Regional
Historic town hard hit by cyclone
Wednesday 11 May 2016 | Published in Regional
FIJI – A heritage aid worker says Fiji’s historic town of Levuka needs engineers and materials to help rebuild historic homes and infrastructure which were damaged during Cyclone Winston.
PNG fraud squad gets back to work
Wednesday 11 May 2016 | Published in Regional
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The head of Papua New Guinea’s police fraud squad says he doesn’t expect to have investigation files for a major fraud case into the affairs of the country’s prime minister vetted by the police commission’s office.
Where 'culture' overrides the rule of law
Tuesday 10 May 2016 | Published in Regional
Of the six petitions filed in the Supreme Court alleging corrupt practices leading up to the general elections in Samoa in March, not one of them proceeded to a court hearing.
Who's to blame for school brawls?
Tuesday 10 May 2016 | Published in Regional
“Let the closure of Avele College be the start of a deeper conversation”, writes Samoa Observer editor Mata’afa Keni Lesa.
Conjunctivitis outbreak in Tonga
Tuesday 10 May 2016 | Published in Regional
TONGA – A conjunctivitis (pink eye) outbreak in Tongatapu, has seen hundreds of people flocking to Vaiola Hospital with confirmed symptoms of the virulent eye infection.
Murder charges dropped
Tuesday 10 May 2016 | Published in Regional
FIJI – Murder charges levelled at four Fijian men have been discontinued by the nation’s prosecutor because of concerns their confessions were obtained under duress.
Protests highlight West Papua issues
Tuesday 10 May 2016 | Published in Regional
WEST PAPUA – Indonesian police officers arrested a total 1724 indigenous Papuans who took part in peaceful protests in Jayapura and other cities in Papua last week.
Territories pick their candidates
Monday 9 May 2016 | Published in Regional
GUAM – The Democratic Party caucuses in Guam have given Hillary Clinton almost 60 per cent of their votes, completing a clean sweep of the three US Pacific territories in her bid for the US presidency.
Journalist detained on Manus seeks compensation
Monday 9 May 2016 | Published in Regional
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A Kurdish Iranian journalist detained on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea says he wants compensation from the Australian government for holding him prisoner for political purposes.
Cyclone reef damage affecting fish stocks
Monday 9 May 2016 | Published in Regional
FIJI – A warning has been sounded about depleted fish stocks in Fiji after recent investigations reveal severe damage to community fishing grounds in the path of Cyclone Winston.
PM blames palagi laws for violence
Monday 9 May 2016 | Published in Regional
SAMOA – Samoa’s Prime Minister has attributed the growing problem of interschool violence to Samoa’s decision to adopt a number of international conventions giving children more freedom.
Save The Children vindicated
Monday 9 May 2016 | Published in Regional
AUSTRALIA – The Australian Immigration Department has agreed to pay compensation to Save The Children after some of its workers were removed from Nauru in 2014 amid allegations they were coaching asylum seekers to self-harm and inciting protests.
Nauru appeals to refugees
Monday 9 May 2016 | Published in Regional
NAURU – The Nauruan Government has made what is widely seen as a conciliatory statement, calling for unity between Nauruans and the island nation’s refugees.
Students protest 'constitutional crisis'
Monday 9 May 2016 | Published in Regional
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Concerned community groups say rising tensions over a disputed arrest warrant for Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister have led the country to a new constitutional crisis.
Future bleak for tropical corals
Saturday 7 May 2016 | Published in Regional
El Niño storms seem to be strengthening due to climate change, and in turn intensifying coral bleaching. This is particularly vivid at Christmas Island, where the water has warmed the most, writes Robynne Boyd for the Pacific Standard.
Melanesians linked to ancient hominid
Friday 6 May 2016 | Published in Regional
A recent report has concluded that Melanesian people retain DNA links to long-extinct forms of human life. The discovery, reported in the journal Science, adds to the growing body of evidence that all humans alive today are basically hybrids of ancient humans.
Noisy at the bottom of the deepest sea
Friday 6 May 2016 | Published in Regional
CHALLENGER DEEP – Scientists have recorded a cacophony of sounds including ship propellers at the deepest part of the world’s oceans, more than 10,000 metres below the surface.
Drones patrolling marine reserve
Friday 6 May 2016 | Published in Regional
ADAMSTOWN – Ocean-going drones are being used to help to spot illegal fishing in the world’s largest, continuous marine reserve.
Organic farming initiative
Friday 6 May 2016 | Published in Regional
PACIFIC – More than a thousand Fijian, Vanuatu and Samoan youths will be helped to secure employment through organic agriculture with the launch of a US$1.5 million two-year programme in Suva, Fiji. Activities of the project will address the high levels of youth unemployment in the three countries through skills building in organic agriculture, income generation, food security and climate change resilience. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Coordinator Osnat Lubrani said the UN is looking forward to supporting a programme focused on sustainable livelihoods that targets youths, adding the project can open up opportunities for income generation, boost confidence and empower young women and men. “The UN is proud to work in partnership with Pacific Community (SPC) and Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom) on this initiative, an excellent approach to sustainable farming and at the core is that it relates to food security and nutrition as well as climate change adaptation,” she said. “All these are closely connected to the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals.” Organic agriculture builds resilient farming systems with the ability to withstand extreme weather events and can provide yields comparable to conventional or chemical based farms. As lead implementing agency, POETCom will work with partner civil society organisations, FRIEND, Farm Support Association and Women in Business Development, and the governments of the three countries to identify suitable youths to receive training in organic agriculture and product development. Target youths are those seeking employment between 18 and 30 years of age or transitioning to formal employment within the next 12 to 24 months. The programme will address the high level of youth unemployment in the three countries, at around 44 per cent of the youth population in Fiji and 8.9 percent in Vanuatu. To do this, it will support linkages between the agriculture and tourism sectors of these countries, mapping value chains from the farms to hotel tables or retail outlets. POETCom Coordinator Karen Mapusua said: “In Fiji we are going to focus on Cyclone Winston badly hit areas helping to rebuild the economy through supporting the value chains between the suppliers (youths) and buyers (hotels and restaurants), developing menus that will use local products or the promotion of local products. “Simply, the youths will be trained to do organic farming, develop a product for example banana or coffee and be supported to market their product with the tourism sector.”
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