PINA

The awarding of one of Indonesia’s highest honours to a former militia leader indicted for crimes against humanity has been labelled an insult to both East Timor and Australia. David Savage, an Australian former United Nations peacekeeper and war crimes investigator in East Timor, slammed the presentation of Eurico Guterres with the Star of Service medal by Indonesia President Joko...

Kina Securities has made commitments to expand Westpac’s operations in Papua New Guinea if it is allowed to buy them, including creating new jobs, spending millions of dollars on technology and allowing smaller banks to access its infrastructure, as PNG’s competition regulator considers whether to approve the $420 million(US$30 million) deal. ASX-listed Kina, which owns PNG’s second-largest retail bank, Kina...

The runway of the capital city’s airport jostles for space among the homes crammed around it, which themselves make way for two of the largest buildings – the nation’s parliament and the Princess Margaret Hospital – both with water views. In fact, everyone has ocean views in Funafuti, the capital of Tuvalu. The entire country is built on three impossibly...

A local government in Queensland is seeking to grow a crop that has been banned in Australia for more than 20 years as it is considered a drug. The Bundaberg Regional Council (BRC) has made a submission to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to trial kava production in Australia. Vanuatu Kava Industry Association chairman Michael Louze said he...

Fiji has recorded 467 new cases of COVID-19 and three new deaths Sunday, increasing the total number of cases to 40,167 and 369 deaths since the outbreak in April. Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said there have been 231 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 23,831 active cases. “17,226 active cases are...

If he is not busy as head of the Tax and Customs Division in the Federated States of Micronesia, Salvador Jacobs would be out fishing with families and friends. Or you would find him playing baseball. But the current Oceania Customs Organisation chairman is a typical family man, who loves to spend time with his wife, four daughters and...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$5 million grant to expand and improve water supply, sanitation, and waste management services in Nauru. The grant will partly fund the assessment, planning, and capacity building needed to implement the proposed Nauru Sustainable Urban Development Project. The planned US$20 million project will increase access to and improve the quality and safety...

Pacific Island leaders agreed to continue the dialogue among the nations to heal the fracture brought about by the withdrawal of the Micronesian countries from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Some Pacific experts said the line on a continued political dialogue among the leaders is a sign that there is still hope in keeping Micronesia in the Forum. In a communique...

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape will make a ministerial statement in Parliament on Wednesday to update the nation on the results of the Wabag and Kokopo meetings on Bougainville. The PNG and Bougainville governments have convened escalated Joint Supervisory Body meetings and joint consultation meetings to address the priority and sanctity of these issues. Marape said there can be...

Tonga is considering a mandatory death sentence for offenders who traffic five kilograms or more of a Class A drug. An amendment bill tabled in Parliament Friday also proposes the death sentence for offenders who repeatedly procure and use children in drug offences. The bill still has to go through the second and third readings before it can proceed further.... SOURCE: TONGA...