Unearthing stories that matters |
Journalists from across the Asia-Pacific region are participating in the highly prestigious 2024 Jefferson Fellowships study tour. The program, titled “Partnerships, Postures, and Perils: Assessing East Asia’s Security and Economic Environments,” runs from December 1–18, 2024, with sessions held in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi; Manila, Philippines; and Taipei, Taiwan. Among this year’s Fellows is…
by Stephen Howes* Data just released from the Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations shows a sharp decline in Pacific workers engaged in short-term (seasonal) agricultural work, with the total falling from 18,905 in July 2023 to 14,355 a year later in July 2024, a decline of 24% in a single…
The Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) has echoed the calls of the Palau Media Council (PMC) and the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF) to uphold freedom of expression and press freedom across the Pacific. These rights, PINA emphasises, are essential for ensuring the well-being of citizens and supporting democratic principles in…
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing the Government of Solomon Islands with the second tranche of financing for its Land and Maritime Connectivity Project totaling USD$53 million. The project is strengthening transport infrastructure in Solomon Islands. The Land and Maritime Connectivity Project was approved by the ADB Board in…
The Pacific is projected to grow by 3.3% in 2024 and 4.0% in 2025, but the need to build resilience continues, according to the latest issue of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Pacific Economic Monitor (PEM) launched today. This growth is largely driven by the recovery of resource extraction in Papua New…
The experiences and challenges facing Pacific journalists attempting to uphold freedom of expression and information across the region, will be captured for the first time in an inaugural survey of Pacific media freedoms, For us. By us. About us. Launched today by the regional media freedoms watchdog, Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF),…
The 82nd anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Guadalcanal held in Honiara yesterday was a powerful reminder of the deep bonds between the people of the United States and the Solomon Islands,” visiting U.S. Ambassador to Solomon Islands Ann Marie Yastishock says. Yastishock travelled from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea,…
SYDNEY – Australia urged China to avoid “coercion” in the Pacific Islands and to be “more transparent in the aid” it provides, acknowledging a “state of permanent contest” between Beijing and the West. Australia’s Pacific minister Pat Conroy said new economic opportunities for Pacific Island nations should not be “accompanied by coercion…
The Panguna mine made a fortune but left war and pollution in its wake. A new lawsuit backed by anonymous investors is now seeking billions in compensation – and raising concerns about who stands to benefit. by Aubrey Belford (OCCRP) High in the forested mountains of Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville…
by Lamantha Lano The 17 member countries of the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) were called on to see the critical need for sustainable fisheries management, Solomon Islands Deputy Prime Minister Bradley Tovosia says. Speaking yesterday at the opening of the 23rd Annual Ministerial Forum Fisheries Committee (FFC) and the 5th…
