Briefs
American Samoa Concerns have been raised over conditions at Tafuna Prison. Samoa News reports that a hearing of the Senate Public Safety/Homeland Security Committee heard that the buildings are unfit for human
Opinion: It’s important to acknowledge PNG’s own interests with China
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected in Papua New Guinea this weekend to sign an agreement clearing the way for PNG’s agricultural exports to enter the Chinese market. This step has already caught
Nauruan president starts six-day China visit
Nauru President David Adeang arrived in Beijing on Sunday, embarking on a six-day state visit to China from Sunday to 29 March. It marks the first visit by a Nauruan president after the two countries resumed
Where is USP heading amid a gathering storm?
In February 2021, the University of the South Pacific (USP) was plunged into crisis when Vice Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia was unceremoniously thrown out of Fiji following a middle-of-the-night raid on his campus
Briefs
Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas A special committee has been formed to look into the unpaid utility bills of the government of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, which has now ballooned to a whopping
Opinion: Micronesia in the Headlines
The rise of China and its role in the region is driving U.S. “re-engagement” with the island Pacific. In the case of those Micronesian states who have Compacts of Free Association with the United States (COFA), the
Opinion: What can the Pacific learn from the EU Parliament vote against Norway’s decision to advance deep-sea mining
On February the 7th, the European Union (EU) Parliament voted against Norway’s recent decision to advance deep-sea mining in the Arctic by reaffirming its moratorium position and called for the European Commission and
Tackling nuclear legacies, 70 years after Bravo
On 1 March 1954, the US government exploded a thermonuclear weapon on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, codenamed Bravo. The test had an explosive yield of nearly 15 megatons, a thousand times more powerful than the
Whose tune is sweetest in the Pacific game of musical chairs?
Soon after Australia signed the Falepili union agreement with Tuvalu at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in December, there was chatter that Nauru was next on the list for a similar deal with the Australians.
Briefs
American Samoa American Samoa’s government has passed a bill that will prohibit the use of polystyrene foam containers, with fines of up to US$1000 for its importing, sale, and use. In 2019, a bill was drafted to
Taiwan affirms close relations with Tuvalu
Taiwan maintains deep ties with Tuvalu, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said, amid reports the Pacific Island nation may switch recognition to Beijing. Tuvalu Ambassador to Taiwan, Bikenibeu Paeniu recently told
