PAC - Pacific Islands Broadcasting Association articles from August 2003

PAC - Pacific Islands Broadcasting Association archives from August 2003

Duty on imported pearls now 100 percent.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 RAROTONGA (Pacnews) - The import duty on imported loose black pearls and jewellery featuring black pearls which are not of Cook Islands origin, is to be increased to 100 percent until 30 June, 2004, Prime Minister Dr Robert...

Australia funds prison service.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - Australia is to provide up to SBD$25 million (US$3.36 million) in assistance to rebuild the Solomon Islands' prison service and strengthen the judiciary. This is part of the Regional Assistance Mission to...

UNDP report ranks Pacific Island nations.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - Fiji is ranked 81 out of 175 countries, according to the Human Development Report 2003 released today. This is down nine places from a previous ranking in 2002 of 72. The ranking is based on each country's...

Terrorism high in MSG meet.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) - Regional security issues, terrorism, money laundering, people and small arms smuggling are at the top of the agenda in a meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in Gizo, Solomon Islands. The...

Congress sits for first special session with new president.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 PALIKIR (Pacnews) - Congress members of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) have sat in the first special session with new president, Joseph Urusemal. The 13th FSM Congress had to be adjourned after six days of plenary...

Tongan whale watchers call for whale sanctuary.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 NUKU'ALOFA (Pacnews) - A new organisation is to push the Tonga Government to declare the country's waters a whale sanctuary. The Tonga Whale Conservation Association is made up of whale watching operators who are also...

Tuvalu Prime Minister tries to get numbers before reconvening parliament.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 FONAFUTI (Pacnews) - Tuvalu's Prime Minister, Saufatu Sapoanga, says he will delay the reconvening of parliament until he has regained majority support. By-elections have given the opposition leader Amasone Kilei, enough...

ADB Pacific sub regional office for Suva.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - Fiji capital, Suva will be home to the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) main Pacific Sub regional Office (PSO) from early next year. The Fiji Cabinet has approved the establishment, stating that it will be at no...

Measles outbreak hits Marshall Islands.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 MAJURO (Pacnews) - An outbreak of measles has hit Majuro, the capital of Marshall Islands. At least twenty-one suspected cases have been treated at Majuro Hospital. Russell Edwards, assistant secretary for primary health care,...

UN forum to examine media's role in Internet age.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 NEW YORK (Pacnews) - Media leaders and policy makers from around the globe including the Pacific will convene in a landmark meeting to be broadcast worldwide from Geneva this December to discuss the role of the media in the...

Kaua'i temple rising with rock of ages.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 KAUA'I (Pacnews) - The creation of a millennium Hindu temple on the shores of Waialua River in Hawaii came out of a vision, but it is being hammered into solid rock. San Marga Iraivan Temple, rising on the grounds of a...

MP allocation begins micro-credit scheme project.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 PORT VILA (Pacnews) - A micro credit scheme project was officially launched in Vanuatu last week by the West Tanna Member of Parliament and Minister of Internal Affairs, Joe Natuman. With its headquarters located in the...

Disappointment with the defeat of euthanasia bill in NZ.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 WELLINTON (Pacnews) - Euthanasia campaigners in New Zealand are angry at the defeat of a bill that would have given terminally ill people the right to die. The Death With Dignity Bill was dumped after its first reading in...

Australia to help rebuild Solomon Islands prison.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - Australia says it will ensure that anybody detained as a result of investigations by the intervention force in Solomon Islands will remain in prison. Australia's foreign minister, Alexander Downer, has...

Foreigners on Niue major problem for growth - Minister.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 ALOFI (Pacnews) - Niue's Finance Minister Toke Talagi said this week that opposition from Niueans to foreigners living on the island is a major constraint on its growth. Mr Talagi tabled the island's budget last week and said...

Fiji PM to miss MSG meeting.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - Fiji's Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, has cancelled his attendance of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders meeting scheduled for the Solomon Islands next week. A government statement says PM Qarase...

Bomb threat at Fiji Times premises.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - The management and staff of The Fiji Times newspaper in Suva, Fiji vacated their building this morning after receiving a bomb threat. Editorial staff interviewed outside the building said an unknown caller...

