Code Blue for our reefs: Using the regional tuna MCS to nab the reef robbers
Reef pillaging by Vietnamese Blue Boats seeking lucrative returns from beche de mer harvesting is being picked up under oceanic fisheries surveillance networks. As FFA’s Director James Movick told Pacific
Whales
Surviving in a changing ocean THE humpback whale was hunted almost to the point of extinction last century, with around 200 of a population that was once around 10,000, remaining across the entire region when the
What integration means for ocean management
Message from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) OUR Ocean is an inherent part of who we are as a Pacific people, and in June our Pacific voices will amplify our tribute and respect of
State of our ocean
Change the narrative, says Pacific expert JUST under a month from the first-ever United Nations conference on the oceans, a leading Pacific Island expert has called for a dramatic change in the narrative about ocean
Protect the environment
PROTECTION of the environment must be foremost in our minds as we watch the gradual demise of smaller island states like Tuvalu and Kiribati. These Pacific island states have started to succumb to global warming and
Give us Media Freedom
JUST over eight years ago this month, as thousands of Christians marked the death of Jesus Christ, Fiji’s interim government crucified the 1997 Constitution. A day later censors were forcibly placed in newsrooms.
Heavy lift
Regional airlines ink flight deal TWO of the region’s smaller airlines have signed a deal which will link three regional destinations and a metropolitan business centre. The deal between Air Kiribati and Solomon
Installation of early warning system inTuvalu
CLIMATE change has become a global phenomenon impacting the whole world. There are cynics who say that there is no such thing as climate change believing that climate is just a natural procession of evolution, a natural
Big brothers get deal they always wanted
THE regional free trade agreement, known as PACER-Plus was concluded last month in Brisbane, Australia. As usual, such events are met with great fan-fare and congratulatory press releases. New Zealand called the deal
Saving face
Forum seeks regional support IN a face-saving gesture, regional private sector and civil society organisations will have an opportunity for informed discussions on PACER-Plus prior to the signing of the Agreement. This
PACER-Plus
A wedgie in regional geopolitics from the recently concluded Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations, or PACER Plus, raises some interesting questions about the changing geopolitics of the region and whether
IGA the new shopping experience
THE New World Group is changing the landscape of retail sales in Fiji having acquired the Master Franchise Status from the Independent Grocers Association (IGA) in the United States of America. This transition has no
The man behind the Panama Papers
GERMAN journalist Frederik Obermaier would never have foreseen how his life would change in a year. He and his colleague Bastian Obermayer (no relation) were investigative reporters for the German newspaper Suddeutsche
A shared vision for green growth in Fiji
100pc renewable electricity and sustainable biofuels ARGUABLY one of the most beautiful places in the world, Fiji is an archipelago of over 330 islands with a vibrant culture that proudly celebrates its rich heritage,
40 years on, Forum challenges remain
WHEN Pacific Islands Forum Leaders gathered in Apia, Samoa, in 1978, the then Prime Minister Honourable Tupuola Efi said: “The basic question that faces us, is that of deciding how to re-define the rules to assure
Room at the Inn
Church ventures into hotel business BIBLICAL accounts of the birth of Jesus Christ speak of the lack of accommodation in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, forcing Mary and Joseph into a barn. The rest is history. Today
For God or for Caesar
The argument for church in business LIKE any modern organisation, churches need money in order to pay for administration, bills and taxes. There are also the pressing needs of the people in times of natural disasters as
Aliens invade the bay
ant invasive iguana (GII), also known as American iguana, in Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second biggest island. Last week villagers living near Viani Village, on the south coast of Natewa Bay, caught a male GII, a reptile
The middle road
Looking for a Fiji for all WHEN Tupou Draunidalo chose to leave the Opposition National Federation Party earlier this year, political commentators wondered about the wisdom of such a move. For there are many who believe
Out of the shadows to join a family calling
IT’S just days after New Year and while chaos reigned on the mainland as news spread of an underwater earthquake, the then President of the National Federation Party, parliamentarian Tupou Draunidalo, was sitting
Whispers
Not good enough SO, even the deputy head of a regional agency is not good enough for the Australian aid facility which will administer assistance to programmes in the education, health and development sectors in a
Lead by example
IN April 1841 a French priest was murdered in the prime of his life on the island of Futuna. Pierre Louis Marie Chanel preached a message of lovå e, peace and obedience as he attempted to spread Christianity in a
