October 2009

Guam's unique, powerful position in the PacificAudio

Updated 30/10/2009 08:29:10

As we covered earlier in the week, Japan appears to be wavering on a commitment to pour billions of dollars into the long-anticipated relocation of thousands of American servicemen and their families from Okinawa to Guam.

Pacific environment administrator finessing Copenhagen messageAudio

Updated 30/10/2009 08:29:10

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program is leading a regional multi-lateral project currently focusing on solidifying the message the Pacific will take to Copenhagen in December.

Cook Islands economic meet sees major banks investAudio

Updated 30/10/2009 08:29:10

A regional foreign economic and trade ministers meeting finished up yesterday in Rarotonga, where the Asian Development Bank offered $US10 million to Cook Islands.

Australian navy mission to Solomons defuses munitionsAudio

Updated 30/10/2009 08:29:10

School children in the Solomon Islands have been found playing with unexploded weapons left from World War II.

American Samoa demoralised by corruption allegationAudio

Updated 30/10/2009 08:29:10

Allegations that a warning system could have been built in American Samoa before the September tsunami struck, saving countless lives, has rocked the Pacific Island nation.

Fiji PM says Pacific grouping to strengthenAudioTranscript

Updated 30/10/2009 08:29:10

Fiji's interim Prime Minister says he is being encouraged by some Pacific Island Forum nations to include them in next year's Melanasian Spearhead Group meeting.

Vanuatu is 1st recipient of EC Global Climate Change Alliance fundingAudio

Updated 30/10/2009 18:18:13

Vanuatu is the first recipient of funding assistance from the European Commission's Global Climate Change Alliance.

Founding member of New Caledonia's Future Together Party resignsAudio

Updated 30/10/2009 18:18:13

A founding member of New Caledonia's Future Together party - Didier Leroux - has resigned in opposition to calls for the party to unite with other anti-independence parties under the banner of the ruling French party, the UMP.

PNG's new Universal Basic Education planAudio

Updated 30/10/2009 18:18:13

A new Papua New Guinea education plan calls for improvement in teacher training, school facilities and resources to give quality education to children from elementary to secondary levels.

New Caledonian unions back Canada's striking Vale workersTranscript

Updated 30/10/2009 18:18:14

Unions representing workers at the Vale Inco nickel mine in New Caledonia have agreed to back strike action taken by their counterparts in Ontario, Canada.

Wanted criminal killed by family members in PNG's highlands.Audio

Updated 30/10/2009 18:18:14

A wanted criminal has been killed by his own family in Papua New Guinea.

Palau supports US against Cuba for aidAudioTranscript

Updated 30/10/2009 18:18:14

The Palau Minister of State has admitted that the Government supports United States' embargo against Cuba to coax more aid from the United States.

Slice of heaven in PNG's Madang faces factory futureAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 08:05:08

Life is normally lived at a relaxed pace in the tropical tourist town of Madang on Papua New Guinea's north coast.

December LNG deal deadlines the focus in PNGAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 08:05:08

The future of liquified natural gas is certainly the major focus upon Papua New Guinea's economy of late.

New US Ambassador to PNG stands by oil giantAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 08:05:08

The new US Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Teddy Taylor, says the US-based oil and gas giant ExxonMobil will be a good corporate citizen in PNG.

New French Polynesian party accuses govt of forgetting poorAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 08:05:08

A new political party in French Polynesia has accused the ruling coalition of forgetting the needs of the more disadvantaged sections of society living outside of the capital, Papeete.

Samoa tourism industry says nation back on trackAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 08:05:08

The devastation of the tsunami in Samoa continues with tourists cancelling or amending holiday packages to Upolu.

Disaster agency encourages American Samoa to build highAudioTranscript

Updated 29/10/2009 08:05:08

Apart from the political issues dogging the American Samoan government, emergency management authorities on the ground there are asking the Governor to consider moving some villages away from the shoreline.

Investigative report unearths American Samoa corruptionAudioTranscript

Updated 29/10/2009 08:05:08

A report aired by US television network CNN has described American Samoa's tsunami disaster as 'a man-made tragedy'.

Pacific neighbours back PNG NRL bidAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 08:05:04

Fiji's and the Kingdom of Tonga have backed Papua New Guinea's bid to join Australia's National Rugby League competition.

NZ PM promotes Rugby World Cup in JapanAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 18:02:56

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key joined a giant rgby ball and Maori warriors in Tokyo as part of the build-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup - to be held in New Zealand.

Dame Carol Kidu discusses PNG child protection issuesAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 18:02:56

Papua New Guinea's Minister for Social Development, Dame Carol Kidu, says she's planning to hold a workshop to develop a Declaration on the Rights of the Melanesian Child -- an addition to the Universal Declaration on the Rights of the Child.

Pitcairn to get new constitutionAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 18:02:56

Pitcairn Island is about to have its constitution overhauled.

Tonga's Royal Commission investigating Princess Ashika sinkingAudioTranscript

Updated 29/10/2009 18:02:56

The Royal Commission investigating the sinking of a ferry in Tonga in August, killing 72 people, has revealed damning evidence of the poor condition of the vessel.

Samoa's opposition MPs face losing their seats againAudio

Updated 29/10/2009 18:02:57

Samoa's opposition Tautua Samoa party MPs face losing their seats for a second time this year.

Japan skimming pool of Pacific rugby eliteAudioTranscript

Updated 28/10/2009 09:44:08

This weekend, one of rugby union's premier rivalries is heading north to Japan when the Wallabies take on the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup, but the biggest battle could be taking place off-field with many of Japan's leading rugby clubs throwing very big money at some of the Pacific's leading talent.

Photo exhibit of PNG through childrens' eyesAudio

Updated 28/10/2009 09:44:08

An exhibition opens today at Australia's Parliament House in Canberra of photos taken by 9- to 14-year-olds children from the Central and Gulf provinces of Papua New Guinea.

Scientist says seed hybrids not welcome in PacificAudio

Updated 28/10/2009 09:44:08

A tropical agriculture expert has used a conference in Canberra to warn food multinationals that they risk marginalising crops that could fix dietary deficiencies that plague the Pacific.

Independent survey of Australian oil slick damningAudio

Updated 28/10/2009 09:44:08

Two months after an oil well ruptured off Australia's north-west coast, millions of litres of oil are still pouring into the Timor Sea, with reports from Indonesia saying that fish have been killed and plants destroyed at the island of Roti.

Exquisite lagoon proposed site of PNG tuna processing hubAudio

Updated 28/10/2009 09:44:08

A plan for the Papua New Guinea province of Madang to host up to ten tuna processing plants is facing continuing criticism.

Report to call for closure of Pacific fishing pocketsAudio

Updated 28/10/2009 09:44:08

The crew of the Greenpeace ship Esperanza is reporting that rampant illegal fishing is taking place in the Pacific's four high seas fishing pockets.

NZ Opposition rally aagainst Anti-Smacking lawAudio

Updated 28/10/2009 18:38:38

In 2007, despite overwhelming public opposition, the former Labour Government of Helen Clark passed a law essentially banning parents from smacking their children.

Fiji is preparing for any dengue virus outbreakAudioTranscript

Updated 28/10/2009 18:38:38

The Fijian Government is preparing for a dengue virus outbreak as the country enters the heart of its wet-season.

Allegations funds for American Samoa spent elsewhereAudioTranscript

Updated 28/10/2009 18:38:38

A report on a US television network has suggested that money given to American Samoa to help prepare for a disaster wasn't spent properly.