No increased risk of terrorism - QANTAS.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 SYDNEY (Pacnews) - One of the Pacific's major carriers, Qantas, has moved to reassure its international passengers there is no increased risk of terrorism, despite new warnings about possible Al Qaeda hijackings. United...

Samoa to send 15 police to Solomons in two weeks.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 APIA (Pacnews) - A contingent of 15 Samoan police officers are expected to leave for Solomon Islands in two weeks time. Samoa had offered to send 40 officers to be part of the Australian-led intervention force but the new...

Niuean doctor to take up WHO post.
August 1, 2003... 01 AUGUST 2003 ALOFI (Pacnews) - Niuean Dr Colin Tukuitonga, has resigned to take a role with the World Health Organisation (WHO). He is New Zealand's Director of Health. Dr Tukuitonga will work in non-communicable diseases, and obesity...

PACNEWS DIGEST - The views expressed in PACNEWS DIGEST are those of agencies contributing articles and not necessarily those of PIBA and/or PACNEWS.
August 1, 2003... Guam tourism targeted by Aussies HAGATNA, GUAM - Consider these snapshots: Population, about 130,000; visitor arrivals, more than two million a year; tourism marketing budget, about US$3 million a year. Sounds like what Guam could be...

Cheap internet calls following phone bill reduction.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 RAROTONGA (Pacnews) - Internet users have called on Telecom Cook Islands (TCI) to reduce the cost of accessing the web - after their prices drew comment internationally. TCI announced that it was cutting the cost of...

Prime Minister refutes call for his resignation.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - The Opposition and Independent Group in the Solomon Islands Parliament, are demanding the immediate resignation of the Prime Minister, Sir Allan Kemakeza, following serious allegations against him by former...

Pro independence groups reject French attempts to integrate into regional bodies.
August 4, 2003... MONDAY 04 AUGUST PACIFIC (Pacnews) - The pro independence movements of New Caledonia and French Polynesia have issued a statement jointly opposing a French initiative aimed at integrating the two territories into regional organisations. ...

Palau and Vanuatu offer to join Solomon's initiative.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - In the tiny Pacific Island of Palau, 10 police officers want to be included in the Pacific peacekeeping mission to Solomon Islands. Justice Minister, Michael Rosenthal said he has asked public safety personnel...

Prime Minister announces seven new ministers.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) - Seven new ministers including five rookies were sworn-in at Government House on Saturday. Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare finally acted on his promise for a cabinet reshuffle to reward his coalition...

Ruling Human Rights Protection Party wins by-election in Samoa.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 03 APIA (Pacnews) - Samoa's ruling Human Rights Protection Party has won the Alataua West by-election. In doing so, the party has pushed its hold in parliament to 32 of the 49 seats. It was Alataua West's third by-election since...

A move to succeed where colonial powers failed - From Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hon. Phil Goff:.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) ---When leaders gather in Auckland on 12 August for the Pacific Islands Forum, a key discussion point will be Solomon Islands and the first use of the forum's Biketawa Declaration to deploy a regional assistance...

Canberra to review annual aid to PNG.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 CANBERRA (Pacnews) --- Australia was reviewing its A$300 million (US$195 million) aid package to Papua New Guinea (PNG) to determine if it was addressing areas of concern, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday. ...

MP wants rebel leader protected.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) --- Most vocal Solomon Islands parliamentarian, Alfred Sasako, has appealed to the Australian-led intervention force to protect rebel leader Harold Keke. Mr Sasako said the Guadalcanal militant leader is a...

Fiji has great economic potential, says PM.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - Fiji has the potential of becoming one of the great facilitators of regional and international trade, says Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Addressing a regional seminar in Nadi at the weekend, Mr Qarase said...

Illegal foreigners apprehended in PNG.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) --- Papua New Guinea's Foreign Affairs Minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu has commended law enforcement agencies for apprehending two foreigners allegedly involved in people smuggling. The capture of the two...

Mission to trace path of first European merchant expedition.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 PAPEETE (Pacnews) - A German research vessel, the Mercator, has arrived in Papeete with a crew of scientists who plan to trace the voyage of the first European merchant expedition in the Pacific in 1525. Accompanying the...

Fish processing plant opens.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 RAROTONGA (Pacnews) - A multi-million dollar fish processing plant was opened in the Cook Islands capital, Rarotonga last week. The factory has been built as part of Brett Porter's Cook Islands Fish Export operation. Mr...

