Cost of farming increases as dry spell drags on
“I THINK climate change is causing this,” Sigatoka Valley grower Its 4pm daylight saving time on the so-called salad bowl of Fiji and Anand Prasad, assisted by his son is watering his watermelon plants. The
BEST OF 2015
The Rugby World Cup, Netball World Champs, World Sevens Series and the 15th Pacific Games dominated the sporting landscape this year, but Pacific athletes and teams made their mark in so many other arenas outside of
Top cop’s departure sparks controversy
FIJI’S former Police Commissioner, South African Major General Ben Groenewald, has scoffed at any notion that there are no police officers capable of replacing him as head of Fiji’s Police Force. “I
Scrap bride price, PNG urged
A HUMAN rights group has urged the Papua New Guinea government to abolish the cultural practice of bride price to safeguard women against violence. In a report released last month, the Human Rights Watch group said
Vote for change
MAJURO — The lead up to the 2015 national election in the Marshall Islands on November 16 featured few political party rallies and low-key campaigning. But voters were anything but low key in the result they produced
Pacific community sharpens focus to meet islands development needs
AT the Conference of the Pacific Community last week, our country and territory members set the direction of our development organisation for the next five years. The Pacific Community (SPC) has been providing
Safe no more
ON Oct. 11, Palau was shocked after a 37-year old government employee was found dead on the street in the capital of Koror. Kenneth Koshiba was shot with a gas-powered air rifle. This kind of violence is not a usual
WEST PAPUA Activists fight on
ONE year from now the People of Papua will mark the 50th anniversary of their independence from the Dutch and the raising for the first time of the Morning Star flag. Today, the raising of that flag is considered a
A bull in the China shop
Spain and China: Rising threats to regional tuna stocks THE harbour in Suva’s capital is dotted with boats – long line fishing vessels flying the Chinese flag – tied up for months, waiting for the
What the Pacific means to China
TUNA is not China’s only interest in the region. With mining and timber resources in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Fiji, the Asian Dragon has its sights firmly set on the Pacific. There is also the
Activist: Don’t let them in
WITH Pacific eyes watching every move made by China in its slow, systemic advance into the region and its tightening grip on fisheries stocks, the latest threat has been largely overlooked. Coming out of the Indian