Samoa PM rejects claims aid assistance not reaching needyAudio

Updated 28/10/2009 18:38:38

Samoa's Prime Minister has rejected any claims that aid is being unequally distributed among tsunami survivors.

New Caledonia prison break sparks fresh concernsAudio

Updated 28/10/2009 18:38:37

New Caledonia's only prison has broken its own record with the escape of a 19-year old inmate last weekend.

Shared Pacific stand to grace World Expo 2010Audio

Updated 27/10/2009 09:15:52

What is dubbed as 'the biggest event in human history' is being held next year in China, and the countries of the Pacific will be there.

Awards unearth talented Pacific businesswomenAudio

Updated 27/10/2009 09:15:52

Jane Kittel, the Westpac General Manager for the Pacific, created the Women in Business Awards which recognises successful women in buiness in the Pacific who are role models in their communities.

PNG woman an inspirational award winnerAudio

Updated 27/10/2009 09:15:52

A Papua New Guinea women who says she was no good at school has won the overall Westpac Women in Business Award for 2009.

Conference tackles media in peace building, disastersAudio

Updated 27/10/2009 09:15:52

The Fiji-based coordinator of both the regional media organisation for women, FEMLINK, and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, has just returned from the Asia-Pacific NGO Forum.

Emotional plea for upgrade of PNG maternity wardAudio

Updated 27/10/2009 09:15:52

The state of Papua New Guinea's health service has prompted an emotional response from an Australian Senator concerned about the high maternal mortality rate.

World Bank funds Solomons infrastructure jobsAudio

Updated 27/10/2009 09:15:53

The World Bank is funding a $US6 million project aimed at fixing up Honiara's roads and footpaths, while giving employment to hundreds of youth and disadvantaged people in Solomon Islands.

Proposal for Australian coastal housing removalAudioTranscript

Updated 27/10/2009 09:15:53

An Australian parliamentary report has raised the possibility of banning human occupation in areas of Australia's coastline threatened by rising sea levels.

Fiji censorship reflected in dramatic media freedom fallAudioTranscript

Updated 27/10/2009 14:07:37

Fiji has plummeted 73 places on the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, dropping to number 152 of the 175 countries listed.

Asian Development Bank reviews Pacific economiesAudioTranscript

Updated 27/10/2009 09:15:53

The Vice President of the Asian Development Bank, Lawrence Greenwood, says Fiji is the economy in the Pacific the ADB spends most time worrying about.

Fair trade group still has concerns over PACER PlusAudioTranscript

Updated 27/10/2009 14:07:41

Reports following the latest round of meetings to discuss PACER Plus seem to have settled a few nerves, with more time allocated for research before a deal will be signed.

MV Ashika Royal Commission underwayAudio

Updated 27/10/2009 17:59:34

Tonga's Royal Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the ferry, MV Ashika, has begun its proceedings.

NZ on unequal distribution of disaster aid to SamoaAudio

Updated 27/10/2009 17:59:34

A New Zealand councillor has raised concerns about the unequal distribution of aid to tsunami affected villages in Samoa.

Guam concerned by rates of alcohol and drug useAudio

Updated 27/10/2009 17:59:34

Guam's youth are more likely to smoke or binge drink than their counterparts on the U-S mainland, and even in other American territorities.

Outcomes of first Pacific Islands Forum disability meetAudioTranscript

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:07

A better deal for disabled people around the Pacific region was the focus for a meeting now completed in Cook Islands.

Pacific tourism heads told to collude rather than competeAudio

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:07

Pacific Island nations have been told they need to get smarter with their tourism markets.

PNG government vows not to rush LNG dealAudioTranscript

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:07

The Papua New Guinea government has insisted it will not rush through the country's first multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas project without consulting all affected parties.

No PNG policy yet on deadly asbestosAudio

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:07

Papua New Guinea is still without a national policy on the use of building materials containing hazardous asbestos.

Guam confident Japan-US spat to not effect marine moveAudio

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:07

One nation which will be heavily impacted by any further bickering between Japan and the United States is Guam, which is preparing for the movement of thousands of troops from Okinawa.

Japan-US parry over Okinawa basesAudio

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:07

Japan's new centre-left government is facing its first major test - finding itself squeezed between Washington and the people of the southern islands of Okinawa.

Australia cops 30 per cent southern bluefin tuna quota cutAudio

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:08

The impact of the international decision to cut Australia's southern bluefin tuna catch is already being felt in South Australia's Port Lincoln.

World cuts southern bluefin tuna quota 20 per centAudioTranscript

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:08

The world's southern bluefin tuna fishing industry has just taken a hit worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

PACER Plus Pacific nations ex-Fiji establish timelineAudioTranscript

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:08

At the weekend, Trade Ministers from thirteen Pacific countries - along with Australia and New Zealand - formally began the process of negotiations for PACER Plus.

Sport administrators review Pacific regional eventsAudio

Updated 26/10/2009 09:39:03

Suva is continuing today to host an advanced sports management workshop, hoping to gain some valuable insight into the hosting of recent regional events such as the Pacific Mini Games.

Broadcasters in Fiji, New Caledonia sign cooperation dealAudio

Updated 26/10/2009 18:32:29

There has been little in the way of good news for Fijian media outlets in recent months.

Pacific tuna industry says reduced quota raises illegal fishingAudioTranscript

Updated 26/10/2009 18:32:29

The Pacific Tuna fishing industry says it's not suprised by the size of the reduction in annual quotas agreed to by the bluefin tuna industry.

HMAS Tobruk heads to Samoa for tsunami reliefAudio

Updated 26/10/2009 18:32:29

An Australian warship is heading to Samoa and Tonga tomorrow, loaded with relief supplies.

Tongan women's activist fasts to force PM outAudioTranscript

Updated 26/10/2009 18:32:29

A Tongan women's rights activist says she is prepared to continue a fast until the country's prime minister and deputy prime minister step down.

Injured Samoans fleeing tsunami reach hospitalsAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 09:24:14

More than three weeks on from the tsunami which devastated Samoa, homeless families are still sheltering under tarps along the country's south coast.

Solomons receiving outdated malaria treatmentAudioTranscript

Updated 23/10/2009 09:24:13

There are concerns that an out-dated malaria treatment is still being used in Solomon Islands.

Australian medical students head to tsunami-hit SamoaAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 09:24:14

Just a year into their training as doctors, ten medical students from Australia's north-eastern city of Brisbane are about to be put to the test in tsunami-hit Samoa.

Solomons minister, NGO, cautious toward PACER Plus meetAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 09:24:14

Fresh talks aimed at establishing a new Pacific free trade agreement, known as PACER Plus, are about to get underway this morning in the eastern Australian city of Brisbane.

Pacific tries to show way in sustainable tuna fishingAudioTranscript

Updated 23/10/2009 09:24:14

The world's fishing stocks are in crisis, most fisheries are over-exploited, and there seems to be no let-up in the building of bigger and better fishing vessels, but the best managed fishery in the world now has rules set by some of the smallest nations on earth - the island countries of the Pacific.

Greenpeace details fisheries plunder in PacificAudioTranscript

Updated 23/10/2009 09:24:14

To Cook Islands now, where conservationists aboard the Greenpeace ship Esperenza have held a press conference detailing the plunder of fish stocks within the international waters of the Pacific, and even within its protected high sea pockets.

Bluefin tuna report tipped to show devastating stock lossAudioTranscript

Updated 23/10/2009 09:24:14

A new report on the fate of the southern bluefin tuna - a huge catch for Australian and Pacific fishermen and the crucial fish diet in Japan - is to be tabled today that will show that this vital tuna stock is near total collapse.

