American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Samoa, Vanuatu remain on EU tax blacklist

Six Pacific Islands are on the EU tax blacklist, remaining listed an “non-cooperative”. They are American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Samoa and Vanuatu. The European Union blacklist was set up in 2017 to

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Wish you were here: Pacific islands travel destinations inch towards reopening

Just a few months ago, whether travellers to the Pacific would need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 was still a matter of debate. But that discussion has moved as quickly as the Delta variant, and it now seems fait

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Tourists trickle into Micronesia

By Bernadette Carreon Palau’s cautious return to tourism this year is being closely watched by its neighbours as it has had to respond to fluctuating case numbers in its tourism source markets. Palau slowly reopened

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Guam-born astronaut joins SpaceX’s Inspiration4

Space has always been part of Dr Sian Proctor’s life since birth. Her father, the late Edward Langley Proctor Jr, was a contractor for NASA’s remote ground terminal in Guam, where she was born during the Apollo

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The Properties of Perpetual Light

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

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Economist says Guam’s economic future remains unpredictable

Guam’s post-lockdown economic activity may have returned to “some semblance of normalcy or some notion of what it was before,” but unpredictable variables are clouding the long-term outlook for the island, Bank of

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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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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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COVID-19 affects the military

The Rim of the Pacific military exercise will proceed  from August 17-31 as an at-sea only event in light of COVID-19 concerns. The Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet will host the biennial maritime exercise.  The

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Guam reports 4th COVID-19 death, Fiji 5 more cases

An update on COVID-19 related developments in the region today: Guam Guam has suffered its fourth COVID -19 related death.   The Guam Daily Post reports that the a 67-year-old woman, who had recently traveled

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Coronavirus travel restrictions: a Pacific wrap

There have been no cases of coronavirus reported in the Pacific Islands region, although Australia and New Zealand have reported cases, and in the case of Australia, one death. However the Pacific region has responded

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From banking to life saving

The woman behind Guam’s first private hospital FOR many years, Guam depended on the government-run Guam Memorial Hospital for medical care. But due to limited services offered at the problematic public

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