Oceans under threat like never before, warns World Meteorological Organisation
Climate change has hit the world’s oceans hard, UN weather experts said on Monday, in a call for lifesaving monitoring and early warning services that were interrupted by COVID-19 to be ramped up again, to protect shipping and coastal communities at risk.
In an alert that warmer seas helped to fuel a record Atlantic hurricane season last year, along with...
242 new COVID-19 cases reported– PNG total up to 3,359
A total of 242 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Saturday bringing the Papua New Guinea total confirmed cases to 3,359.
The death toll remained at 36.
The new cases came from eight provinces with the National Capital District recording the highest number of cases with 112. The others are Western – 88; Morobe – 7; Western Highlands – 2;...
Nearly 80,000 COVID-19 vaccines bound for Samoa
Samoa caretaker Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr Sailele Malielegaoi says that 79,000 batches of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in the country by the end of March.
Tuilaepa said the Government has been told it will receive a much larger than previously stated number.
“We have received confirmation that at the end of the month of this month, we will receive our first...
Over 500 Fijians selected for overseas employment opportunities during the COVID19 period
The deployment of the third batch of 162 Fijians last week has taken Fiji’s number to over 500 workers in Australia since the recommencement of the labour mobility programs during the COVID-19 period since November 2020.
At the closure of our borders, the Ministry of Employment has deployed a total of 231 workers under the Australia Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS).
This...
Pacific Islands Forum: the first casualty of a changing culture of dialogue
by Hermann Mückler
The withdrawal of the five Micronesian members from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) may be seen by pessimists as the beginning of a further erosion of regional cooperation institutions. Others point to the only conditional importance of the PIF, positioning the bar for withdrawal very low. Still others accuse Australia, and some Australia in cooperation with New...
RNZAF delivers PPE to PNG to help with COVID-19 response
Crew on a Royal New Zealand Air Force Boeing 757 have carried out a contactless delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Port Moresby to help Papua New Guinea deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases.
The delivery of the PPE follows the Government’s announcement on Friday that New Zealand is providing additional support to PNG following the spike in...
Pacific boards can lead by example
New Zealand’s Pacific organisations need to lead by example when it comes to providing governance opportunities for the many ideal Pacific candidates in our midst.
Co-founder of WE Accounting and Pacific Education Centre (PEC) Board Member Eli Tagi says he knows of some large organisations which are slowly beginning to address the issue of having more Pacific faces on...
Report shines light on Pacific contribution to business
The contribution of Pacific people in business across Aotearoa New Zealand and their economic impact has been highlighted in a new report jointly released by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP) and Manatū Wāhine Ministry for Women.
Pacific women and men in business reports a third of Pacific-owned businesses employ others, and Pacific business owners earn 20 percent more than...
Loggers defy protections to take Solomon Islands’ rare Tubi trees
By Ofani Eremae
At the Korona logging camp on San Jorge Island in the Solomon Islands’ Isabel province, the logging machinery lay quiet. Except for the movement of three local security guards, the silence at this once-bustling log pond was deafening.
“The workers have gone home,” Eric Gnokro, a chief in the area who negotiated my entry into this tightly...
Early school break for PNG, as government plans to arrest current surge in Covid-19 cases
Term one of the school year has been cut short, and a four-week holiday begins on Monday, as the Papua New Guinea Government implements a plan to arrest the current surge in Covid-19 cases.
National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning said the total Covid-19 cases as of noon Tuesday was 2,479, including 31 deaths.
There were 128 new cases reported in...