Pacific climate chiefs tired of talk, say they require actionAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 09:24:12

Adaptation to climate change was at the forefront of discussions at this year's Pacific Climate Change Roundtable which is just concluding in Marshall Islands, prior to Copenhagen's UN meeting in December.

Forum talks focus on disabled Pacific IslandersAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 17:11:53

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has held the first Forum Disability Ministers Meeting in Cook Islands.

South Korea hosts talks on cutting southern bluefin tuna catchAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 17:11:53

Stocks of southern bluefin tuna have reportedly plunged to 5 per cent of 1940s levels.

Commonwealth suspends Fiji media broadcastersAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 17:11:53

Three Fijian media outlets have been suspended from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA).

Concern for education as Hawaii introduces furloughsAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 17:11:53

The US Pacific state of Hawaii has introduced furloughs for all state employees, forcing many to take two days of unpaid leave per month for the next 20 months.

Tongan women rights activist continues hunger strikeAudio

Updated 23/10/2009 17:11:53

The President of Tonga's Women's National Congress, Mele Amanaki, has dismissed suggestions that her hunger strike is a publicity stunt.

Vanuatu economy the 2009 star of PacificAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 10:00:56

The global recession has not been confined to large industrialised nations - some of the world's smaller economies have also been hit hard by the downturn.

Anti-poverty drive targets PNG historical corruptionAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 10:00:56

Anti-poverty group Jubilee Australia is calling for the Australian Government to rethink its plan to offer financial support for an LNG project in Papua New Guinea.

Top UN crisis official backs Samoa PM in rebuilding higherAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 10:00:56

Not long after the water subsided from the tsunami-hit Samoas and Tonga a couple of weeks ago, the head of the United Nations Development Program's Bureau of Crisis Prevention and Recovery toured the region.

Fiji Attorney-General reaffirms NZ visa claimAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 10:00:56

Reports that a Fijian judge and her 20-month-old child had allegedly been denied a visa to enter New Zealand have been refuted by Immigration New Zealand, but Fiji's interim Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says that's a face-saving exercise by the department.

US elevates Pacific-born administrator to senior rolesAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 10:00:56

Pacific Islander and Chamorro, Tony Babauta, has been elevated over the past month as the White House's senior administrator for Asian Americans and American Pacific islanders, as well as Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Interior in Washington.

Top businesswomen honoured in PNG awardsAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 10:00:55

Port Moresby last night hosted the Women in Business Awards for Papua New Guinea, with the star a trout farm entrepreneur and owner of a tourism enterprise at Mt Wilhelm.

Palau looks to attract more touristsAudioTranscript

Updated 22/10/2009 17:32:39

The small Pacific island nation of Palau has turned its attention to attracting more wealthy tourists.

Tsunami affects coral reefs in American SamoaAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 17:32:39

Scientists say the Pacific tsunami in September has impacted on the environment in American Samoa.

Fresh attempts to agree on Pacific free trade pactAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 17:32:39

Continuing controversy surrounding Australia's push for a new Pacific free trade agreement, PACER Plus, has not stopped the start of formal negotiations in the eastern Australian city of Brisbane.

Brisbane Supreme Court delists Moti child sex trialAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 17:32:40

The child sex trial of former Solomon Islands attorney-general Julian Moti has been delisted because of issues with information disclosure.

Fiji Netball sacks head coach Melissa WalkerAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 17:32:40

Fiji Netball has sacked Melissa Walker a year into her three year contract.

Guam's government unconcerned about relocation threatAudio

Updated 22/10/2009 17:32:40

Guam says it is unconcerned by the United States' Defence Secretary Robert Gates threat to stop the movemenet of US military from Okinawa, Japan .

Guam being used by US as political pawn with JapanAudioTranscript

Updated 22/10/2009 17:32:40

The United States' Defence Secretary Robert Gates has threatened to stop the movemenet of US military from Okinawa, Japan to Guam.

Fiji judge allegedly denied NZ visaAudioTranscript

Updated 21/10/2009 10:35:32

Fiji's interim government is accusing the Australian and New Zealand governments of interfering in the country's judiciary.

Samoan PM says compensation, materials release this weekAudioTranscript

Updated 21/10/2009 10:35:32

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi tells Pacific Beat the huge task of rebuilding and healing after the tsunami and earthquake devastated Samoa's south coast is well underway, and compensation is due to be released.

Forum hears range of options for Cook Islands reformAudio

Updated 21/10/2009 10:35:32

An audience at a public forum in Cook Islands has been told that public-led economic reform is needed to turn the country's fragile economy around.

Coral, shell erosion demonstrates climbing ocean acidityAudioTranscript

Updated 21/10/2009 10:35:32

Seventy academies of science from around the world earlier this year issued a warning to policy makers about the growing threat of ocean acidification.

Pacific leaders put final touch to climate stanceAudio

Updated 21/10/2009 10:35:32

As the climate change meeting in Copenhagen in December draws near, the world's leaders are working to put the finishing touches on their policies to present at the conference.

PNG parliament to try sit again without oppositionAudio

Updated 21/10/2009 10:35:32

Members of the opposition in Papua New Guinea yesterday boycotted a session of parliament, in protest at the government's decision to recall parliament three weeks earlier than planned.

Traditional protestant churches losing Pacific powerAudio

Updated 21/10/2009 10:35:32

The authors of a new book have challenged stereotypical images that the Pacific is made up of tranquil islands of sun, sea, surf, and smiling people.

AFL officially launches in FijiAudio

Updated 21/10/2009 17:57:39

Fiji is the latest country in the Asia-Pacific to officially welcome Australian Rules football.

Concern military build-up will leave more homeless in GuamAudioTranscript

Updated 21/10/2009 17:57:39

Welfare groups in Guam are worried the level of homelessness will increase as the US military moves 40,000 service people to the island by 2014.

Marshall Island farmers hit by falling copra pricesAudioTranscript

Updated 21/10/2009 17:57:39

The Marshall Islands' Tobolar Copra Processing Authority has announced it will cut the price of copra by a third in November.

Samoa lays the last tsunami victims to restAudio

Updated 21/10/2009 17:57:39

Saleapaga, one of the Samoan villages worst hit by the tsunami, has held a remembrance service for the last of its missing children.

Marshalls' parliament passes vote of no confidence in presidentAudio

Updated 21/10/2009 17:57:39

The Marshall Islands parliament has passed a motion of no confidence in President Litokwa Tomeing by just one vote.

Foundation denies fiasco of PNG housing for GamesAudioTranscript

Updated 20/10/2009 08:55:08

The head of the PNG Sports Foundation, Iamo Launa, has dismissed two officials' claims that they were left stranded in Australia without funding to pay for accommodation.

PNG sport officials complain accommodation lacking on tourAudio

Updated 20/10/2009 08:55:09

The Sydney Masters Games delegation representing Papua New Guinea has hit-out at the country's sports foundation for leaving them stranded in Australia without enough funding to pay for accommodation.

Oil firm fined for underreporting Guam pollutionAudioTranscript

Updated 20/10/2009 08:55:09

The Shell oil company in Guam has been fined for violating a US federal environmental law.

Call for drastic measures in Timor Sea oil leakAudioTranscript

Updated 20/10/2009 08:55:09

The Australian Government is now rejecting using the 'deluge' option to stop an oil leak in the Timor Sea.

Alert level on Vanuatu's Gaua volcano stepped-upAudio

Updated 20/10/2009 08:55:09

Vanuatu's Department of Geology says the Gaua volcano in northern Vanuatu is going through a minor eruption and has raised the volcano's alert level from level one to level two.

