Winds of support propel Pacific Meteorological Services

THE “Nuku’alofa Declaration for Sustainable Weather and Climate Services for a Resilient Pacific” was endorsed by the first ever Pacific Ministers of Meteorology in Tonga in July. This is the first

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Official line on TV bump

THE world of TV can be a cutthroat business with operators trying to squeeze maximum dollar out of every possible minute of programming. That’s why it matters as to who holds the rights to sports events such as

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Cyanide risk

Closed Gold Ridge mine triggers concern UNTIL April 2014, Gold Ridge was the sole operating mine in the Solomon Islands and contributing approximately 20 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. But not

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New momentum for disarmament

Anniversaries bring action on nukes SEVENTY years ago, a US aircraft flew from Tinian Island in the northern Marianas to the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On 6 August 1945, the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the

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Working smarter for our tuna

State of Tuna Report 2015 – Special Feature EXPECT the Pacific’s work on managing its lucrative tuna resource to get better and smarter as the region comes under increasing pressure from foreign

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Fish less, earn more urges FFA Fisheries Ministers

State of Tuna Report 2015 – Special Feature TUNA owning islands of the Pacific still want to see increasing returns from their fishery by increasing the value of tuna rather than volume of tuna fished or sold to

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Brace for tuna revenue declines: Dr Aqorau

State of Tuna Report 2015 – Special Feature TUNA resource owning nations may be enjoying premium price for their fish, but they have been warned to prepare for “rainy days.” The warning was issued by

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James Movick secures 3 more years

SUSTAINABILITY will be key as Director General of the Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency James Movick secures his second and final three year term as Director General of the Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency. With the

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The Pacific bigeye problem

State of Tuna Report 2015 – Special Feature While researchers test promising technical solutions at sea, decisive action to end the overfishing of bigeye tuna in the Pacific is a must. ONE of the most adaptable

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Cruise options bring hope

Bougainville looks beyond mining to tourism WITH increasing pressure from local landowners on environmental issues, Bougainville is looking for options which will allow conservation of its natural resources. Until the

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Nauru becomes Pacific Central

Airline gateway to the Northern atolls THE high cost of travel to the Northern Pacific has been a major impediment to the development of a real tourism market in the area despite the huge potential for diving and

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Rising to the moral challenge of CLIMATE CHANGE

Pacific people, of all faiths, are deeply grateful for the leadership shown by Pope Francis on climate change. We must respond by pressing for an ambitious, and just, global agreement at climate negotiations in Paris in

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Lots more goodwill need to flow into trade talks

BOTH parties seeking a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) – the European Union on one side of the table and Pacific members of the African, Caribbean and the Pacific bloc on the other – need

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CFL: A Pacific ‘homegrown’ media success story

ON July 5, 2015, Fiji and the Pacific’s largest commercial radio broadcast company, Communications Fiji Limited (CFL), achieved a milestone, marking 30 years of “homegrown” success. The company has

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PNG dethrones French-trained New Caledonia

WHEN the curtains came down on the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, there was more to celebrate than just Papua New Guinea’s landslide victory on the medal table. The host country dethroned New Caledonia,

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Forum discord as concerns mount over Nauru situation

THERE appears to be some discord within the Pacific Forum over the mounting international and regional concerns about what some Pacific Forum member countries view as a breakdown in democracy in Nauru. Apart from

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Sparks fly as islanders step up the ante for Rugby World Cup

IF Fiji’s performance in the Pacific Nations Cup is anything to go by, then the world is in for a treat come September. The Fijians reminded their Rugby World Cup pool A rivals – England, Australia, Wales

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CSOs respond to Pacific Forum Inclusivity Initiative

THE Pacific Forum Secretariat’s Specialist Sub-Committee on Regionalism has received a total of 68 proposals for regional initiatives from a wide crosssection of Pacific communities including Non Governmental

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Right royal challenge for Tupou VI

ON the road from Fua’amotu International Airport to Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa, the red and white bunting has gathered dust and is starting to look tired. The miniature flags hang limply on the fences

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Less hui, lot more tui

Kiwi envoy speaks his mind about fishery and more TALKS are into advanced stages about getting skilled fishermen from Kiribati and Tuvalu to work in New Zealand’s fishing industry. Ambassador Shane Jones, New

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Winds of change

WITHOUT much fanfare, our new look www.islandsbusiness.com went online early last month. It’s the first of at least three phases of re-development that we have planned, and it compliments rather nicely the new

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Former Fiji army chief allays fears of rift

THE former Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, BrigadierGeneral Mosese Tikoitoga, has poured cold water on any suggestion of a rift between the military and Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s Fiji

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Canoe run for chocolate factory

The Uto Ni Yalo sails from Fiji to Vanuatu and then to Bougainville where it will load cocoa beans for New Zealand. ORGANICALLY-grown cocoa beans from Bougainville will be shipped to New Zealand using ancient Pacific

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‘Powerful Men of Solomon Islands’

I am actually emailing to flag my serious concerns with the way the July IB whispers column had again put up a piece about my work here and some alleged altercations with Fiji and Solomon Islands Government authorities

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