Julian Aguon’s ‘The Properties of Perpetual Light’

I was invited to write a review of my dear friend Julian Aguon’s book ‘The Properties of Perpetual Light’. The task was a little daunting given his book has received the highest praise from the likes of Alice

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Olympics countdown: 101 days and different ways

It’s  now 101 days to the long-awaited Tokyo Olympics. The uncertainties and delay in staging of the 2020 Games, and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on training, qualification processes and mobility, means

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Opinion: Chinese overfishing in the South Pacific devastates some Islands’ livelihoods

Chinese fishing boats’ illegal overfishing in the South Pacific has been devastating some island economies. According to two former U.S. officials, “illegal, unregulated fishing by Chinese vessels has become common

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Farmers have their say

BUT ARE THEY BEING HEARD? By Samantha Magick Were you one of the many Pacific Islanders who spent the first few weeks of the coronavirus pandemic with soil under your nails? The introduction of lockdowns plus border

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Pacific farmers have their say

Were you one of the many Pacific Islanders who spent the first few weeks of the coronavirus pandemic with soil under your nails? The introduction of lockdowns plus border closures precipitated an explosion of backyard

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New report cites concerns over COVID response on human rights in the Pacific

A new human rights report released as Fiji’s Nazhat Shameem Khan takes the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council has noted concern over some Pacific Island governments’ responses to the

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2021: The diagnosis

After an incredibly challenging 2020, what will this year bring? We take a look at the economic and political prognosis and a few key sectors. Vaccinating for recovery Timely vaccination campaigns will be key to the

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Pacific People 2020: Our health frontliners

When Marnette Aggabao died from apparent COVID-19 related complications in Guam recently, she joined a tragic tally of health workers all over the world who have died during the pandemic. Aggabao, a 62-year-old

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Pacific People 2020: Palau’s health frontliners

It is almost the end of  2020 and Palau has remained one of the handful of  countries globally which have not registered a single case since the coronavirus outbreak was designated a pandemic in March. For

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Customs revenue badly hit by COVID

The decline in revenue collections for governments through its border agencies was a major topic of discussion at the Oceania Customs Organisation’s 22nd Annual Conference, held virtually for the first time in its

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Departure Lounge

Boarding Pass The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the UN body responsible for aviation, has agreed to ease airlines’ obligations to offset their emissions growth until at least 2023. The decision

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We Say: The virus is the threat, not people

The UN Human Rights Office has warned of “toxic lockdown culture” in a number of countries, with UN Secretary General António Guterres reminding governments that the threat was the “virus, not people.” States

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