Annual Pacific analysis raises youth, Tonga, Fiji issuesAudio

Updated 20/10/2009 08:55:08

Later today the Lowy Institute for International Policy will hold the 2009 Pacific islands Update with youth, Tonga and Fiji among the themes for papers presented by a range of speakers.

Fears El Nino will cause drought across MicronesiaAudio

Updated 20/10/2009 17:50:47

Several islands in Micronesia are facing the prospect of drought-like conditions for at least the next six months as an El Nino weather system approaches.

PNG's opposition boycotts parliament sessionAudio

Updated 20/10/2009 17:50:47

Members of the opposition in Papua New Guinea have boycotted a sitting of parliament scheduled to take place three weeks earlier than planned.

Fiji to step up attempts to compete in New Delhi Commonwealth GamesAudioTranscript

Updated 20/10/2009 17:50:47

Fiji's Commonwealth Games Association has confirmed plans to step up attempts to have sporting bans removed from the sanctions for suspension from the Commonwealth.

Australia apologises for 2005 Torres Strait disasterAudio

Updated 20/10/2009 17:50:47

Australia's Immigration Department has formally apologized to the families of five people who drowned when their immigration boat, the Malu Sara, sank in the Torres Strait.

Homeless PNG sporting team grabs silver at MastersAudio

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

When the Papua New Guinea touch football team arrived at the 7th World Masters Games, they found no accommodation had been arranged and they spent their first night on the streets.

How differing needs drive Pacific sport developmentAudio

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

This week we have a guest as our regular sports commentator - Brian Minikin, Manager of Regional Sport Development for the Oceania National Olympic Committees - who begins by explaining the basics of regional sports development as needs differ.

Fiji scientists find antimalarial link in seaweedAudio

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

Seaweed may well hold the key to a malaria treatment being deveoped at the University of the South Pacific.

Women firefighters kicking-down gender barriers in PNGAudioTranscript

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

Papua New Guinea can be a tough place for women where men dominate nearly all aspects of society, but a group of women are breaking down gender barriers while learning to kick down burning doors.

The flow-on effects of Pacific media censorshipAudio

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

For countries who observe censorship of the press, are there ongoing consquences - apart from the obvious lask of credible information flowing to the public?

Stories tell of church struggle during Solomons crisisAudioTranscript

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

A new book charts how the Church of Melanesia struggled during the pain and suffering of Solomon Islands ethnic crisis from 1999 to 2003.

WWF says climate tipping point advanced to 2014AudioTranscript

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

A new report has given world leaders a deadline of 2014 to embrace a low carbon economy or the planet will hit a point of no return.

NZ to stage huge music relief concert for SamoaAudio

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

New Zealanders are throwing their support behind their Samoan neighbours with a huge fundraising concert to be staged this evening in Auckland.

Tonga's tsunami recovery on trackAudio

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:31

Tonga's government says the emergency phase has officially ended after an earthquake and tsunami devastated the northern island of Nuiatoputapu.

More certainty this time in Marshalls no-confidence voteAudioTranscript

Updated 19/10/2009 09:55:32

Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing is under pressure again and will face another motion of no-confidence.

Japan funds PNG LNG projectAudioTranscript

Updated 19/10/2009 17:59:57

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has agreed to fund the Papua New Guinea government's equity in the multi-billion dollar Liquefied Natural Gas project.

Democracy movement supports removal of Tonga PMAudioTranscript

Updated 19/10/2009 17:59:57

Tonga's pro-democracy movement is backing calls from the Tongan Women's National Congress for the removal of the Prime Minister, Fred Sevele, and his Deputy.

Climate change priority falls with Australian publicAudioTranscript

Updated 16/10/2009 09:42:31

A new poll shows that climate change is sliding down the priority of foreign policy issues most important to Australians.

Dismay as Cooks PM snubs climate conferenceAudio

Updated 16/10/2009 09:42:31

There's an air of despair in the Cook Islands this week, as Prime Minister Jim Marurai has reportedly declined joining the rest of the world's leaders at the Copenhagen climate conference in December.

New firms practice sustainable logging in SolomonsAudio

Updated 16/10/2009 09:42:31

Solomon Islands' logging industry is one of the country's most important earners, however many of the biggest logging companies are foreign owned.

Fisherman say oil from Timor Sea rig poisoning fishAudioTranscript

Updated 16/10/2009 09:42:31

Today marks eight weeks since the West Atlas rig in the Timor Sea - between Australia and East Timor - started leaking oil at the rate of some 400 barrels a day.

Samoan locals' resilience impresses aid workersAudio

Updated 16/10/2009 09:42:31

DIARY DAY THREE: It's day three for a couple of Save the Children aid workers in Samoa, reporting back to us with their audio diary as they distribute emergency relief packages and identify the best way for their organisation to help the survivors of September's tsunami.

Tourism ministers discuss future of Samoa's industryAudioTranscript

Updated 16/10/2009 09:42:31

A meeting of Pacific tourism ministers has just wrapped up in Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara, where the usual issues such as dealing with a global downturn in tourism numbers and the sustainable development of the industry were on the agenda.

Rain forebodes cyclone fears in tsunami-hit SamoaAudio

Updated 16/10/2009 09:42:32

As heavy rain starts to come down, Samoan communities are still trying to come to terms with the devastation caused by the tsunami and quake at the end of September.

Poor diet biggest killer in PacificAudioTranscript

Updated 16/10/2009 09:42:30

Diet and nutrition has once again taken centre stage at a major food summit in Nadi, Fiji.

High rates of TB in Pacific highlighted by Guam conferenceAudioTranscript

Updated 16/10/2009 17:11:08

People in the US territory of Guam are 12 times more likely to get tuberculosis (TB) than their counterparts on the American mainland.

PNG medics call for ban on fibroAudioTranscript

Updated 16/10/2009 17:11:08

In Papua New Guinea thousands of people are suspected of having been continuously exposed to hazardous asbestos.

Vanuatu records major population increaseAudio

Updated 16/10/2009 17:11:08

A premilinary household survey in Vanuatu shows that the country's population has jumped from 186,000 in 1999 to 243,000 this year.

Australia commits to Samoa's tsunami-recovery effortsAudio

Updated 16/10/2009 17:11:09

The Australian Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullen, and Australia's High Commissioner to Samoa, Matt Anderson, have flown over the areas of Samoa worst-affected by the Pacific tsunami.

New Zealand's Springfield looks at replacing giant doughnutAudio

Updated 16/10/2009 17:11:08

The tiny South Island town of Springfield in New Zealand is mourning the loss of it's world famous tourist attraction: a giant pink doughnut.

Multitudes to starve if food production fails to riseAudioTranscript

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:29

A dire warning by the United Nations' Food Agency says worldwide food production will have to rise by a staggering 70 per cent by the middle of this century if food riots are not to become commonplace.

How Samoan tsunami aid workers prepared roll-outAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:29

DIARY DAY TWO: Yesterday we heard from one of the many aid organisations that headed to Samoa following the devastating September earthquake and tsunami.

Re-establishment of PNG-Cairns shipping route consideredAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:29

In Australia, a group of far north Queensland businesses says they are looking at the feasibility of establishing a direct shipping route between Cairns and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.

Stock exchange surges as PNG firms post big winsAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:29

The Papua New Guinea stock exchange again surged this week, this time by huge 11 per cent, as two big firms - probably responsible for the rise in confidence - had big wins.

