US Visa bonds hit five Pacific nations
NATIONALS from five Pacific Islands Forum member countries will continue to face United States visa bonds of up to $USD20,000 for temporary travel under the Trump administration's now-permanent Visa Bond Program.
U.S.-Solomon Islands shiprider agreement enhances maritime security
THE Solomon Islands’ Shiprider Agreement signed with the United States signals its intent to tighten control over its vast waters and crack down on illegal fishing and other sea-borne crime.
US Congressional leaders introduce resolution to celebrate 55 years of ties with Fiji
PACIFIC leaders in Congress have introduced a resolution to mark 55 years of diplomatic ties with Fiji while reaffirming the United States’ long-term commitment to regional security and environmental cooperation.
Fiji’s exports to US unaffected by new tariffs
FIJI'S exports to the United States were not affected by Washington's latest tariff
Mixed messages over Solomons-US security deal
THE United States Coast Guard has sent a ship to the Solomon Islands ahead of a maritime security agreement between the two countries.
Solomon Islands and US move to restore Peace Corps partnership
PEACE Corps volunteers could strengthen specific areas of need in Solomon Islands after Prime Minister Matthew Wale and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau signing an agreement this week.
Wale pushes for stronger US partnership in Washington
SOLOMON Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has used an official visit to Washington, to advance priorities on development, investment and maritime security.
US marks 250 years of independence, signals deeper Fiji partnership
THE United States Embassy in Suva has marked America’s 250th anniversary of independence with a major diplomatic celebration in Fiji, using the occasion to highlight what it says is a deepening partnership with Fiji
Trump reopens Pacific waters to commercial fishing
THE Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council has welcomed President Donald Trump’s proclamation, Restoring American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific.
The Quad’s accountability gap
THE latest Quad foreign ministers’ meeting, held last month in New Delhi, produced an ambitious catalogue of new initiatives.
Building a better world: Safe, fair, inclusive
IS it any wonder people are in thrall to the power and vicarious thrill of digital technologies when many acclaimed films and TV series extol the apparent virtues of digital surveillance?
Senators unhappy with Trump’s wasted China opportunities
A GROUP of United States senators has described President Donald Trump’s recent visit to China as a failure to advance US
Six dead in US drug strike in Eastern Pacific
SIX people were killed in a US attack on a drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific on
Tongan students blocked from BYU studies amid US visa restrictions
AROUND 60 Tongan students due to begin studies at Brigham Young University have not been able to secure United States student
Total recall: US summons envoys to the Pacific
IN a further blow to United States (US) influence in the region, the Trump Administration will withdraw key diplomats accredited to eight Forum member countries before the end of their normal
US Congress tries to link Chinese Pacific projects to military threat
CHINA’S support for infrastructure projects in the Pacific could provide future military access for Beijing, senior members of a United States congressional advisory commission have warned in an exclusive interview
Palau Senate blocks US deportee deal, calls for referendum
THE Palau Senate has blocked a controversial agreement that would have allowed up to 75 third-country nationals deported from the United States to be resettled in the country, and called for a national referendum on the
US withdraws support for Pacific environment program
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has announced it will withdraw support for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
US enforces visa restrictions against Tongans
TRAVEL restrictions imposed by the United States against Tonga and 29 other countries began on January
Captured Fijian chief heads home from the United States
ON Saturday, Ro Veidovi Logavatu—chief of Rewa—will arrive home, 185 years after he was convicted of crimes against humanity and deported to the United
Cook Islanders confront US-funded vessel over seabed mining threat
COOK Islands activists in kayaks confronted a United States-funded exploration vessel as it returned to port in Rarotonga on Wednesday, holding a banner that read “Don’t Mine the
It’s about money US expansion to save island ports
A FEAR in the West around China’s expansion in the Pacific may be the catalyst for the renewal of port infrastructure around the
US seeks Cooks mining deal
NEGOTIATIONS are underway in the Cook Islands as the United States seeks a deal which will allow for the exploration of seabed
