Going combo
November was an incredibly busy month where it saw Papua New Guinea stood tall in marketing itself and the rest of the Pacific with it to the world by hosting what’s deemed to be the largest ever conference to be
Publisher’s Note
Publisher’s Note
When Malaysia’s Prime Minister-inwaiting and leader of the Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Anwar Ibrahim spoke at the Singapore Summit on 15 September to talk about the state of his country, the lessons he shared were
Rein it in PM Hou
It was a bitter-sweet kind of an anniversary for the people of Solomon Islands this past month when drug shortage in its main public hospital in the capital worsened. What’s suppose to be a celebration of what the
Life in interesting times
LATE last month Papua New Guinea returned the government of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to power – albeit with a much smaller majority. At the same time the people of the Pacific’s largest democracy removed three
Voice against injustice
IN August 1945 the United States destroyed the Japanese city of Nagasaki with an atomic bomb in an event which changed the world forever. More than 70 years later the race for nuclear supremacy continues unabated. Just
70 years strong
THE Pacific Community marks 70 years of service to the region this month in a quiet way in Noumea, New Caledonia. It is fitting that an organisation with humble beginnings should celebrate such a milestone in a subdued
Top quality air
SO the Solomon Islands has the cleanest air in the world according to a World Health Organization report released last month. In fact the report states that the air in the Solomons has the least pollution or foreign
Lead by example
IN April 1841 a French priest was murdered in the prime of his life on the island of Futuna. Pierre Louis Marie Chanel preached a message of lovå e, peace and obedience as he attempted to spread Christianity in a
A tale of two magazines
IN April 2015 the owners of Front Page Limited bought Islands Business magazine from the Godfrey Scoular and the Estate of the Late Robert Keith-Reid. The decision was not easy, given the media landscape in Fiji and the
The journey of life
THOUSANDS of Catholics across the Pacific celebrated Ash Wednesday this month as they began preparations for Easter. While this is a mainly Catholic tradition, more Christian denominations now take part in this ancient
Making a Pacific mark
IN December we highlighted the achievements of Fiji’s national rugby sevens coach and named him Pacific Person of the Year. A few weeks later Ryan was honoured with the Rugby Union Writers’ Club award in England.
Walk the talk
THIS year Fiji will chair the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change – COP 23 in Bonn, Germany. It is an event which is currently being touted as a major achievement for
Joy to the World
ALL over the world Christians will this month celebrate Christmas in a tradition which is centuries old. This day marks the arrival on earth of a person who would change the world forever through a simple message of
A call to renewal
A TERRIBLE, unjust system – indentured labour – was ended in Fiji 100 years ago this month. Known as girmit, the practice of recruiting labourers in India to work for a pittance on farms in Fiji lasted an
Life with cancer
THROUGHOUT the Pacific cancer has infiltrated the lives of our people at every strata of society. In Fiji, prostate cancer is an emerging new killer threatening men, families the workforce and the economy. Among women,
A call to action
DIABETES is perhaps the greatest growing threat to regional health and productivity. More people suffer from diabetes than those infected by the HIV virus or who suffer from full-blown AIDS. It is likely that due to
Watch that size
OBESITY continues to be a problem which must be addressed if we are to build a healthier region. For this obesity will eventually lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Across the Pacific, lifestyles
Watch that size
OBESITY continues to be a problem which must be addressed if we are to build a healthier region. For this obesity will eventually lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Across the Pacific, lifestyles
Time for tolerance
WITH the decriminalisation in Nauru of homosexuality under the Crimes Decree, many questions will surface from concerned individuals and civil society organizations. There will be a number of nongovernment organisations
Walk the talk
LAST month Fiji marked the 137th year of the arrival of the first Indian labourers under the indenture system. Just under 61,000 labourers were transported to Fiji from India beginning in 1879 under what was to become
A call to action
REGIONAL leaders have greeted the outcome of the Paris Climate Change talks with a sense of jubilation. In fact, there is a little euphoria in the region after developing countries agreed to keep the global temperature