PNG Western Highlands hit by food shortagesAudioTranscript

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:29

Papua New Guinea's Western Highlands province has been experiencing food shortages since the area was hit by devastating floods in March.

Asia tests its tsunami readinessAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:30

Eighteen countries across the Indian Ocean yesterday conducted a tsunami practice drill backed by the United Nations, testing the warning systems and overall readiness of countries in the region.

Quake epicentre shudders as Samoan aid flowsAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:30

The relief effort continues in Samoa today as a magnitude quake of 6-point-0 struck offshore this morning, but there have been no reports of damage and no tsunami warning was raised.

Pacific nuke test survivors unhappy with Paris compensationAudioTranscript

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:30

Victims of the French nuclear testing in the Pacific are bitterly disappointed this morning that the Senate has placed strict conditions on who is eligible for compensation.

Samoan-Australian soccer hero Cahill scores crucial goalAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 09:34:26

The Socceroos left it late, but managed to come up with the crucial winning goal in the Asian Cup Qualifying match against Oman in Melbourne last night.

Tsunami-hit Samoa braces for cyclone seasonAudioTranscript

Updated 15/10/2009 18:23:26

A week after the Pacific island nation of Samoa held a national day of mourning to remember those killed in the country's tsunami disaster, the clean-up operation is ongoing and so is the heartache for the families who lost loved ones.

Guam's oncologist threatens to resign over replacement rowAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 18:23:26

Guam's only oncologist Dr Sam Friedman is considering resigning from his position.

Brisbane court adjourns Julian Moti child sex caseAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 18:23:26

Solomon Islands' former attorney-general, Fiji-born Australian citizen, Julian Moti, is fighting to have the child sex charges against him dropped.

PNG committee says sexual abuse is on the riseAudio

Updated 15/10/2009 18:23:25

Papua New Guinea's Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee has raised concerns that the number of rape, incest and sexual abuse cases against women by family members is on the increase.

Air Niugini denies reports of underwear theftAudio

Updated 14/10/2009 09:04:21

The head of Air Niugini in Papua New Guinea has been dealing with an unusual attack on its public image.

Pacific womens group to run conflict prevention projectAudio

Updated 14/10/2009 09:04:21

The Pacific is taking a lead role in a number of international NGOs with FEMLINK - a media organisation for women - having just been nominated as the regional secretariat for the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, or GPAC.

Voices of Samoan tsunami aid workersAudio

Updated 14/10/2009 09:04:21

DIARY DAY ONE: Over the past two weeks we've been hearing from the many aid organisations that quickly headed to the Pacific nations of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga following the devastating September earthquake and tsunami.

Second failure to plug oil rig leak off AustraliaAudioTranscript

Updated 14/10/2009 09:04:21

The disastrous spill in the Timor Sea between Australia and East Timor is still spewing-out oil after the failure of a second attempt to plug it.

Bank of South Pacific buys up entities in FijiAudioTranscript

Updated 14/10/2009 16:46:30

Papua New Guinea's Bank South Pacific has announced its much-expected plans to expand.

Human remains near Kokoda crash distresses familiesAudio

Updated 14/10/2009 09:04:22

The discovery of more human remains at the crash site of a fatal plane crash near the Kokoda Trail in August has distressed the families of some of the 13 victims.

PNG villagers near plane crash site spot pollutantsAudioTranscript

Updated 14/10/2009 12:47:08

Landowners in Papua New Guinea say they want compensation for the environmental damage caused by the plane crash that killed 13 people near Kokoda in August.

Australia scoping new police deployment to PNGAudioTranscript

Updated 14/10/2009 09:04:22

Australia says it wants to limit any new policing role in Papua New Guinea to an advisory capacity, but Canberra is still considering a number of different approaches.

Commonwealth Games Federation tackles venue, Fiji issuesAudioTranscript

Updated 14/10/2009 09:04:22

New Delhi can not afford any more delays if it wants to be ready to host next year's Commonwealth Games - that's the stern warning from the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

New agency to stamp out illegal passport trade in VanuatuAudioTranscript

Updated 14/10/2009 16:45:04

Vanuatu's government is responding to reports that officials were illegally selling passports by setting up a new agency to issue the documents.

Fiji to trial siren tsunami warning systemAudioTranscript

Updated 14/10/2009 18:40:40

Fiji is preparing to test a tsunami alert system that will use sirens to warn locals of an incoming wave.

PNG's Morobe welcomes funding to fight diseasesAudio

Updated 14/10/2009 16:45:04

The Papua New Guinea government has allocated more than $US4 million to combat the spread of cholera and other diseases in Morobe province, where 287 people have died in the Menyamia district.

New Zealand schoolgirl gets award for tsunami effortsAudioTranscript

Updated 14/10/2009 18:40:22

A ten-year-old girl from New Zealand has been recognised for saving the lives of locals and tourists during Samoa's Tsunami disaster.

Samoa's White Sunday services remember young victimsAudio

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:22

In Samoa, White Sunday is usually a day for children, but this year it was celebrated nearly two weeks after the tsunami which claimed over 140 lives - many of them children.

Australia set to prosecute foreign labour firmAudioTranscript

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:22

Australia is set to launch its first prosecution against an illegal labour hire operation as pressure continues over exploitation of workers in an array of different industries.

French council hoping to strip Flosse of senate seatAudio

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:22

Former French Polynesia President Gaston Flosse's continuing career in politics is still under threat.

No laws against selling children in Solomon IslandsAudio

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:22

The Solomon Islands Director of Public Prosecutions, Ronald Talasasa, says media reports that a Honiara couple has sold their new born baby because of financial difficulties should be of grave concern to the nation.

Rome canonises Hawaiian Saint DamienAudio

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:22

Hawaii has got its very own saint, Saint Damien de Veuster, a Catholic missionary who helped leprosy patients on the island of Molokai.

Fiji barred from New Delhi Commonwealth GamesAudioTranscript

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:22

The Commonwealth Games Federation has suspended Fiji's membership, ruling it out of the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Fiji interim PM updates Melanesian leaders on progressAudioTranscript

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:23

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: The leaders of the Melanasian Spearhead Group, or MSG, took time off at the weekend to play in the Ratu Mara Somare Cup golf challenge in Nadi, Fiji.

Official visits notorious PNG Bougainville minesiteAudio

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:19

The Panguna mine in Papua New Guinea's Autonomous Bougainville region was once one of the most important in the country, but has been closed for over 20 years following a long dispute over the environmental impact of mining activities.

South-west coast Samoan villagers stay on high groundAudio

Updated 13/10/2009 09:45:22

It's a public holiday in Samoa today, but there's not much to celebrate as people who once lived on the south-western shoreline of Upolu continue to stay on higher ground - now cautious of the ocean that once sustained them.

Solomons PM visit to PNG seen as boosting relationsAudio

Updated 13/10/2009 16:48:14

The Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, is on a three-day visit to Solomon Islands.

Guam's only cancer treatment facility facing temporary closureAudioTranscript

Updated 13/10/2009 16:48:14

Guam's only cancer treatment facility could be closed for up to two months because the U-S territory's only oncologist, Dr Sam Friedman, must leave the island for his own medical treatment.

Taiwan cancels Pacific partners summit in Solomon IslandsAudioTranscript

Updated 13/10/2009 16:48:14

Taiwan's president, Ma Yin Jeou, has cancelled a summit of the six Taiwan partner countries in the Pacific region that was due to be held in Solomon Islands this month.

Pacific countries likely to record zero economic growthAudio

Updated 13/10/2009 16:48:15

A new Pacific Economic Survey says some Pacific countries will this year record zero growth, despite signs of global economic recovery.

