Results for Pacific Islands

A severe Tropical Cyclone Pam that was upgraded to Category 5 early this morning is expected to hit Vanuatu tonight, Friday March 13 and emergency plans have been activated.

A claim that the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) has been collecting email, phone and social media communications from Pacific Islands since 2009 and sharing mass data with the "Five Eyes" surveillance alliance of electronic eavesdropping agencies from New Zealand, USA, UK, Canada and Australia, has stirred up a mixed reaction from Pacific leaders today.

Pacific Island states are calling for a greater mutual recognition of qualifications between Pacific countries and Australia and New Zealand in the hope that it would boost labour mobility.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has announced its intentions to increase local Tuna catches for Pacific Islanders in order to improve food security. The plan is to expand the use of Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) to improve the local capacity for Tuna catches.

The restored ruins of a 15th century Tongan fortress known as “Talietumu” in the French dependency of ‘Uvea (better known as Wallis Island) has become a popular tourist attraction.

The establishment of a regional media self-regulation model is supported by media industry employees from 11 Pacific Island countries.

Trade ministers and officials from 16 Pacific countries including Tonga will begin negotiations on a proposed regional free trade agreement known as PACER-Plus (Pacific Agreement on Closer Economy Relations) tomorrow, December 11, in Nadi, Fiji.

The Pacific is tied with the Sub- Saharan Africa region as having the lowest level of improved sanitation coverage in the world, it was noted yesterday, 19 November, on the United Nation's second "World Toilet Day".

New Zealand's aid programme to the Pacific region will be reviewed by member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.