Forum is work in progress
Melanesian leaders failed to attend the 2nd Pacific Islands Development Forum on the Fijian resort island of Denarau last month. Conspicuous in their absence were Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and
2014 July
More US immigration woes for the Northern Marianas
Russians, Chinese target visa loop-holes the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has received a five-year extension of a critical programme allowing it continued access to some 10,000 foreign workers up to 2019
Whispers
More trouble for the multi-million dollar tuna industrial zone in Madang Province, on the northern shores of Papua New Guinea. Work on the proposed Kina 212 million (AU$90m) project has been put on hold because
Greenpeace
I would like to express condolences on behalf of Greenpeace for the passing of Laisa Taga. Our deepest thoughts are with her colleagues and family in their
Step down: Opposition demands
Melanesia has had a lot going for it for more than a decade now. The exploitation of onshore and offshore resources have helped Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia – which form
21 years of serving the environment and peoples of the Pacific
Pacific history was made twenty one years ago on June 16, 1993. On that day Pacific island countries signed an agreement to establish SPREP – the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme –
China only too keen to fill the gaps
Top New Zealand politicians’ periodic flights into the Pacific Islands with media contingents and popular Pacific rugby players in tow have been a regular feature over the past several years. They are obviously
NZ reaps rewards from cash cows
Soaring demand for $NZ10 billion New Zealand milk and dairy products from the South Pacific region and parts of Asia has prompted producers to expand plant facilities in Christchurch last month. There are also
PM O’Neill comes under fire over AU$30 million payout
Papua New Guinea is embroiled in political turmoil triggered by the attempted arrest of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill by police on June 17 as part of ongoing anti-corruption investigations into payments to a
Experts warn of good quality kava exports
With a German court ruling last month to lift a ban against Pacific kava exports, one of the region’s experts on the traditional commodity has warned about the need to monitor and maintain product quality.
Palau – where size doesn’t matter
Not counting the 400 or so volcano-uplifted little limestone islands that make up the spectacular Rock Islands, Palau is small. With a population of 21,000 living in the islands’ 16 states, the island republic
