More Top Stories
Cook Islands passport proposal
6 January 2025
Top cop position advertised
7 December 2024
Police need numbers and bigger budget
9 December 2024
Niki Rattle: A call for stronger human rights protections
10 December 2024
Solid and Hazardous Waste Bill referred to Parliament committee
10 December 2024
DPM defends CIIC finance and travel policies
6 December 2024
Cook Islands has its first mosque
14 November 2024
CI Muslim opens up about her faith and journey
16 November 2024
RAC to address mosque legality
19 November 2024
I don’t expect much change: PM Brown on US Elections
6 November 2024
Fifth weekly Sydney flight to Rarotonga announced
23 October 2024
CIIC directors seek $350,000 in damages over defamatory claims
21 October 2024
Man found guilty of rape, burglary
24 September 2024
Tenants face water bill burden
8 October 2024
Concerns over Minister’s role in inmate work releases: PAC
5 October 2024
Tourism contribution set to surpass half-billion dollar mark
25 September 2024
Parliament Clerk sparks outrage over deep sea mining statement
23 September 2024
Deep sea dilemma: Cook Islanders weigh the cost of mineral riches
21 September 2024
Anxiety on the rise: Cook Islands faces mental health challenge
7 September 2024
Cook Islands deep sea mining poll sparks controversy
7 September 2024
MCI rejects ‘dark fleet’ label
3 August 2024
Rising seas, rising costs: Climate impacts on Cook Islands economy
2 September 2024
Inflation eases but concerns remain
31 August 2024
Prime Minister defends $659,000 MPs travel bill
23 August 2024
Taxpayers foot $659,000 bill for MPs travel and allowance
22 August 2024
Corruption report exposes ‘bribe and sexual favours’
17 January 2023
PM Brown eager to hand over Forum chair role to Tonga
13 August 2024
Challenging ‘rape culture’
8 July 2024
Pacific
Cook Islands National Council of Women welcomes NZ High Commissioner
The Cook Islands National Council of Women (CINCW) welcomed New Zealand’s new high commissioner to the Cook Islands, Catherine Graham, at their office in Takuvaine yesterday.
PM Brown confident in Pacific Islands Forum leadership despite political change in Tonga
The sudden resignation of Tonga’s former prime minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni had left a temporary gap in the leadership of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), but Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown remains confident that the situation will soon stabilise.
No relief as people starve to death
PORT MORESBY – Poor logistical planning has been blamed for relief supplies not reaching starving people in drought-affected parts of Papua New Guinea. An estimated 800,000 people are in need of food in mainly remote areas. The PNG government says it has started providing relief aid but frontline workers say much of it is stuck in provincial warehouses, with no budget to distribute the supplies. “The dry spell is still on and, some people are starving because of shortage of food, it started last year and is still worse today,” said villager Solokai Fataiyai, speaking to Radio New Zealand’s Dateline Pacific from Mougulu Station deep in the jungle of Papua New Guineas Western Province. He says it has now been more than six months since the drought began and his people are losing hope of ever getting help from the government. “They are promising to assist us but at the moment we have not received any assistance, almost from last year middle of the year. At the moment we have got 15 people already have passed away because of hunger.” According to a specialist in Papua New Guinea agriculture and food, Fataiya’s situation is shared by hundreds of thousands not because there is no aid but because local authorities lack the resources to get aid to those in need. Mike Bourke who has just returned to Australia says this stems from a combination of drought-related factors including reduced nutrition and an increased disease burden with people having to work twice as hard to find food. “Adults are dying who don’t normally die, people in their 20s and 30s – and there is clearly an increase in death rate amongst very small children. “We don’t have really hard data, we don’t have lots of good demographic data but the evidence coming in is credible. “It may not be tens of thousands of people over all but for the groups and communities involved it is a huge tragedy.” Dr Bourke has been compiling reports and analysis to try and assist authorities to be more strategic in the distribution of the aid. Workers on the frontline of the drought crisis are pleading with the national government to allow international donor partners and humanitarian organisations to take part in ongoing efforts to provide relief to drought affected communities. The drought relief director for the Church Partnership Programme, Mathew Kanua, says international partners could help. “They do this thing all over the world, they can come and help and plan the logistics and transport together with the government and budget these things and invite the participation of the private sector and we can move this along very quickly. But the government has not clearly stated what role these people play and if any.” - RNZI
Tourist boats set on fire, competitors suspected
NGERMID – The owner of the three tourist boats burned two weeks ago at in Palau has offered a $2500 reward to anyone who provides information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.
Nothing clear about 2019 Games funding
PORT MORSEBY – Tonga has announced that Papua New Guinea will give US$35 million to the Pacific kingdom to help prepare for the 2019 Pacific Games, according to a brief out of Nuku‘alofa reported in the Post-Courier newspaper.
PNG football faces fine and suspension
PORT MORESBY – The world soccer body, FIFA, has opened a disciplinary case against the Papua New Guinea Football Association whose women’s team failed to travel to New Zealand for the Olympic qualifying playoff scheduled on Tuesday.
PNG completes most asylum claims
PORT MORESBY – Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister says the government has completed processing the cases of 97 per cent of the asylum seekers at the Manus Island detention centre.
Pacific's first female leader
MAJURO – The Marshall Islands parliament has elected a new president, Dr Hilda Heine, the first female political leader of any independent Pacific island nation.
Bribery claims in Vanuatu elections
PORT VILA – An anti-corruption group in Vanuatu said it is collecting evidence and written testimonies of alleged bribery during last week’s snap election.
Police chief 'not interested' in debate
SUVA – Fiji’s Acting Police Commissioner says he won’t enter into a public debate with the recently resigned Assistant Commissioner of Police Henry Brown.
Percentage of Maori and Pasifika doctors on the rise
WELLINGTON – The number of doctors in New Zealand is increasing, according to the Medical Council of New Zealand’s annual stock take.
Fundraisers to help fire hit market vendors
APIA – Two campaigns have been launched to help stall holders recover from a a devastating fire in Samoa which saw the country’s main flea market destroyed last week.
PNG's sports minister 'totally embarrassed'
PORT MORESBY – The Papua New Guinea Sports Minister says it’s a total embarrassment the women’s football team was forced to withdraw from the Olympic playoff against New Zealand over visa issues.
Some airlines continue Port Vila flights
PORT VILA – Despite the suspension of flights by Air New Zealand and Qantas, Solomon Airlines has announced it will continue to fly in and out of the international airport at Port Vila as normal.
Barriers for women in Nauru elections
YAREN – An aspiring female candidate in Nauru says cultural barriers are holding women back from being involved in politics in the country.
Zika travel warnings queried
APIA – The Ministry of Health in Samoa is questioning travel warnings issued to pregnant women in New Zealand and the United States over the mosquito-borne zika virus.
Doctor challenges gagging act
CANBERRA – One of Australia’s leading doctors has challenged the country’s prime minister to prosecute him for speaking out about what he calls “torture-like conditions” in offshore detention centres.
Briefs
TOURIST VICTIMS IGNORED TREKKING RULES
Weapons for peacekeeping
SUVA – Arms and military equipment that arrived in Suva in a shipment from Russia last Thursday are for Fiji’s peacekeepers, the Fiji Sun has reported.
Fears over Fiji's use of Russian arms
SUVA – A security analyst says there is concern a Russian shipment of military equipment to Fiji will be used for more than peace keeping abroad.
Vanuatu youth denied chance to vote
Thousands of first-time voters unable to register
Fire destroys Samoa market
APIA – Thousands of people fear for their livelihoods after a fire burnt down Savalalo market in Samoa.
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