Minister calls for public hanging.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) - A government minister yesterday advocated public hanging for the gang who abducted, raped and killed a young Central Province mother on Friday. Petroleum and Energy Minister Sir Moi Avei made the call...

O'ahu residents asked to limit water use.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 HONOLULU (Pacnews) - O'ahu aquifer levels have dropped so low after five years of below-normal rainfall that the Board of Water Supply has asked customers to adhere to a conservation schedule. Compliance will be voluntary at...

Pre-schoolers' high rate of vitamin deficiency.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 MAJURO (Pacnews) - Over one-third of Marshallese children below five years of age suffer from vitamin deficiency and malnutrition, according to studies published in American health journals this year. A study published in...

FBI exposes mafia-like group.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 SAIPAN (Pacnews) - Federal authorities have uncovered a mafia-like group that operates an illegal casino in Garapan. Saipan Tribune reports say the group resorts to physical violence and intimidation using guns and sticks to...

Homes for people with disabilities.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 PORT VILA (Pacnews) - The Lions Club in Vanuatu has offered to cover expenses for the construction of five homes for people with disabilities. Members of the Vanuatu Lions Club, members of Habitat for Humanity Construction and...

Pacific islanders need transit visas to travel to US.
August 4, 2003... 04 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) --- Citizens of four Pacific island countries that wish to transit or travel through the United States need to obtain transit visas. The United States Government, through the Fiji Embassy based in Suva, made...

Report warns PNG nearing "state collapse".
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) - A group of Papua New Guinean academics has warned the country is close to becoming a failed state, echoing the institutional collapse that led Australia to intervene in the neighbouring Solomon Islands....

Goff appoints counter-terrorism ambassador.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 WELLINGTON (Pacnews) - New Zealand's Foreign Minister Phil Goff today named diplomat Dell Higgie as the country's first Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism. Mr Goff said Ms Higgie, who is director of the security policy...

Police and soldiers deployed to Avu Avu.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - Fifty military personnel and two police officers from the Solomon Islands Regional Assistance Mission have been deployed at Avu Avu in east Guadalcanal. Special Coordinator of the Mission, Nick Warner said...

Kwajalein rental prompts rare protest in Marshall Islands.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 MAJURO (Pacnews) - In Marshall Islands, opponents of a Compact of Free Association with the United States have held the first public demonstration in four years on the main island, Majuro. About 300 Marshall Islanders...

Bill to introduce all commercial signage in English.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 SAIPAN (Pacnews) - Representative Ramon Tebuteb has introduced a bill, which would require all commercial signage in the CMMI to be written in English. The bill states that while commercial signage written in several foreign...

Pacific takes new interest in renewable energy.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 KOROR (Pacnews) - Pacific islands are looking to renewable energy. Leaders at the annual Pacific Power Association gathering in Palau last week said they are determined to set an environmental example for the developed world by...

Former chief justice faces new charges.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 MAJURO (Pacnews) - Suspended Judge Charles Henry, who served the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) as a High Court Chief Justice, is now facing a new total of 30 criminal charges in a real-life court drama which began in...

Solomons swim commemorates JFK bravery.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - Six people have braved shark infested waters in Solomon Islands to commemorate 60 years since United States President John F Kennedy brave swim during World War Two. Two Americans, two Australians, a New...

Fears that fatal virus may have affected more prisoners.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) - The Morobe Provincial health advisor in Papua New Guinea says other prisoners could be affected with a heart virus, which claimed the lives of four inmates earlier this year. Dr Likei Theo says he...

Royal Tongan Airlines considers network extension.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 NUKUA'LOFA (Pacnews) - Royal Tongan Airlines says it is considering a further expansion after announcing a new weekly flight between Auckland and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. The marketing manager, Garry Hamilton, says the...

Solomon Islands PM dumps public service chiefs.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza, under increasing pressure to stamp out corruption, has removed eight department heads from active duty and shifted his controversial deputy from the key...

Call in Vanuatu for more transparency in NGO aid spending.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 PORT VILA (Pacnews) - There are moves in Vanuatu to have NGOs publicly reveal how they have spent aid money. The scheme is being developed by Transparency International's Julie Hawkes who says there is a need for NGOs to...

