEN the Archbishop of York passed through the Pacific in August, his visit went relatively unnoticed by the world. Even the local media confined Reverend Dr
STOP THE PLUNDER!
On the high seas, a fight to save our fish stocks FOR the past few months, Greenpeace’s famous Rainbow Warrior ship has been in Pacific waters to monitor the illegal fishing that is destroying jobs and
The world’s eyes turn to bountiful atolls full of guts and promise
Palau lures tourist dollars with its treasured riches SEVERAL countries are now picking up what Palau has started. AS early as 2013, Palau President Tommy Remengesau Jr. has proposed
Haven in the Pacific
Lost millions from restricted fishing return with tourists THE Senate passed the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS) legislation on third and final reading on Oct. 15 with amendments from the House version of the
Report out on deep sea mining
MINING for deep sea mineral deposits is yet to commence anywhere in the world. Pacific Island countries are among the pioneers in this emerging field. Countries like Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and
Who is to blame
Island teams seek answers to World Cup failure THE next four years will determine the future of Pacific rugby following the disastrous exits of Samoa, Fiji and Tonga from the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Editor’s Note
LAST month members of the European Union met to decide on measures to address the influx of refugees which has become a humanitarian disaster beyond all proportions. From the Middle-East and
PACER Plus gets the nod
LEADERS have given their blessings on the near completion of negotiations for a free trade agreement between Forum island countries on the one hand and Australia and New Zealand on the other. Forum chair and Prime
Suva Declaration on Climate Change
More than a message in a bottle PACIFIC Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have penned what they believe is a strong and stern message to the industrialised world: It is an immoral betrayal for the world to let
Forum agrees to disagree on 1.5
AGREEING that a 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in temperature would “severely exacerbate” impacts of climate change in the “most vulnerable smaller island states of the Pacific,” leaders of the Pacific
A nation’s key to resilience
A SURVEY of the nature of climate change adaptation planning and implementation that is rolling out in the Pacific region may well reflect the predominance of infrastructural and/or physical investment and related
Landowners in billion-dollar deal
A MULTI-billion kina investment by a landowner company is expected to boost the tourism industry in Papua New Guinea. Star Mountain Plaza in Port Moresby, a project led by the Mineral Resources Development Company
E-money FAILS to sell
Call to review Pacific financial inclusion products FINANCIAL inclusion products for the Pacific islands need to be differentiated by their target markets and target clients. That’s the message from the Executive
Call to cut trade agreements
PACIFIC leaders have been told the cost of doing business in the islands will be greatly reduced if there are fewer trade agreements in the region. The advice came from Dr Edwini Kessie when he addressed Pacific leaders
We say
Embrace inclusivity, reject exclusivity WHEN the Pacific Islands Development Forum ejected West Papuan activist Octavianus Mote from its summit in Suva, Fiji, it missed an opportunity to show it was an inclusive
VDS has worked for us, says PNA
EXECUTIVE Director of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement Dr Transform Aqorau believes the group’s Vessel Day Scheme has been an effective tool in increasing it members’ share of the value of their tuna
Marine Park in TROUBLED WATERS
LANDOWNERS of the US$161million site of what’s going to be the largest tuna processing zone in the South Pacific wants work on the site to stop immediately. In a petition signed by 5,000 people and sent to Prime
Deathtrap ferry
Vanuatu’s worst maritime tragedy raises questions on safety checks THE inter-island Vanuatu ferry which capsized and sank in July last year with the loss of four lives was a floating deathtrap, a leaked report has
Ghost of the skies
Elusive kingfisher A BIRD that has been seen in the wild once has been found last month by scientists during the first biological survey of the highest peak in Solomon Islands. The male moustached kingfisher was finally
The returning son of a disappearing nation
THE deportation of Ioane Teitiota by the John Key government signals a strong message to the low-lying islands in the Pacific that they are not disappearing because their people are still “alive.” The New