Kiribati: Maamau promised a cash windfall and won

Kiribati gave Taneti Maamau a resounding victory at the island nation’s presidential poll on 22 June, rewarding him with a second and final four-year term. As the ruling Tobwaan Kiribati Party (TKP) leader, Maamau

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Islands Business June 2020 edition

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PIF boss: Four contenders and a call to defer the vote

  Tuvalu has asked Pacific Leaders to consider deferring the formal appointment of the new Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum until a face-to-face meeting next year. Islands Business is aware of four

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Pacific spearheading global conservation efforts for sharks and rays

Sharks are iconic in the cultures, beliefs and traditions of Pacific people. Their sense of identity of place is reinforced through totems. From Kiribati, Solomon Islands to Fiji and across the Pacific, shark legends

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The USP saga: What’s next? Why it matters.

When University of the South Pacific Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia walked back onto USP’s Suva campus on June 22, he was accompanied by songs of celebration from staff and students who lined

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Reading Fiji’s change of tack

“We call for the immediate suspension of the individuals who are holding current positions at USP and further investigation about the matter,” demands a petition being circulated on the internet a day or so after

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French Prosecutor pursues Temaru

In French Polynesia, long-time independence leader Oscar Manutahi Temaru is again locked in battle with the French legal system. Last month, Temaru launched a two-week hunger strike, in protest over the seizure of his

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Surveying the damage: The COVID effect

It is a season of surveys across the Pacific. Governments, international organisations, industry bodies and chambers of commerce are surveying the private sector to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the

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Resetting the Pacific Blue Continent: Towards 2030

A mere decade before the Pacific Island Countries join the rest of the world to account in terms of what we have done collectively to deliver the 2030 promise and the Sustainable Development Goals, a global pandemic has

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FNPF ponders telco investment

An invitation by Amalgamated Telecom Holdings(ATH) to existing shareholders to buy up more shares is still being considered by the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF). FNPF is the major shareholder, owning around 72% of

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Fisheries Fray

The Papua New Guinea Fishing Industry Association (PNGFIA) wants to widen the scope of its fishery products and fishing vessels covered by its recent Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified status. And the

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Lessons in resilience in the Pacific

The global impacts of COVID-19 are unprecedented and extend beyond the realm of health into the social, economic and psychological aspects of people’s lives. Although the number of infections in Pacific Island

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Vanuatu’s PM puts faith at the centre

Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Bob Loughman prompted the congregation of Malasitapu Presbyterian Church in the suburbs of Port Vila to clap with joy recently when his new government’s cabinet was commissioned by the

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Delving into PICTA

In the last issue of Islands Business, I discussed the abysmal state of the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and concluded that there was indifference in the way signatory countries have regarded and

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Departure Lounge

Boarding pass International Civil Aviation Organisation Secretary General Dr Fang Liuhas says regional cooperation will be critical to air transport recovery post COVID-19. “For your recoveries to be truly successful,

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