Regional
Palau gives reason for ocean optimism
Monday 15 June 2015 | Published in Regional
Efforts to conserve the world’s oceans are continually challenged by both what people put into them, and the rates at which we are taking biodiversity out of them, writes Wayne Sentman – a conservation biologist, naturalist, educator, and director of international eco-travel programme for the Oceanic Society, America’s oldest non-profit group dedicated to ocean conservation.
Duped refugee claims his life is in danger
Monday 15 June 2015 | Published in Regional
LORENGAU – A refugee is in hiding on Manus Island in fear of his life, after allegedly being tricked by Papua New Guinea immigration officials into making a newspaper advertisement promoting resettlement.
Dengue fever worries as test day draws near
Monday 15 June 2015 | Published in Regional
APIA – Samoa is on high alert for a fatal strain of dengue that has hit neighbouring American Samoa, New Zealand’s TV One News reported on Sunday.
ABC accused of activism ahead of journalism
Monday 15 June 2015 | Published in Regional
YAREN – The government of Nauru has sharply attacked the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, accusing it of spreading lies and replacing journalism with activism. The outburst comes just days after the ABC reported that a Queensland phosphate importer allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Nauru’s justice minister, David Adeang. Nauru rejected the report and in a fresh statement, it now says sections of the Australian media continue to wage a campaign to destabilise the Nauru government by supporting members of the opposition who slander government MPs and spread lies about Nauru. It insists that recent amendments to the criminal code are consistent with the constitution, saying no one is being arrested, no one is in jail, and freedom of speech is very much alive. It also says Nauru’s legal system is arguably the most independent, transparent and credible in the Pacific.
Palau sets fire to poachers' boats
Monday 15 June 2015 | Published in Regional
KOROR – The Western Pacific island nation of Palau has set fire to four Vietnamese fishing vessels caught illegally operating in its waters to deliver a stern and uncompromising warning that it will not tolerate poaching in its waters.
Fiji building state-of-art water bottling plant
Saturday 13 June 2015 | Published in Regional
SUVA – After five years of preparations, the groundwork for a multimillion-dollar mineral water-bottling factory in the interior of Ra province of Fiji will begin soon.
Call for American Samoa citizenship review
Saturday 13 June 2015 | Published in Regional
PAGO PAGO – American Samoa’s former Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin (pictured left) has urged local leaders to call a national convention to discuss American Samoa’s future political status and the issue of US citizenship.
Australia could be accused of people smuggling
Saturday 13 June 2015 | Published in Regional
CANBERRA – An international law expert has raised the prospect that Australian authorities could be accused of people smuggling if it is proven they paid the crew of an asylum seeker boat to return to Indonesia.
Women athletes carry the torch
Saturday 13 June 2015 | Published in Regional
PORT MORESBY – Of the 554 athletes that will compete for Papua New Guinea on home soil at the 2015 Pacific Games, 261 are women, and for many of them it’s been a hard road to make it to their country’s sporting elite.
Natuman prepares for counter attack
Saturday 13 June 2015 | Published in Regional
PORT VILA – Vanuatu’s opposition has filed a counter-attack motion of no-confidence in the new prime minister, Sato Kilman, less than 24 hours after it was ousted by Kilman in a no-confidence vote.
Government employers treat vehicles as their own
Friday 12 June 2015 | Published in Regional
APIA – The abuse of public vehicles is costing the government “millions.”
Love of rugby league helping school children
Friday 12 June 2015 | Published in Regional
PORT MORESBY – There are not too many people in Papua New Guinea who are not rugby league fans.
Barrier Reef 'in danger' listing urged
Friday 12 June 2015 | Published in Regional
TOWNSVILLE – The United Nations World Heritage Committee (WHC) could list the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger”, according to analysis from Australian and US environmental lawyers.
Flag options fail to excite Fijians
Friday 12 June 2015 | Published in Regional
LAUTOKA – Members of the public in Fiji polled in a random survey in Lautoka City were not happy with and rejected the final pool of 23 flag designs released by the government’s National Flag Committee on Tuesday.
Court case 'real reason for vote'
Friday 12 June 2015 | Published in Regional
PORT VILA – The Lands Minister in the ousted Vanuatu government, Ralph Regenvanu, has rejected the new government’s claim concerning the distribution of relief aid after Cyclone Pam in March.
Natuman out after no confidence vote
Friday 12 June 2015 | Published in Regional
PORT VILA – There’s been another political about-turn in the Pacific with Vanuatu’s prime minister Joe Natuman ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament.
Investigation was stymied
Thursday 11 June 2015 | Published in Regional
YAREN – A former Nauru solicitor-general says a police investigation into alleged kickbacks from an Australian phosphate company to Nauru’s president and justice minister was well advanced at the time of police commissioner Richard Britten’s sacking in July 2013.
Flag submissions redesigned
Thursday 11 June 2015 | Published in Regional
SUVA – A committee member overseeing the public competition to design Fiji’s new flag has confirmed that members basically composed the 23 final entries themselves, selecting elements from the around 2000 designs submitted.
Island's people don't want military firing range
Thursday 11 June 2015 | Published in Regional
SAIPAN – The mayor of the Northern Marianas Northern Islands region, Jerome Aldan, said the US military should take into account indigenous and cultural factors in its plan to set up a live-fire range on the volcanic island of Pagan.
Chinese on Pacific island buying spree
Thursday 11 June 2015 | Published in Regional
PACIFIC – In China it’s hard to keep up with the latest multimillionaire status symbol.
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