PNA decisions painful but necessary

Several issues to iron out in Honiara We should be so lucky to have the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) having such problems like this—what to do with US$93 million and how to distribute this pot of money

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Using footy stars to lure islands kids to stay in school

Trial model hailed a success in NSW What should teachers do with students when suspension and poor report cards fail? Reporting problem kids to their parents may not work because often they are as clueless as the high

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Selling the Pacific dream

Would you believe that out of the over 900 million international tourist arrivals registered by the United Nations' World Tourism Council in 2012, only 1.6 million visited the shores of 16 Pacific Islands countries

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Give preference to local fishing fleets

Pacific Islands governments have a responsibility to control tuna fishing in their waters, and should be giving preference to local fishing fleets instead of granting more licences to foreign fishing vessels. Parties

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Toyota joins Holden exodus

Only two months after Holden pulled out of manufacturing cars in Australia,

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Why I was sacked: Pokajam

Members of the PNA (Parties to the Nauru Agreement) meet in Honiara on March 5-14 to discuss a number of important issues pertaining to their success. For instance what to do with the US$93 million—and that is how

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Former AG convicted of public corruption

Focus now shifts to former gov’s extradition In yet another “first” for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and buoyed by a multi-year movement to rid the government of corruption, former

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Climate Karma—chickens come home to roost?

According to popular climate change lore, the continuous spewing of carbon and harmful greenhouse gases over nearly 200 years, primarily by western nations, is what has caused the earth to warm up irrevocably these past

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Nurturing Entrepreneurs: Key to Economic Growth

Across the Asia-Pacific region, the news is mixed when it comes to ease of doing business, but at least the Pacific Islands are better than the likes of Burma and Somalia. Or, are they? When it comes to doing business,

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Land of business and opportunties

Starting from the first March 2014, Papua New Guinea is implementing new rules for Australian nationals visiting the country. The visa on arrival regime will be discontinued. Visitors wishing to travel to Papua New

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New SIVB boss outlines plans

 Josefa Tuamoto once Fiji’s top tourism marketing official is now taking his vast years of experience to the Solomon Islands. Last month, the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau (SIVB) announced Tuamoto’s

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Undermining investor confidence

A survey of businesses in Papua New Guinea published last month paints a damning picture of the state of the country’s governance both in terms of corruption and spiraling law and order problems. The country’s

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