by Richard Sanders, Staff Writer Washington has finalized tariff hikes on billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese imports, US trade representative Katherine Tai announced on Friday. The new levies will notably affect goods such as electric vehicles and semiconductors. The tariff hikes were first announced by the White House in May of this year, but the…
by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has formally requested support from the Vatican in its quest for political independence from Papua New Guinea. ABG President Ishmael Toroama presented a letter advocating for Pope Francis’s assistance to Bishop Darius Kaluza of the Bougainville Catholic Diocese during the Pope’s recent visit to PNG….
by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer Children in Vanuatu will soon see themselves represented in literature, with new books likely addressing themes of climate change and natural disasters. A hundred new titles will be crafted by local authors, resulting in over 8,000 copies that will be distributed to children in remote areas. The initiative, named ‘Library…
by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer Details of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s upcoming trip to Samoa next month have been unveiled. This visit coincides with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, marking the King’s first attendance as Head of the Commonwealth. Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa announced last week that all 56…
Pope Francis with our Associate Editor, Ed Castro in Vatican City by Edgardo Castro Pope Francis urged Catholics in Papua New Guinea on Saturday to persist in their mission of sharing the Gospel with the country’s most marginalized and remote communities. During his visit to the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Port Moresby on…
by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer The French government is introducing a new financial aid package of approximately €130 million to support New Caledonia’s economy. This funding aims to provide urgent assistance to prevent critical services, such as the main electricity provider ENERCAL and social services, from facing imminent collapse, according to a release from the…
by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer Fiji’s newly appointed anti-corruption chief was questioned by the anti-corruption office regarding an abuse of office allegation just a day after her appointment was announced. On Wednesday, Barbara Malimali, who has an active case with the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) due to her position as chair of the…
by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer The Speaker of the Papua New Guinea Parliament, Job Pomat, has declared in a parliamentary session that he has received and accepted a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister James Marape. The opposition has been attempting to submit this motion since February, marking this as their fifth effort since…
by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) has altered its final communique to remove a reference to Taiwan, after a senior Chinese diplomat publicly criticized the document. Organizers have blamed the wording on an error. The group of 18 island nations, along with Australia and New Zealand, convened in Tonga last…
Engaging with Russia and North Korea, and “getting along” with them, would be a “good thing,” former US President Donald Trump has argued. Speaking at an election rally in Pennsylvania on Friday, the Republican nominee touted his diplomatic efforts to fix Washington’s ties with Pyongyang, referring to his 2019 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the demilitarized…