Major fraud investigation moves into high gear
Local pharmacy, govt ministries under probe New Year’s Eve is normally the time for popping champagne bottles and partying into the wee hours. There was plenty of that in the Marshall Islands. But in an
2014 February
Fiji to sharpen teeth on money laundering
Interception of communication through such means as the tapping of telephones lines will soon be legalised in Fiji as part of national effort to combat money laundering and anti-terrorism
Sold for Sex!
Ongoing police investigation into a human trafficking racket in Fiji has uncovered the exploitation of two 12-year old girls who are allegedly being sold for
Low copra prices prompts Karkar’s bio-fuel diesel
The plummeting world copra prices has forced copra plantation owners to look for other avenues to raise the value of their copra. The average price per metric tonne of copra is now just over US$700, down from US$1,500
PM confident Samoa will do well after LDC
New Year’s Day 2014 will be remembered as the day that Samoa left the group of countries considered the least developed in the world. For many years, Samoa had managed to stay as an LDC for many years. The
Yazaki Samoa cuts working hours
The weekly 40 working hours for some 800 Yazaki Samoa factory workers will be reduced starting February to 32 hours. It’s a decision the management of the wire harnessing group says has been taken instead of
PNG launches first national security policy
Security institutions neglected: O’Neil The PNG government has chosen a new Commander for the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF)—Colonel Gilbert Toropo, the former Commanding Officer of the 1st
Gov Inos deals with land issues
US withholds transfer of 5 offshore lands U.S. President Barack Obama signed on Sept. 18, 2013 a law conveying 3-mile submerged lands to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, only to temporarily withhold the
New MP Tausi to be the next Speaker?
Parliament to decide in March or April Expect a new Speaker for Tuvalu’s parliament when parliament sits either in March or April. Following the Nanumaga by-election on January 14—Otinielu Tausi won the seat
The West Papua debate: How will MSG dance?
Two regional conferences are taking place in Melanesia this month. And although they attract different participants, they both share a common denominator; it’s about the people of the Pacific determined to take
Cobalt in Cooks awaits exploitation
Could supply 10% of global supply This year could be a defining year for seabed minerals in Cook Islands. There are plans by its government to move a step closer to exploration of its massive cobalt resource, following
Brazil coffee oversupply to hit PNG/Vanuatu
Global production to exceed demand in 2014 As global supply exceeds demand for coffee for a fourth straight year, small world producers like Papua New Guinea and to lesser extent Vanuatu will feel the pinch of exports
Good news for the Pacific in terms of EU funding
The Pacific should consider itself lucky. It is not amongst the 19 countries that will suffer aid cuts under the European Union’s new international aid initiatives. A spokesperson from the European Union’s
“Carbon bubble” threatens to be destructive to the planet
MediaGlobal News Bureau Chief Nosh Nalavala interviewed Ambassador Marlene Moses, Permanent Representative of Nauru to the United Nations on the impact of climate change on small islands. Last month at the General
Tattoo business takes off in Samoa
The gift the Fijians gave away When the gift of tattoo was given to Samoan twin girls in Fiji, they swam all the way to Samoa to perform the first tatau. It was a gift that’s lasted thousands of years and while the
New mag shines light on Pacific’s health issues
Alarming stats for islanders It has been known for some time now that people of Pacific Islands origin living in New Zealand find themselves overrepresented in health-related statistics—particularly around
Memory loss linked to starch and sugar-laden diets
A big worry for Pacific islanders Forget weight gain—long-term spatial memory loss has now been linked to starch and sugar-laden diets as a warning to Pacific islanders over their lifestyle of high fat traditional
More cyclones loom for the region?
As many as 11 predicted in next 3 months It’s been slow in coming this season but the next three months could bring as many as 11 cyclones to the Pacific islands region. In the preceding 2012-13 November-April
Wetlands and agriculture— partnering for sustainability
We commemorate World Wetlands Day on February 2, each year to mark the birthday of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. This is an international environment agreement that now has 168 contracting parties, with 2,170
Measuring sea level rise in the Pacific
Crucial for decisionmakers Anticipating the effects of climate change on sea level is a pressing task, particularly in the Pacific. Getting hard data on sea level into the hands of decisionmakers and scientists is one