Hawaiian Bible joins modern age.
August 5, 2003... HONOLULU, HAWAII - The Hawaiian Bible is one of the seminal works of early Hawaiian literature, written at a time when residents all spoke the language. Today, its lack of diacritical markings (marks added to a letter or symbol to show its...

Cooperation urged as Melanesian summit opens.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 GIZO (Pacnews) - Foreign Ministers from the Melanesian Spearhead Group have begun meeting in Solomon Islands. The meeting in Gizo, capital of Western Province, was officially opened by the province's premier, Clement Base....

West Papuan leaders for solidarity meeting.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 JAKARTA (Pacnews) - West Papuan leaders and solidarity activists will be in New Zealand this week to attend the International Solidarity Meeting for West Papua. The meeting starts this weekend in Auckland. Most participants...

Japan boosts Red Cross by US$50,000.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - The Fiji Red Cross Society's blood donor service has been boosted with a donation of two new ambulances worth US$49,909 from the Japanese Government today. The ambulances, provided under Japan's Grant...

Police force to be restructured by new commissioner.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 APIA (Pacnews) - The Police Force in Samoa is to be restructured by the new police commissioner, Papali'itele Lorenese Neru. The commissioner says he will pursue opportunities for training and professional attachments as...

PM admits letting militants keep weapons.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza today admitted he told militants during a gun amnesty last year to keep their weapons. Mr Kemakeza has been coming under increasing pressure over...

Fijian children learn about home.
August 5, 2003... 05 AUGUST 2003 WELLINGTON (Pacnews) - Fijians living in the New Zealand capital, Wellington have formed a club to teach their children about Fijian culture, traditional music and dance. Called the Kaiviti Kids Club, members meet monthly to...

Pro-independence parties against French Polynesia's status at Pacific Islands Forum.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 PAPE'ETE (Pacnews) - French Polynesia and New Caledonia's pro-independence parties, the Tavini and Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), have jointly opposed calls by French President Jacques Chirac for the Pacific...

Marine warning for ship owners and captains.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - The Marine Section in the Department of Works and Infrastructure Development has warned masters of all vessels operating within Solomon Islands waters to observe all legal and safety regulations required of...

Lest we forget - the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 PACIFIC (Pacnews) - This week, the Nuclear Free Pacific Movement joins global peace movements and anti-nuclear groups in remembering the horrors of the atomic bombing and devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August...

NZ to retain jurisdiction over Solomons deployment.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 WELLINGTON (Pacnews) - A new Crimes and Misconduct (Overseas Operations) Bill will ensure New Zealand's non-military personnel deployed in the Solomon Islands will be subject to New Zealand criminal jurisdiction, Foreign Minister...

11 Indonesians drift to Palau in broken ferry.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 KOROR (Pacnews) - A damaged Indonesian ferry with 11 people on board has washed ashore in Palau. The small vessel was hit by a storm seven days ago and drifted almost 1,000 kilometres east into a mangrove in Aimeliik State....

PACNEWS DIGEST - The views expressed in PACNEWS DIGEST are those of agencies contributing articles and not necessarily those of PIBA and/or PACNEWS.
August 6, 2003... New Fijian environmental group addresses reef concerns By Ingrid van Steenwyk SUVA, FIJI - Over fishing, coral and reef harvesting, sedimentation, chemical pollution, improper waste disposal and agricultural run-off are just some of...

Edgewater Fisheries back to shark fishing in Marshalls.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 MAJURO (Pacnews) - A banned fisheries company is back shark fishing in Marshall Islands waters despite having a lapsed license and unpaid fines. A representative from the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA)...

Welfare agency and miners' co-operation urged.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 PORT MORESBY (Pacnews) - Papua New Guinea's Minister for Welfare and Social Development Lady Carol Kidu says she is keen to investigate a partnership in community development strategies and methodologies between the mining...

NGO for Human Rights criticise proposed Iraq peacekeeping.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - Fiji's NGO Coalition on Human Rights says it will continue in its attempts to meet senior ministers on a government decision to send troops to Iraq. Coalition spokesman, Rev Akuila Yabaki, highlighted the...

Environmental storybooks for Samoa.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 APIA (Pacnews) - Samoa's school children will soon be reading a series of story books about the environment written by their teachers. Scores of local school children helped Education Director, Tupae Esera launch the books...

