Pacific Islands News Roundup: Aug. 16-22, 2024

Political Leadership, Regionalism, Peace and Security

• US grants ITAR exemptions to Australia and UK under AUKUS deal (Benar News )

• UN secretary-general to visit Samoa, New Zealand, Tonga, and Timor-Leste (Talanoa ?o Tonga )

• Ocean of Peace: China backs Fiji’s plan ahead of key Pacific summit (PMN )

• Mass surrender over Papua New Guinea massacre as survivors live in limbo (Benar News )

• Fiji home affairs minister proposes ‘Oceanic Alliance’ to strengthen maritime security (Fiji Sun )

• Pacific Islands Forum delays New Caledonia mission after diplomatic wrangling (Islands Business )

• Indonesia’s president-elect makes first official visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG Facts )

• Kiribati elections: 58% turnout, record 5 women elected to 45-seat parliament (RNZ )

• US Peace Corps director in Tonga: Focus on youth empowerment, climate action (Matangi Tonga )

• Palau hosts historic joint conference for Pacific Islands legislative groups (Island Times )

• CNMI group raises concern on Guam governor’s nuclear weapons storage stance (RNZ )

• Tongans arrested in Kingdom and Australia linked to notorious gang (Kaniva Tonga )

• FSM state and national leadership conference convened in Pohnpei (Kaselehlie Press )

People-Centered Development

• Pacific meth usage could become epidemic if left unchecked, says expert (Marianas Variety )

• Palau grapples with growing drug crisis as police struggle with resources, leadership (Island Times )

• Guam hospital says funding gap may prompt shutdown of some vital services (Pacific Island Times )

• Prison drug ring busted by police in Marshall Islands (ABC Australia )

• ‘Pacific culture is key’ to address health barriers, says community health navigator (PMN )

• Fiji’s health ministry intensifies HIV testing programs (Fiji Times )

• Tensions rise at USP as staff unions vote for strike to oust Vice-Chancellor (Talanoa ?o Tonga )

• Education, training, and employment: A key priority for youth development in the Pacific (SPC )

• Advisory group tackles ‘overrepresentation of COFA migrants in Guam’s criminal justice system’ (Pacific Daily News )

• PNG media council condemns exclusion of journalist during Indonesian president-elect’s visit (Benar News )

• Vanuatu Teachers Union to end strike, signs new agreement with government (Vanuatu Daily Post )

• Tonga: Slow progress on ICCPR ratification and human rights body amid press freedom challenges (Talanoa ?o Tonga )

• Indigenous leaders join King Tuheitia to sign declarations in Aotearoa New Zealand (Te Ao Māori News )

• Samoa ministry of health declares dengue outbreak over (Samoa Observer )

• ‘The problem is the family’: Fiji’s growing drug crisis and views on family values (RNZ )

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

• Pacific foreign ministers call for independent oversight of Fukushima wastewater (PACNEWS )

• US, Guam regulators deny permit renewal for Andersen AFB open detonation facility (Pacific Island Times )

• Pacific Islands achieve milestones in the fight against climate change (SPREP )

• Bougainville Copper and Rio Tinto sign deal to clean up Panguna mining site (RNZ )

• Papua New Guinea minister reaffirms climate change commitment at summit (PNG Haus Bung )

• Depletion of Bikini Atoll trust fund sparks lawsuit against trust manager (Pacific Island Times )

• Pacific shark and ray numbers threatened, say conservationists (ABC Australia )

• Cook Islands faces potential water crises due to drier weather – CIMS (Cook Islands News )

• Tropical cyclone may form near Hawai?i as Hurricane Gilma intensifies (Big Island Video News )

• Operation Island Chief 2024 successfully concludes 12-day fisheries surveillance operation (FFA )

• Vanuatu appoints MP Regenvanu as Climate Change and Environment Envoy (Pasifika Environews )

• Enhancing swamp taro health and tackling groundwater issues in Palau’s Kayangel Atoll (SPC )

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

• New Int’l Civil Aviation Organization liaison office opens in Fiji to boost aviation safety (Fiji Village )

• Fiji govt to investigate complaints of mistreatment of PALM workers in Australia (ABC Australia )

• Palau and Tokyo Electric Power Company sign agreement to decrease reliance on fossil fuels (MBJ )

• Palau’s president accuses China of weaponizing lucrative tourism over Taiwan stance (M Variety )

• Solomon Islands PM launches Maritime Labor Mobility & Shipping Registry National Roadmap (IDS )

• Elon Musk to visit Fiji in October as Starlink expands high-speed internet (Fiji Village )

• Deep sea mining continues in Papua New Guinea despite moratorium (ABC Australia )

• Continued growth projected for the Pacific, but resilience still needed — ADB (Island Times )

• Fiji eyes fisheries, eco-friendly aquaculture collaboration with China (FBC News )

• Cook Islands govt takes steps to protect public from online threats (Cook Islands News )

• CNMI tourism stakeholders push back against proposed changes to Managaha rules (M Variety )

• Fiji govt revisits PACER Plus agreement in Suva-West Consultations (Mai TV )

• Tonga invites Elon Musk to the PIF Leaders Meeting amid connectivity challenges (Tavuli News )

• Kiribati, Niue, and Tuvalu struggle to keep up with high cost of living (Pacific Island Times )

• Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation announces $1.6B contract for next rail segment (HNN )

Call for Submissions: Visions & Voices Quarterly Publication

The Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) invites students, scholars, researchers, and professionals to submit work to Visions & Voices , a quarterly publication dedicated to the Pacific Islands region.

Submissions of essays, articles, commentaries, and concise pieces that pertain to the Pacific Islands are welcomed. Next deadline: September 30.

For detailed submission guidelines, please visit the Pacific Islands Report website .

The Pacific Islands Report (PIR) is a project of the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center and?the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS) at the University of Hawai?i at Mānoa.

This non-exhaustive news roundup is organized with the thematic areas of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its implementation plan.

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