A correspondent's view of Samoan tragedyAudioTranscript

Updated 12/10/2009 09:40:42

Another of our correspondents who has experienced the highs and lows of the disaster in Samoa over the past week has been New Zealand Correspondent, Kerri Ritchie.

Australia deploys Indigenous art code of conductAudioTranscript

Updated 12/10/2009 09:40:42

For years, unscrupulous art dealers known as carpetbaggers have been exploiting some aboriginal artists.

NZ academics drop democracy handbooks into TongaAudio

Updated 12/10/2009 09:40:42

A group of university staff and students from New Zealand recently visited Tonga to distribute a booklet outlining basic democratic concepts.

Guam medical team heads to PhilippinesAudio

Updated 12/10/2009 09:40:42

A team of medical and support personnel from the Guam National Guard are flying to the Philippines to support recovery operations following recent typhoons in their neighbouring nation.

UN dismayed at lack of consensus in Bangkok climate talksAudio

Updated 12/10/2009 09:40:42

The latest round of United Nations climate talks have failed to deliver consensus between the world's developing and developed nations.

Touring Australian Pacific diplomat refocuses on disastersAudioTranscript

Updated 12/10/2009 09:40:42

Financial matters, and the direction that many Pacific nations are heading economically, will be the focus of a two week trip to Tonga, Samoa and Cook Islands by Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance beginning today in Tonga.

Handmade resort ammenities signal Samoa's re-emergenceAudioTranscript

Updated 12/10/2009 09:40:42

Nearly a fortnight after a massive tsunami came ashore in Samoa, leaving well over 140 people dead and destroying homes and business, the first tourism operation there has re-opened.

IDC Soccer tournament dominates Fiji Day long weekendAudio

Updated 12/10/2009 09:40:39

It's a long weekend in Fiji, with Fiji Day celebrated across a range of sporting events including the IDC Soccer tournament.

Solomon Islanders contribute to anti-corruption policyAudio

Updated 12/10/2009 16:21:58

The anti-corruption taskforce set-up by the Solomon Islands' government has completed the first of a series of workshops aimed at drawing up a national policy against corruption in the country.

Communication failing Pacific alert systemsAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:58

All across the Pacific, and especially in bandwidth-hungry Australia and New Zealand, a conflict of Pacific and Australia reporting systems, crashing websites and over-burdened mobile phone services confused the message yesterday as people clamoured to get information on the tsunami bulletin.

Lack of teachers eroding Aboriginal languagesAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:57

If you want to learn a foreign language in Australia you'll encounter relatively few obstacles, but if you want to learn an Aboriginal language you run into great difficulties.

Blacklist of tuna vessels to grow following FSM meetAudioTranscript

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:57

The blacklist of fishing vessels that will be banned from catching tuna in the main Pacific fishery could grow dramatically by year's end.

Frustration as major climate talks nearAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:57

There's growing frustration in Thailand as a major climate change conference nears its end with representatives of 180 countries in Bangkok following up last month's climate negotiations in New York.

Cook Islands responds well to disaster alertAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:57

Our contributor in Cook Islands, along with the nation's media, has praised yesterday's response to the tsunami warning and subsequent evacuations as cautious and necessary.

Conflicting benchmarks diluting warning messagesAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:58

Many national authorities are no-doubt beginning to review yesterday's reaction to the warning.

US aid for Samoa still being worked outAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:58

Efforts to extend US federal government assistance to Samoa in the wake of last week's tsunami disaster are still underway.

National day of mourning dawns in SamoaAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:58

Families, friends and communities will gather outside the Samoan capital, Apia, later this morning for the funeral of the many people who died in last weeks tsunami.

Quick breast cancer test a miniature breakthroughAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 09:11:55

According to Canadian researchers, a new pocket sized device might allow doctors to check a woman's breast cancer risk in minutes.

Gaua Volcano on close watch after quakeAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 18:22:37

A six point four magnitude quake hit between Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu's Luganville this morning, a day after a series of huge quakes sparked a region-wide tsunami alert.

Tongans treat latest tsunami warning much more seriouslyAudioTranscript

Updated 09/10/2009 18:22:37

Tongans treated yesterday's tsunami warning much more seriously than they did last week's actual tsunami disaster.

Samoa mourns its tsunami deadAudioTranscript

Updated 09/10/2009 18:22:37

In Samoa today is a national day of mourning to remember the 143 people who were killed in last week's devastating tsunami.

Indonesia moves to repatriate West PapuansAudioTranscript

Updated 09/10/2009 18:22:37

Indonesia is currently undertaking a program to repatriate several thousand West Papuan freedom activists living in Papua New Guinea.

Samoan returns home to mourn and bury familyAudio

Updated 09/10/2009 18:22:36

The Samoan community in Australia's southern state of Tasmania have put together a large container of food and clothes to help the victims of last week's tsunami.

Suggestion for Pacific archive move due to sea level riseAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:13

Pacific nations threatened by sea level rise might have to consider transferring their historical archives to another country for safekeeping.

Australian Indigenous cookbook promotes healthy tuckerAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:12

Addressing the 17 year gap in life expectancy between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians is a stated policy priority for the current government.

New Zealand to limit wine grapesAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:12

For the first time ever, New Zealand will limit the amount of wine grapes it grows to correct the overproduction of wine which is pushing the price down.

Surprising strength in PNG economy, but not disaster-readyAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:12

Time now to talk finance with our regular commentator in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Octogenarian completes PNG's KokodaAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:12

An 83-year-old Australian man has become possibly the oldest person to successfully walk Papua New Guinea's gruelling Kokoda Trail.

Fiji court rulings obscured from public scrutinyAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:13

EXTENDED INTERVIEW--The head of Fiji's Women's Crisis Centre has alleged that some rulings and statements made by judges and magistrates in Fiji's new court system are degrading to women and continue to put them at risk.

Islamic, Latter Day Saints agencies combine for Samoa aidAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:13

Help is coming from all quarters for the tsunami victims in the region, with the latest to join the effort coming from a co-op of Islamic Relief, based in California, and the Church of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City.

Reporters reach Tonga's Niuas to assess tsunami damageAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:13

Information from the Niuas in Tonga's north has been scant after more than a week since the 8-point-3 magnitude earthquake, as communications have been poor to non-existent.

Samoans consider rebuilding options after disasterAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:13

Millions and millions of dollars and tonnes of goods are flowing into the tsunami-ravaged countries of Tonga, Samoa and American Samoa.

Hopes former Australian PM can save NRLAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 10:32:08

There's been a fairly positive reception in the National Rugby League to the idea that the former Prime Minister, John Howard, could be brought in to oversee the code.

Australia prepared to assist Pacific tsunami disasterAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 18:29:25

Despite the easing of the Tsunami warning -- Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance Bob McMullan says there is a need for the region to remain alert.

Solomons handles tsunami alertAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 18:29:25

While there was panic and chaos in Fiji's capital, Suva this morning after the tsunami alert - the same cannot be said about the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara.

Samoans panicked by tsunami alertAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 18:29:26

In Samoa where people are still traumatised and mourning following last week's deadly tsunami, the tsunami alert threw residents of the capital, Apia into a state of panic.

Tsunami fears in American SamoaAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 18:29:26

The earthquake and tsunami warning early today brought horrible fears to American Samoan's who have suffered so much over the past week.

Pacific tsunami alert cases panicAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 18:29:26

A series of earthquakes that struck in the ocean between Vanuatu and Solomon Islands this morning put most west Pacific Island countries on tsunami alerts.

