Severe drought and water crisis in Banaba

The Office of the President in Kiribati has today responded swiftly to desperate pleas for fresh water supplies from the people of Banaba. PACNEWS has established that a directive has come from the President’s Office

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Who is Henry Puna?

Who is Henry Puna? One vote – and a hundred million, or so, in unaudited assets. Few candidates have as slim a mandate as the new Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum. Just one vote separated him from

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Can USP survive its latest troubles?

Will Fiji emerge victorious in the prolonged leadership dispute at the regional university it co-owns with eleven other Pacific island nations? This was the question many were asking after the February 16 meeting of the

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No Chinese base for Fiji land

Fears of a Chinese military base at the Kiribati Government land near Savusavu on one of Fiji’s northern provinces have been laid to rest by the office of President Tenati Maamau. “The [Kiribati] Government

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Fiji Business Briefs: Fiji Kava, Survivor, FNPF, Fiji Airways

Fiji Kava has released its half year financial results (for the six months ending 31 December 2020) and it reports revenue of A$496,379 for the period, up 111% on the previous six months. Fiji Kava reported a statutory

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COVID-19 vaccine doses earmarked for Pacific Islands by July

Twelve Pacific Island countries are expected to receive vaccines for the coronavirus in the first half of this year through the COVAX initiative, with the region’s largest nation Papua New Guinea expected to receive

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Puna faces huge challenges as new Forum Secretary General

Pacific leaders have appointed Henry Puna, former Prime Minister of Cook Islands, as the new Secretary General for the Pacific Islands Forum. The decision came late at night at the Forum Special Leaders Retreat, after a

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How the Pacific can learn from each other, and unite on COVID vaccines

Pacific island nations can learn from the early roll-out of coronavirus vaccines in the north Pacific says the World Health Organisation’s  Representative in the South Pacific. The Pacific’s COVID response is

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It’s Micronesia’s turn to head the Forum: Tong

As Pacific leaders meet Wednesday this week to try and select the next head of the Pacific Islands Forum, Former Kiribati Leader AnoteTong weighs in on what has been a divisive process. Long-time President of Kiribati,

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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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‘Sickened’, ‘saddened’ and ‘a bit angry’: US Ambassador Cella on riots

The outgoing US Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu and Tonga says he was sickened, saddened and a bit angered by the scenes of violence at the US Capitol building in Washington DC  last week. 

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ADB further downgrades Pacific growth expectations

Economic growth expectations for the Pacific have been downgraded to decline by 6.1% for 2020. The Asian Development Bank had originally forecast a 4.3% decline in July of this year. “Vaccine procurement and

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