Briefs

American SamoaThe neighbour of an American Samoa House Representative was arrested over allegations of threats to burn down the Representative's house and shoot his family. It was alleged after further investigations

Read More

Movers and Shakers

Ewen McDonald is Australia's inaugural Special Envoy for the Pacific and Regional Affairs and the next High Commissioner to Fiji. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the role reflects the Albanese Government's commitment

Read More

U.S. Ambassador Kennedy arrives in Honiara

United States Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy has arrived in Honiara Monday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the sinking of President Kennedy’s Patrol Torpedo Boat and his rescue by Solomon Islands

Read More

U.S.-China competition: Blinken heading to NZ, Tonga, Australia

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit the Pacific this week – his third foray to the region – to discuss security co-operation with New Zealand and Australia. The State Department said Blinken

Read More

Failed Palau Media Deal reveals inner workings of China’s Pacific influence effort

For years, Moses Uludong has been a lonely voice pushing the small, strategically located Pacific island nation of Palau towards closer relations with China, says the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

Read More

BSP Life Pays $44 million in Benefits from January – June 2023

BSP Life today announced it paid $44million in Customer Benefits for January – June 2023. This equates to around $1.7 million a week, an increase of 13% from the average of $1.5 million a week in 2022. Most payments

Read More

Seoul back Fukushima water plan, PIF panelist hits back at IAEA decision

South Korea says it believes Japan’s plan to release treated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant will meet international standards, days after a United Nations atomic agency review of the

Read More

Australian diplomats convinced ICAC to censor Pacific nations where Maguire schemed. It didn’t work.

Federal Australian officials successfully persuaded the NSW corruption watchdog to “de-identify” a group of Pacific countries mentioned in last week’s report on Gladys Berejiklian’s and Daryl Maguire’s

Read More

Opinion: Pacific treaties must be built with care and nurtured once they’re in place

Security agreements are an increasingly hot topic in the Pacific as Australia, the U.S, China and New Zealand seek broad arrangements across the region. Melanesian countries have attracted the most attention; over the

Read More

New Zealand pushes back on Pacific-wide free movement

New Zealand cabinet ministers have considered, but dismissed for now, a Pacific proposal for easier movement of people around the region. Pacific Islanders are subject to tougher entry conditions when they try to visit

Read More

SPBD Microfinance celebrates US$250 million loan disbursement milestone in the South Pacific

SPBD Microfinance, the leading microfinance network dedicated to empowering women microentrepreneurs across the South Pacific celebrated a major milestone in June, distributing US$250 million in loans in its quest to

Read More

Port Moresby suppresses West Papua flag raising ahead of Indonesian president’s visit

Authorities in Papua New Guinea have clamped down on displays of the West Papuan independence flag ahead of the Indonesian president’s visit to the Pacific island country this week. Papua New Guinea, which has a

Read More