Regional

In a letter to the Chief Secretary, the Governor-General said the probe should cover the management of funds, irregular payments made to a contract for house construction and the general procurement process. In the same letter Sir Michael said the Government House needed a major overhaul and funds,…

Members of the group were selected from relevant agencies of the state government as well as the private and non-government organizations on island. The formulation of the group came as a result of the decision by Yap State Gov. Sebastian Anefal to declare a “state of emergency to preserve public h…

Nautilus Minerals hopes to start mining gold and copper deposits under the Bismarck Sea off New Ireland Province in 2013. A report, “Out of our Depths” by environmental campaigner Dr. Helen Rosenbaum, claimed Nautilus’s Environmental Impact Study was flawed.

Palau Visitors Authority said the 100,000th visitor was ushered from the plane to the VIP lounge and was greeted by  Toribiong, members of the diplomatic corps, lawmakers, cabinet ministers and other officials. A welcome reception was held in the airport’s main lobby. Prizes from the tourism partne…

A report published by the Pew Environment Group this year said 73 million sharks were killed every year, primarily for their fins. This overfishing upsets ocean ecosystems which depend on the apex predators for balance. The shark fins are sold to up market restaurants in China, Hong Kong and Japan.…

After an intense search, Chairman Kasio E. Mida reported that Dr. Joseph M Daisy has accepted the position and will officially begin in the first week of February 2012. Daisy comes from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he served since 2005 in a wide range of administrative and l…

The conference was to be held from Dec. 12 to 16, but due to the dengue outbreak, it has been postponed until further notice. The meeting was to have guest speakers from the Johnson A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization (an…

Under ADB sponsorship, FSM was represented by Assistant Director for Budget and Economic Management Ignacio Stephen. The neighboring north Pacific countries of Palau and Marshalls sent three participants each. The meeting was a good way to see FSM’s efforts and status in financial management, plann…

The comments from China’s Defense Ministry were in response to a recent announcement by President Obama and Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard that 2,500 U.S. troops would be stationed in northern Australia by 20-17. China and Indonesia had both previously questioned the move, but a Chinese d…

Managing director Eric Barratt said the San Nikunau was probably worth $20 million-$25 million and had been detained since July after allegations it failed to properly document oily water discharges. “We have confidence that we have not incurred anything or done anything that they allege is imprope…