Evangelist church names first woman minister.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 PAPEETE (Pacnews) - French Polynesia's Evangelist Church has appointed its first woman minister. Marthe Tematahotoa was appointed at the Protestant church's 119th Synod. She has been assigned to become chaplain of the...

Prime suspect in ethnic murder case flown back to France.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 NOUMEA (Pacnews) - A Wallisian charged and imprisoned in New Caledonia for the murder of a Kanak leader has been transferred to a French jail to await a medical check-up, RFO's Tele-Nouvelle-Caledonie reports. . 28-year-old...

Guam papaya industry owes recovery to wasp.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 HAGATNA (Pacnews) - A year ago Guam's papaya crops were being razed by an imported killer three millimetres long - the papaya mealybug. Fortunately, however, scientists have come to the rescue and Guam's papaya crops are now...

Regional NGO not given accreditation to attend Pacific Leaders Forum meeting in Auckland.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - A week before Pacific Island Leaders meet in Auckland, New Zealand, one of the region's most vocal non-governmental organisation, the Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC) has cried foul over the refusal by the...

Nerve gas leak brings penalty, US Army fined.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 HONOLULU (Pacnews) - The US Army will pay a total of US$273,625 to settle violations over the release of a trace amount of the deadly VX nerve gas at its defunct chemical weapons incinerator on remote Johnston Atoll, federal...

UN SG lauds regional effort in Solomon Islands.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 NEW YORK (Pacnews) - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has commended Pacific Island countries for their collective support to restore law and order in Solomon Islands. Mr Annan also voiced hope that a prompt return...

Hazardous waste incinerator to be built in Samoa.
August 6, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 APIA (Pacnews) - An incinerator is being built in Samoa to get rid of hazardous waste. Principal urban management officer, Faafetai Sagapolutele, says an area at the landfill is being cleared and that the incinerator is being...

PACNEWS DIGEST - The views expressed in PACNEWS DIGEST are those of agencies contributing articles and not necessarily those of PIBA and/or PACNEWS.
August 6, 2003... Australian volunteer helps survey cultural sites PORT VILA, VANUATU - An Australian volunteer is now able to name many of Vanuatu's cultural sites for World Heritage listings. Andrew Hoffman of Australian Volunteer International (AVI)...

Police report of a drop in crime rate.
August 7, 2003... 07 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - Fiji's crime rate has dropped by about six percent in the past year, says police. And to help them reduce the crime rate further, Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes will tomorrow launch Operation Strike Back,...

Pacific Islander Commissioner lauds Opportunities Conference.
August 7, 2003... 06 AUGUST 2003 WASHINGTON, DC (Pacnews) - American Samoan, Aumua Amata Coleman, the only Pacific Island member of President George W Bush's White House Commission, works a little bit harder to provide information and opportunities for the...

New heads of utilities states goals.
August 7, 2003... 07 AUGUST 2003 HAGATNA (Pacnews) - The newly appointed chief financial officer for the Guam's water and power utilities already has a list of challenges he thinks he will encounter a full month before he officially takes the position. On...

07 AUGUST 2003 HONIARA (Pacnews) - The British Government is expected to officially announce its new multi-million dollar aid package for young people in Solomon Islands.
August 7, 2003... The aid package is aimed at helping young people who were disadvantaged by the recent crisis in the country. A British Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, Bill Rammell will make the announcement during an official...

Additional flights to Marianas.
August 7, 2003... 07 AUGUST 2003 SAIPAN (Pacnews) - Japan Airlines (JAL) and Asiana Airlines will bring in additional flights to the CNMI starting this month, according to Commonwealth Ports Authority Executive Director Carlos H. Salas. Mr Salas said Asiana...

Pacific journalists learn about women and peace issues.
August 7, 2003... 07 AUGUST 2003 PACIFIC (Pacnews) - Pacific Island journalists learned about women and what they thought of peace in the region as well as the world, at the recent Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) convention in Samoa. With the...

PM Qarase not to be pressured.
August 7, 2003... 07 AUGUST 2003 SUVA (Pacnews) - Fiji's Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, says his government will not bow to international pressure regarding decisions he's made on a proposed multi-party cabinet in Fiji. Speaking in parliament this week,...