Marshall Islands gov’t buys hotel for USP campus

The Marshall Islands government has bought a hotel in Majuro and will turn it into a campus for the University of the South Pacific (USP). The government made a US$2 million down payment on the US$3.8 million price tag for the 36-room Long Island Hotel. The government purchase reduces available hotel rooms in Majuro to…

Peace training described as worthwhile

Women participants at the five days transformational leadership and character education for peaceful co-existence training at Mendana Hotel last week described it as worthwhile. The training brought together rural women both from the post-conflicting provinces Malaita and Guadalcanal. Watson Puiahi founder and director of Ilukim Sustainability Solomon Islands facilitated the week long peace training with…

Higher tobacco taxes proposed to save millions of lives

The United Nations health agency is calling on countries to raise taxes on tobacco to encourage users to stop and prevent other people from becoming addicted to tobacco. “Raising taxes on tobacco is the most effective way to reduce use and save lives,” says Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). “Determined…

PNG needs to grow its own food: Minister

After 39 years of Independence, PNG continues to import many goods that can be easily produced locally, says Minister for Trade Commerce and Industry Richard Maru. Maru said these include beef where the country imports 50 percent of the annual requirements, dairy, milk and many dairy products, rice, fruits and vegetables and much more.  “PNG…

PNG names woman candidate for top Pacific post

High flying Papua New Guinea woman, Dame Meg Taylor, is the country’s nominee for the post of the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat. Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said Dame Meg had a wealth of experience and knowledge that spanned 20 years in active service to the Government of Papua New Guinea.…

Mining Bill, a rushed Bill

The Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill 2014 ( MMAB2014) which the Solomon Islands Government ( SIG) passed on the 30th April 2014 is nothing more than a  rushed through parliament Bill  to make way for mining companies and foreign interests to extract the natural resources of this country and its citizens’. The MMAB2014 is a…

Forecast for growth

DOMESTIC economic conditions continue the robustness shown last year and most partial indicators for consumption and investment have shown positive growth, says Reserve Bank of Fiji governor Barry Whiteside. He made the comment following RBF’s board meeting on Thursday where it agreed to keep the overnight policy rate unchanged at 0.5 per cent. “This is…

More employment as growth continues in Fiji

Fiji’s five years of positive economic growth has led to a reduction in the country’s unemployment rate with more people entering the job market. Minister for Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment, Jone Usamate said the figures collected during the 2010-2011 survey shows that unemployment rate has come down to 6.9 per cent from the previous…

Pruaitch: Gas export worth K10bn a year to PNG

Now that LNG exports have started, the nation’s export revenues will grow by some K10 billion to K12 billion (US$3.7 – US$4.4 million) in a full calendar year, Papua New Guinea Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch says. He said these revenue flows would greatly boost PNG’s balance of trade with the inflow of US dollars from LNG…

Sisilo backs Kiribati’s vice-president

Lead spokesperson for the forum island countries (FICs) on PACER-Plus Robert Sisilo, has backed the vice-president of the Republic of Kiribati, when she told forum trade ministers meeting in Tarawa last week that PACER-Plus holds much promise for the FICs and they should ensure that the agreement lives up to it’s ideals. In opening the…