Reports of looting in American Samoa deniedAudio

Updated 08/10/2009 18:29:25

The American Samoan government is denying reports of looting in the wake of the tsunami.

Travel writers asked to stay away from FijiAudio

Updated 07/10/2009 09:03:55

Australia's travel writers are being asked to reconsider their decision to hold an annual conference in Fiji.

Calls for health checks for PNG Kokoda trekkersAudio

Updated 07/10/2009 09:03:55

Tour operators are calling for trekkers to pass mandatory fitness tests to try to reduce the number of deaths on Papua New Guinea's Kokoda Trail.

Timor Sea oil leak continues as plug failsAudioTranscript

Updated 07/10/2009 09:03:55

The first attempt to plug a large oil leak from the West Atlas rig in the Timor Sea has failed.

UK screens Melanesian Papuan rebel army documentaryAudioTranscript

Updated 07/10/2009 09:03:55

Separatist rebels - largely drawn from the Melanesian majority of Indonesia's Papua province - have been fighting a low-level insurgency for more than forty years but they're rarely seen.

Australia's senior Pacific diplomat cementing PNG tiesAudio

Updated 07/10/2009 09:03:56

Australia's soon-to-be-retired Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Duncan Kerr, is in Papua New Guinea to finalise some of the bilateral agreements outlined in Brisbane in June.

UN offers vaccinations to Samoan children in quake zoneAudioTranscript

Updated 07/10/2009 09:19:16

The United Nations children's fund, UNICEF, is preparing for a mass measles vaccination and vitamin A shot for 11,000 children in Samoa, possibly as soon as this week.

Sport to unite PNG Kokoda authority, AustraliaAudio

Updated 07/10/2009 09:03:54

The Kokoda Track Authority in Papua New Guinea plans to send a rugby team to play against a Gold Coast team and an Australian army team in November this year.

Aid groups stretched with Asia Pacific disastersAudio

Updated 07/10/2009 09:19:13

Even the largest of aid organisations - like the United Nations children's fund - are stretched at the moment, with three large disasters in the Asia Pacific region affecting millions of people.

ABD gives USD One Million to SamoaAudio

Updated 07/10/2009 18:22:18

The Asian Development Bank has provided one million U-S dollars to Samoa in response to last week's devastating tsunami.

Warning tsunami could devastate low lying atoll countriesAudioTranscript

Updated 07/10/2009 18:22:18

A geologist living in Samoa is warning that if a tsunami hits low-lying atolls, the results could be devastating.

Lalomanu residents in Samoa still traumatisedAudio

Updated 07/10/2009 18:22:19

Aid and medical assistance is continuing to flow to tsunami-ravaged areas of Samoa's southern coast, hard-hit by the 8.3-magnitude earthquake and tsunami early last week.

Solomons Police Commissioner denies violent crime increaseAudioTranscript

Updated 07/10/2009 18:22:19

The Solomon Islands Police Commissioner Peter Marshall does not believe that violent crime is on the increase in the country.

Samoan Independence Day mix of cheer, sadness in SydneyAudioTranscript

Updated 06/10/2009 08:56:27

Yesterday was a day of mourning for Samoans everywhere, and in Sydney members of the expatriate community have come together for their annual festival to celebrate Samoan Independence Day.

NZ Samoan community readying aid collectionAudio

Updated 06/10/2009 08:56:27

While messages of condolence are pouring in for the victims of the tsunami in Samoa, Tonga and American Samoa, aid efforts by New Zealand's Mangere Community Board are also in full swing.

Pacific-American communities unite to help victimsAudio

Updated 06/10/2009 08:56:27

Samoan and Tongan communities in the United States are joining their counterparts in Australia and New Zealand in collecting money and goods for tsunami relief.

Womens disaster needs learnt from Fiji floodsAudio

Updated 06/10/2009 08:56:27

Someone else with a lot of experience in the dangers to women in disaster zones is the Director of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, Shamima Ali.

Womens needs in Pacific disaster focus of UN helpAudioTranscript

Updated 06/10/2009 08:56:27

Now we are going to turn our attention to the special needs and vulnerabilities of women and young people after natural disasters which include prenatal care, assisted delivery, and emergency obstetric care.

Church services uplifting in Samoa's sorrowAudioTranscript

Updated 06/10/2009 08:56:27

Yesterday was Sunday in Samoa - a nation with a deep religious tradition - and church services were especially emotional as the country struggles to come to terms with last week's devastating tsunami which obliterated communities and killed more than 170 people in the region.

Families sheltering Samoa tsunami victimsAudioTranscript

Updated 06/10/2009 08:56:27

The current toll from last week's quake and tsuanmi in Samoa is 135 with eight still missing, 32 dead in American Samoa and nine dead in Tonga.

Vanuatu volcano still a threatAudio

Updated 06/10/2009 18:11:35

A volcano in Vanuatu is still showing signs of activity, blowing ashes into the air and threatening villages.

First ever NZ Pacific Islands MP jailed for corruptionAudio

Updated 06/10/2009 18:11:36

The first Pacific Islander elected as a New Zealand member of parliament has been sentenced to six years jail on corruption charges.

Barriers for foreign students in Australia in struggle for jobsAudio

Updated 06/10/2009 18:11:35

According to a new report, foreign students in Australia are struggling to find full-time work in their chosen field because they don't have the social and language skills to fit into the Australian workplace.

Progress in Pacific maternal health goals queriedAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:33

Health workers from the Pacific, Asia and Australia have heard most of the developing nations in the region are unlikely to implement womens' maternal health standards, as required by the United Nations' Millenium Development Goals.

Church services full as Tongan island still isolatedAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:34

Prayers were offered yesterday to tsunami victims at churches throughout Tonga, while survivors of Wednesday's tragedy on the remote northern island of Niuatoputapu are still waiting for emergency aid.

Taro crop wiped-out in SamoaAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:34

The tsunami which hit the coast of Samoa mid last week has also wiped-out a belt of the Pacific nation's staple food crop, taro.

US emergency agency housing hundreds in American SamoaAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:34

The hard-hit nation of American Samoa, with a current death toll of 32, continues to house around 1,600 people in shelters as the US emergency agency, FEMA, fans-out across the territory - hoping to avoid another Katrina.

Melbourne Storm takes NRL flagAudioTranscript

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:30

'Storm reigns supreme' says one newspaper headline in Melbourne, as the Melbourne Storm defeated Parramatta in the National Rugby League grandfinal.

NZ Governor-General commends PNG governanceAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:33

The Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Anand Satyanand, has visited Papua New Guinea, taking-in agricultural projects in the Eastern Highlands and East New Britain Provinces.

NZ expats fear Tongan aid slow getting to NiuatoputapuAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:34

The Tonga Advisory Council in New Zealand has expressed concerns about the delays in getting aid to Niuatoputapu as the first shipment of international aid is not expected to arrive until later today at the earliest.

Child health agencies on ground in SamoaAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:34

The United Nation's children's agency, UNICEF, says about one-third of those affected by last week's tsunami and earthquake are children.

Samoa begins burying tsunami victimsAudioTranscript

Updated 05/10/2009 09:06:34

In Samoa, families are beginning to bury the victims of last week's tsunami and earthquake, with relatives from abroad arriving in their hundreds to attend the ceremonies and see the devastation for themselves.

Niue unscathed by tsunamiAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 18:10:33

Niue was relatively unaffected by last week's tsunami, according to the island's premier, Toke Talagi.

