Regional

Jess Ponting has heard those jokes. A sustainable tourism professor, he recently founded the first-of-its-kind institute at San Diego State University with the aim of building a database and spreading awareness about what has evolved from a beach counterculture to a multibillion dollar global indus…

The meeting is being hosted by the University of the South Pacific’s Alafua Campus. The conference brings together academics, policy makers and diplomats from across the region to share research, exchange ideas and debate contemporary issues. Association president, Dr Steven Ratuva said he expects …

As part of an anti-smoking crackdown, the government is also banning smoking in public spaces, along with the sale of five-pack cartons. It says the sale of so-called ‘loose smokes’ will be stopped. Hundreds of thousands of people who make their living by selling individual cigarettes on the street…

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…