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O’Neill confirmed that the controversial jet was owned by Air Niugini and not by the government anymore. “We hire the jet to use and Air Niugini sends us the bill every month like any other commercial arrangement. We are not using it free of charge,” O’Neill said. Critics of the government have voi…

The budget was bumped up by just over one million dollars when “subsequent to the public hearings, the appropriations committee identified $1,053,338 from Ministry of Health special revenue (that) was not included (in the bill originally introduced in mid-August),” said Finance Minister Jack Ading …

A Greenpeace ship, The Esperanza, has left American Samoa and will travel across the Pacific on a new campaign to protect dwindling fish stocks. Greenpeace wants marine reserves to be established in four areas of the Pacific, collectively referred to as the Pacific Commons. Greenpeace spokesman Cas…

The company got permission earlier this year to offload its fishing vessels to a Chinese container ship at the main Apia harbor. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Le Mamea Ropati says the company is looking for a more viable business operation and it needs government assistance. The minister sa…

Air Marshall Islands board of directors has endorsed a plan to offer the private sector a 51 percent controlling interest in the government-run airline, and is looking at management options available before a plan is formally put to the Cabinet for endorsement. Transportation Minister Kenneth Kedi …

The immunization is scheduled for children who have yet to complete their childhood vaccinations, such as MMR and polio. Among other services that the team will be providing to the Neighboring Islands is the Sexual Transmitted Infections Awareness Program, especially for the targeted age group of 1…

The MV Caroline Voyager is not scheduled to accommodate the needs of those participants in bringing them in to take part in the training and back again to their home islands.

In the past 20 years child mortality rates have reduced by 30 percent, far below the UN’s aim of cutting child mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Geoffrey Keele from the U.N. children’s fund, UNICEF, says most East Asian countries are on track to meet the U.N.’s targets, but Pacific nations are a con…

That’s because the latest review of the needs catering for kidney ailments has clearly determined it is not feasible to conduct in-country dialysis treatment. A New Zealand expert, Carla Wilson, was enlisted by the Ministry of Health to conduct the research and a report has been furnished to govern…

The concept was trialed at the recent Kundiawa Gembogl by-election and proved to be successful. Trawen said the returning officer for Kundiawa Gembogl had strongly recommended that the Electoral Commission adopt that and allow women to vote separately.