Briefs
American SamoaAmerican Samoa has issued a public health emergency after an outbreak of measles has spread across the U.S. territory. Dr Scott Anesi, the department’s lead epidemiologist, said 31 suspected cases
PNG climate change officials accused of skimming US$1.3 million in public funds
Senior staff at the government body responsible for carrying out Papua New Guinea’s climate change response are facing major criminal proceedings after the alleged misappropriation of more than $2 million (US$1.3
Measles outbreak in American Samoa
American Samoa has issued a public health emergency after an outbreak of measles has spread across the U.S. territory. As of Tuesday, there has been one laboratory-confirmed case among an 8-year-old and 31 suspected
Contaminated cough syrup made in India found in Western Pacific: WHO
Contaminated cough syrup made by an Indian company has been found in the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday, after a spate of child deaths linked to similar syrups in
ANZ’s stubborn optimism on the PNG economy
In 2013, the ANZ Bank produced a big report on PNG’s economic future in which it expounded on its “considerable optimism about the country’s future”. The report outlined three scenarios for the resources sector:
Most meth labs foreign owned and run by Papua New Guineans
Intelligence reports detail Papua New Guinea allegedly has more than 15 methamphetamine (meth) manufacturing laboratories. About seven of them are operating in nation’s capital with clandestine laboratories, three in
BSP customers in PNG told to repay money after ‘glitch’
A “technical issue” has allowed some customers with Papua New Guinea’s largest bank to overdraw money from their accounts, while others have watched their bank balances drop. In a statement posted to Facebook,
Palau calls for halt on seabed mining until 2030
Palau President Surangel Whipps Junior said he wanted the seabed mining practice temporarily suspended until at least 2030. “The ocean for us is life. We depend on it for sustenance, we depend on it for our economy
Opinion: China-here, there and everywhere
The end of the compact negotiations between Ambassador Joseph Yun and the freely associated states is only 50% of the struggle to completion. The remainder is in the U.S Congress and dealing with the proposed
Outgoing FSM president urged to reconsider diplomatic shift to Taiwan
Seeking to retain the status quo on the Federated States Micronesia’s (FSM) diplomatic relations with China, the FSM Congress weighed in on a resolution urging outgoing President David Panuelo to suspend his plan to
‘People are suffering’: Kiribati’s judicial crisis
The opposition in Kiribati wants answers from the government about the ongoing crisis in the country’s judiciary. The government last year dismissed the chief justice and three Court of Appeal judges – all