Clean water needed on Tonga's devastated island of NiuatoputapuAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 18:10:33


Clean water is running critically low on Tonga's devastated island of Niuatoputapu, which was hit by last weeks earth quake and three large tidal waves.

Samoan doctor worried about potential disease outbreakAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 18:10:34

Doctors in Samoa are worried about the threat of infectious diseases in the aftermath of last week's tsunami.

One Aussie died and another evacuated from KokodaAudio

Updated 05/10/2009 18:10:33

An Australian woman aged in her 60s was evacuated from the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea a day after a Sydney man in her group died from a suspected heart attack.

A personal view from devastated south Samoan coastAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:11

The death toll in Samoa continues to mount slowly as the search for bodies in the sea and under tonnes of rotting rubble and debris contines.

Cooks Games athletes to mark tsunami lossesAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

Competiton at the Pacific Mini Games in Cook Islands is continuing despite the tsunami, and the Pacific Games Council says it's offering support to the athletes with plans to have a period of reflection during the Closing Ceremony.

Church welfare agency welcomes Australian aid reviewAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

As we just heard from Mr McMullan, the forum on Australian aid program was well attended and a lot of issues canvassed.

Forum on Australian aid provision crosses fieldsAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

Increasing pressure on the aid dollar to stretch even further has become patently obvious with the current situation in the Samoas, Tonga, Sumatra in Indonesia and recent flood victims in the Philippines.

Fiji in danger of installing protectionism: EconomistAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

One of the region's leading economists has warned the Fiji budget, due out later this month, is likely to leave consumers short-changed.

Charges laid against former French Polynesia PresidentAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

Judges investigating a major corruption case in French Polynesia have formally charged the former President and Senator Gaston Flosse.

Australian aid supplies reach SamoaAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

Australian aircraft have now arrived in Samoa with medical staff and emergency supplies and a mobile hospital.

NZ leaders, aid heading to SamoaAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

New Zealand is working with Australia in getting relief efforts to Samoa and Tonga, and has allocated an initial $NZ1 million in funding, with more to come for reconstruction.

Disagreement over Fiji disaster warning provisionAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

The lessons learned from natural disasters are already bubbling to the surface after the 8-point-3 magniture earthquake hit the region a couple of days ago.

UN childrens fund sets agenda for quake zoneAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:12

Hell on earth - that's how rescue workers arriving in villages on southern Samoa have described what they've seen following Tuesday's earthquake and tsunami.

Samoan Disaster Management Office briefs aid teamsAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:13

Another of the many aid organisations on the ground in Samoa is Oxfam, the members of which were briefed yesterday evening by the National Disaster Management Office.

Teams arrive on Tonga's Niuatoputapu at epicentreAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:13

Tonga's northern island of Niuatoputapu was reportedly closest to the epicentre of the recent earthquake.

NRL final to pit Storm, ParramattaAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 09:39:10

Now a look ahead to Sunday afternoon and the National Rugby League Grand Final, where the Melbourne Storm will take on Parramatta in the hope of winning its third premiership.

Vanuatu volcano alertAudioTranscript

Updated 02/10/2009 17:14:10

Communities on the Vanuatu island of Gaua are worried about the volcano in its centre.

CNMI and Guam brace for Typhoon MelorAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 17:14:12

Residents of the Northern Marianas and Guam have been told to prepare for heavy rains and winds this weekend.

Victorian Samoan appeals for assistanceAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 17:14:13

Lily Aiesi is a Samoan who lives in Victoria and she has lost a sister and 11 other relatives in Tuesday's devastating earthquake and tsunami.

US federal help flowing in to American SamoaAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 17:14:13

In American Samoa, US federal assistance has already started to arrive.

French frigate joins relief effort in TongaAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 17:14:13

Emergency relief supplies are being rushed to the remote Tongan island of Niuatoputapu, which was devastated by this week's tsunami.

Samoa death toll risingAudio

Updated 02/10/2009 17:14:13

The death toll in Samoa which continues to mount as the search for bodies in the sea and under tonnes of rubble and debris continues.

American Samoa Congressman describes devastationAudioTranscript

Updated 02/10/2009 17:14:13

Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, American Samoa's Congressman, has just arrived back in the US territory aboard a military flight from Hawaii.

Dip in PNG financial firms drives kina lowerAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:09

After five consecutive weeks of gains since late August, Papua New Guinea's Kina Securities Index has encountered its first retreat due to a drop in home stocks such as Bank of South Pacific and CCP.

PNG LNG forums between firms, landowners key to successAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

The lead developer of Papua New Guinea's first liquefied natural gas project says licensed-based development forums with affected landowners and provincial governments is a key to the success of the project.

Pressure to rid Fiji of 'old elite' questionedAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

The analysis of the Fiji interim prime minister's presentation to the UN General Assembly continues.

Pacific disaster warnings adequate, but need clarityAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

The initial warnings for the tsunami that wreaked havoc in the Samoas and northern Tonga came from Hawaii - one of the three centres in the region, the other two being Japan and Australia.

Australia, NZ offer assistance to quake victimsAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

Australia and New Zealand have promised to provide whatever is needed for emergency relief and reconstruction for the Samoas and Tonga.

Pacific Disaster Centre coordinating American Samoa aidAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

The Pacific Disaster Centre, based in Hawaii, is well underway in implementing its contingencies for yesterday's quake and tsunami in its US protectorate, American Samoa.

Red Cross assessing Pacific quake damage from FijiAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

The International Red Cross is coordinating the assessment of damage caused in Samoa and Tonga from Suva in Fiji.

Aerial survey shows extreme damage on Tonga's NiuasAudioTranscript

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

It took several hours to get any information out of Tonga yesterday, especially with information from the northern Niuas islands which were practically the epicentre of the quake.

Destruction on south coast of Samoa's UpoluAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

Our New Zealand correspondent Kerri Ritichie arrived late yesterday in Samoa, and she's already on the road at the Coconut Resort at Siumu on the South Coast of the main island of Samoa.

Indonesia suffers quake as Pacific in shockAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 08:43:10

As the Pacific deals with the after affects of this massive quake and the subsequent tsunamis, our near neighbours Indonesia have just hours ago faced the same scenario.

Help on the way for Tongan survivorsAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 17:25:56

In Tonga, authorities have up-dated the death toll from yesterday's earthquake and tsunami - saying that 9 people have died on one of its outer islands.

Australian Samoans to rise funds for tsunami reliefAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 17:25:56

The Samoan communities in Australia are working together to rise funds to aid their families affected by the tsunami disaster.

Samoan doctor describes tsunami survivors injuriesAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 17:25:56

One of the most urgent needs in Samoa right now is for clean water, food and shelter for people who have lost their homes.

30 dead, uncounted number still missing in American SamoaAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 17:25:56

To neighbouring American Samoa where thee death toll from the earthquake and tsunami in neighbouring American Samoa now stands at 30, but authorities expect that to rise.

Dead and disaster in SamoaAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 17:25:56

In Samoa, 148 people are reported dead and in neighbouring American Samoa 30, but these numbers are expected to rise - as a lot of people are still missing.

PNG: Huli people want apologyAudio

Updated 01/10/2009 17:25:55

Papua New Guineans are demanding an apology from the creators of a picture depicting the US president Barack Obama as an African witchdoctor.

Listen Now

Listen and download Pacific Beat MP3s using our 'Listen Now' player.

Subscribe

Subscribe to Podcasts for free MP3 downloads of our programs. Use our RSS Webfeeds to customize the content that you want. Get our programs delivered to your inbox with our email alerts.

Pacific Break - our search for the best original unsigned musical talent in the Pacific.
Visit - In the Loop