U.S. delegation to visit Solomon Islands
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, and U.S. ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, plan to visit the Solomon Islands next month, where their fathers fought in World War Two, and the United States is
Early voting in Cook Islands
With nine days left until the General Election on Monday, 1 August, 174 people have already exercised their right to vote, says Cook Islands chief electoral officer Taggy Tangimetua. Tangimetua said a lot of the votes
PNG price rises
The prices of goods and services in Papua New Guinea have continued to increase since the second quarter of 2021, according to the Bank South Pacific (BSP) Financial Group Ltd. The consumer price index (CPI) rating is
Porgera massacre shocks PNG
The district hospital in Porgera, Enga remains closed after a brutal massacre in Porgera town Tuesday afternoon in which 18 people were killed. The massacre has rocked Enga province and shocked Papua New Guinea.
Fiji is fully booked until October
Fiji’s 13,000 hotel room- inventory is fully booked until October, signalling a strong post-COVID comeback for the tourism sector. Speaking at a Reserve Bank of Fiji-organised post-budget discussion, Fiji Hotel
Palau Congress paves way for Blue Prosperity funding
Members of the Olbiil Era Keluau Monday adopted amendments to the supplemental budget to pave way for the Blue Prosperity funding assistance, while Palau Congress gave approval to the marine spatial planning. The new
Cook Islands: 5m waves expected, tourists urged to delay travel
A Cook Islands tourism operator is advising New Zealand travellers to consider putting off their travel as waves of up to 5 metres are expected. Last week, the south coast of the Cook Islands was hit by 4.5m waves which
No PNG election will be deemed as failed without evidence: Sinai
Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says no election will be deemed as failed unless a full report is given by security and electoral staff in the five electorates that have faced issues in the past
PNG election update: Seats declared, election violence
The ruling Pangu Pati has drawn first blood in the PNG General Elections 2022 with its leader and deputy leader retaining their seats on first count alone. Pangu has a head start with four MPs, James Marape (Tari Pori);
Vanuatu seasonal workers speak out on mistreatment
A group of Vanuatu seasonal workers in Australia who absconded from their farms have come out to shed light on their working conditions. While they say they regret that their actions have tarnished Vanuatu’s effort in
PNG embraces Telstra’s acquisition of Digicel
Papua New Guinea caretaker Prime Minister James Marape has welcomed the completion of Telstra’s acquisition of Digicel Pacific last week, saying it demonstrates international confidence in the national economy. He
Tonga making waves in Pacific Netball
In light of their recent success in the PacificAus tournament earlier in March this year, the Tonga Netball team will be hoping to continue top performance in the Netball World Cup Pacific Qualifiers this week in Suva,
COVID-free Marshall Islands prepares to rejoin the world
The Marshall Islands will remove it’s managed quarantine system after October 1st. The Marshall Islands is one of only a handful of nations left in the world that is COVID free and has remained so due to strict
Severe coastal flooding hits American Samoa and the Cook Islands
The full impact of huge sea swells across American Samoa and the Cook Islands is only starting to come to light. Severe weather conditions in American Samoa have resulted in damage to roads, infrastructure, property and
Samoa at PIF2022: on gender and geopolitics
Samoa’s Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is attending her first Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting as Prime Minister in Suva this week. As leaders gather for their retreat today, Islands Business contributor, Sera
Cook Islands: “Uphold the decision making process of our Forum leaders”
The Cook Islands representative to the Pacific Islands Forum, Tepaeru Herrmann says they respect Kiribati’s decision to withdraw from the Forum, but that upholding the decision to appoint former Henry Puna to the
Vote buying is expected in PNG: Sinai
Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai has told media that vote buying and other corruption related offences are expected in any election in PNG. He said the 2022 National General Election is no exception,
Historic deals on maritime boundaries at the Forum
Many Pacific island states are really large ocean states, with vast Exclusive Economic Zones. As local enterprises and overseas corporations seek to exploit the region’s vast ocean resources – from fisheries to deep
USP “students are hurting” says Pro Chancellor
As Pacific leaders meet in Suva to discuss deepening regionalism through the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, USP, the region’s university continues to suffer the impacts of continued funding
Promising future for Pacific exporters: PTI Australia
Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia says despite half of the businesses responding to its export survey noting a decline in export orders over the past year, businesses are optimistic about the future. The most recent
Legal jostling over Marshall Islands’ Forum status derailing unity efforts
Marshall Islands President David Kabua will not be in Suva for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting this week because members of his own government have “derailed” an effort to reverse the country’s
“We absolutely must preserve the unity of the Forum”
French Polynesia at the regional summit For Jean-Christophe Bouissou, Vice President of French Polynesia, the 51st Pacific Islands Forum is an opportunity to highlight the ongoing challenge of climate change for the
Forum leaders meet to consolidate Blue Pacific agenda
For the first time since 2019, presidents and prime ministers from around the region will gather face-to-face in Suva this week, to continue the 51st Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting. The centrepiece of the summit
