Fiji, October 17, 2019– IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the Fijian Government have signed an agreement that paves the way to help the country’s disadvantaged families and farmers gain access to an insurance payout in the event of a severe cyclone. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at a meeting…
NAURU Airlines has announced it will stop flying to Pohnpei and Honiara at the end of the month. The carrier said the destinations have been withdrawn because of low passenger numbers, making the flights commercially non-viable. It said ceasing the Honiara stop will create a quicker, direct service between Nauru and Brisbane. The airline said…
ABC: Leaders of the Free West Papua movement have met in the PNG capital Port Moresby to stress their commitment to war against Indonesia. The group’s chairman Jeffrey Bomanak delivered a statement at a West Papua Freedom Conference, saying the fight wouldn’t end until Indonesia agrees to meet them peacefully to discuss independence for the…
By NITHIN COCAFreelance Journalist EARLIER this month, the Indonesian military raided and destroyed the offices of the West Papuan National Committee, a separatist group in the country’s easternmost region, which has long agitated for independence. The raid came amid allegations that the military had used chemical weapons in airstrikes on separatists in West Papua in…
RNZI, 03 JAN, FIJI: A tropical cyclone warning is now in force for Fiji’s Rotuma. The Fiji Meteorological Service said a tropical cyclone alert remained in force for Vanua Levu, Taveuni and nearby smaller islands and was now in force for Lau and Lomaiviti group. The warning and alert have been sparked by tropical depression…
RNZI: The Governor of Papua New Guinea’s national capital has called for the government to review its policy on West Papua. The newspaper The National reported that Powes Parkop wants PNG to push for a legitimate independence referendum for West Papuans He said this was needed because 1969’s so-called Act of Free Choice referendum, through…
RNZI: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have unveiled a statue of a Fijian member of the elite British SAS force as they wind up their visit to Fiji. The final engagement of their three day trip honours Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba who died holding off an attack on an army base during the Battle of…
A CONSORTIUM of educators and international policy experts aims to develop and inspire a new generation of fisheries leaders across the Pacific Islands region. Pacific Catalyst is a partnership of the University of the South Pacific, the University of Wollongong, Duke University, iTunaIntel and Environmental Defense Fund. Dr Transform Aqorau, former deputy director of the…
RNZI: Vanuatu’s Foreign Minister says he’s lost faith in the Melanesian Spearhead Group because of a lack of consensus and political engagement. The group had become especially contentious after including Indonesia in 2015, which had clashed with United Liberation Movement for West Papua, which holds observer status. In an interview with Australian thinktank…
RNZI – Vanuatu’s Court of Appeal has upheld the Speaker’s decision to eject a former prime minister from parliament. The decision means Joe Natuman was no longer an MP and a by-election will be held on the island of Tanna. Natuman had appealed against the decision by the Speaker, Esmon Saimon, to declare his seat…