2024
My missile is bigger than your missile
For the first time in more than 40 years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has fired an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile across the Pacific, to splash down in waters near French
COP29 – Action, Not Talk
PACIFIC leaders head for Azerbaijan and COP29 in November, buoyed by recognition at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa of the dangers of climate change to the region and the
You’re not alone: Church helps bear climate change burden
ON a remote, windswept coastline at Togoru on Fiji’s southern coast, Barney Dunn surveys the land his family has occupied for five
Where does climate change finance go?
IN 2020, the New Zealand government pledged NZ$150 million for Pacific-focused climate change
Whispers
Whispers: what's happening around the Pacific region in politics, business and other news featured on Islands Business October 2024
Last gasp efforts to save Air Vanuatu
As Vanuatu’s government seeks to revive Air Vanuatu, the World Bank has pointed to the airline’s collapse as a cautionary tale about the risks of “opaque State-Owned Enterprise
“A game-changer”: Fiji Airways launches new flight simulators
Fiji Airways has launched two advanced full-flight simulators for the Airbus A350 and ATR-72 aircraft at its Aviation Academy in
Kiribati’s US$60m airports project moves forward
Aviation provides vital regional and international connectivity for Kiribati, and is essential for the import and export of time-sensitive commodities and emergency
Briefs
News in brief from American Samoa, Fiji, and around the Pacific Islands region in the month of October
Disunity in USP strike
A special University of the South Pacific Council meeting to address rising tensions between staff and management appears to have failed in its attempt to quell a threat of a strike by USP staff
People and the sea: Tuvalu harnesses its resources
Since regaining independence in 1979, Tuvalu has placed an emphasis on its maritime training institute at Amatuku, to produce skilled workers for merchant fleets in the Pacific and around the
Protecting the children left behind
A report looking at the impact of labour mobility schemes on children in four Pacific nations has found that while the remittances they generate are critical in supporting families, the schemes are placing physical and
Green skills, wellness, and digital proficiency
As Pacific Island nations navigate rapid economic changes, the demand for “green skills” is on the
Pacific women coaches excel in world rugby
World Rugby in partnership with leading global insurance brokerage firm, Gallagher, selected two coaches from the Pacific for the Gallagher High Performance
Movers and Shakers
Sir Jerry Mateparae has been appointed as an independent moderator to work with the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government in resolving outstanding issues on Bougainville’s
Where are the women?
How much of the outcomes from Pacific women leaders' meetings were brought to the Forum Leaders table for discussion this
Forum debates French colonialism, China and climate change
As Presidents, Prime Ministers and Premiers assembled in the Kingdom of Tonga for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM), the region’s Blue Pacific agenda was overshadowed by geopolitical jousting and
USP Council summoned as dissent creeps into student body
Dissent has broken out between the USP Students’ Association and students supporting sacked academic Dr Tamara
Living costs take centre stage in Palau debate
Palau’s Presidential hopefuls debated this month before a live and online audience in Koror in a much more Pacific
Whispers
Dispatches from Tonga The ubiquity of mobile phones is a growing issue at the Pacific Islands Forum. At last month’s leaders’ meeting in Nuku’alofa, every ceremony and event was captured on phones, with selfies
Kava: Protecting our lifeblood
Kava is of immense cultural significance to peoples across the region: yaqona in Fiji, malogu in Vanuatu, 'ava in Samoa, 'awa in Hawai’i and sakau in the Federated States of