by Richard Sanders, Staff Writer Refugee advocates and scholars are commenting on Australia’s recent actions in the Pacific geopolitical landscape. Canberra plans to invest AU$100 million over the next five years in Nauru, a small atoll measuring 21 square kilometers, home to just over 12,000 residents. This location also hosts controversial offshore detention centers that…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor Bougainville needs to be economically strong to support its bid for independence, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape says. He told the PNG Investment Week Conference in Sydney this week that the internal revenue supporting Bougainville’s recurrent and development budgets is only at seven percent and needs to be…
Tusi Tala, Staff Writer A new publication by Ta’iao Dr. Matiu Tautunu, the Director of Samoan Studies at the National University of Samoa, provides important insights into traditional Samoan culture and language. Inspired by the university’s “Samoa Fa’asoa” broadcast series during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, “Samoa Fa’asoa Lōmiga 1” is the inaugural volume of…
Tusi Tala, Staff Writer According to Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape, Bougainville must strengthen its economy to support its independence aspirations. At the PNG Investment Week Conference in Sydney, he highlighted that the region’s internal revenue, which funds its recurrent and development budgets, currently stands at just seven percent and needs to be…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor Tuvalu’s first international underwater communications cable landed in the tiny island nation’s capital Funafuti this week. The Tuvalu Vaka Cable is jointly funded by the Australian, Taiwan, United States, Japan, and New Zealand governments. Tuvalu’s Transport, Energy, Communication and Innovation Minister Simon Kofe said that the subsea cable connection “is more than…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor Cook Islands has highlighted the impact of climate change on cultural heritage, particularly for women, during its historic participation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings in a landmark climate change case. The hearings which began earlier this month is examining what countries worldwide are legally required to do…
Tusi Tala, Staff Writer Tuvalu’s first international underwater communications cable arrived in the capital, Funafuti, this week. The Tuvalu Vaka Cable is financed collaboratively by the governments of Australia, Taiwan, the United States, Japan, and New Zealand. Simon Kofe, Tuvalu’s Minister for Transport, Energy, Communication, and Innovation, emphasized that this subsea cable represents more than…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor Canadian miner Island Passage Exploration (IPX) has announced the beginning of phase four of an exploration programme at Isina in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville. IPX is poised to take 70 percent ownership of Isina Resource Holdings, a company controlled by local landowners. The company has been…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor The United States will spend more than US$864 million (3.5 billion kina) on infrastructure and military training in Papua New Guinea over 10 years under a defence deal signed between the two nations in 2023, PNG’s foreign minister has said. No figure putting a value on the agreement has previously…
by Martin Haffner Associate Editor Fijian MP Urges Government to Fast-Track Development Leases to Address Squatter Settlement Issue In a significant call to action, a prominent Member of Parliament (MP) from Fiji has urged the government to expedite the process of granting development leases as part of a comprehensive strategy to tackle the pressing issue…
