Author: TMC Palau

John Yalu, a ni-Vanuatu who worked as a banana picker in Australia, was acquitted of murder in Cairns Supreme Court, after he amputated the leg of a pensioner in exchange for NZ$6000. The man died as a result. Photo: Supplied / Facebook A ni-Vanuatu seasonal worker in Australia, who sawed off a pensioner’s foot for cash, could be eligible for release from jail this year. John Yalu was convicted of manslaughter last week after amputating Kalman Tal’s foot in exchange for NZ$6000 in the North Queensland town of Innisfail in 2022. The 41-year-old banana picker was sentenced to nine years’…

Immanuel says that they are moving towards the Business Ready platform. [ There is a significant rise in investor interest, with the country’s investment pipeline growing to $8.8 billion across 254 active projects in multiple sectors. Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel says the increase reflects growing investor confidence in Fiji’s economic direction, supported by ongoing reforms. Immanuel adds that the improvement is linked to a series of structural reforms being implemented with support from international partners, including the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Immanuel says that with the introduction of the BusinessNow Fiji digital system, online permit services…

Despite a string of disappointing results in recent Extra Premier League matches, Suva Football Association president Nitin Singh believes the side still has enough time to build momentum ahead of the upcoming BiC Fiji FACT tournament. This year’s Fiji FACT will be staged at Subrail Park in Labasa from June 19, with the official pool draw set to take place this Saturday at the Fiji FA Academy in Suva. For Singh, the weeks leading up to the tournament will be vital as Suva intensifies preparations for one of Fiji football’s most prestigious competitions. Singh assumed the presidency of Suva FA…

[Source:Athletics Fiji/Facebook] Nadi athletics club member and Swami Vivekananda College head girl, Brienna Rabakewa, has signed a two-year athletics scholarship with Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, USA. This follows her recent impressive outing at the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships in Darwin, Australia. In congratulating Rabakewa, Athletics Fiji says she will be pursuing an Associate Degree in Engineering while continuing to develop her talents in the discus throw, where she currently holds an impressive personal best of 45.61 meters Athletics Fiji says the achievement is a testament to her hard work, dedication, discipline, and perseverance as well as the unwavering support…

An image from the National Oceanography Centre shows a carnivorous sponge, photographed during an expedition to the NE Pacific abyss and found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). A recent executive order by US President Donald Trump could open the door to Nauru deep sea mining in the CCZ. Photo: National Oceanography Centre/ AFP The head of the UN body mandated to develop regulations for seabed mining in international waters says Pacific countries are playing a big role in shaping the regulations that will govern the future industry. International Seabed Authority (ISA) secretary-general Leticia Carvalho was in Fiji last week conducting…

A disconnect between policy and practice on the ground is emerging as a key challenge for business in the region. [Photo: FILE] Despite Pacific leaders placing growing emphasis on long-term, value-for-money procurement approaches for infrastructure development, a disconnect between policy and practice on the ground is emerging as a key challenge for the region. Procurement in the Pacific is increasingly being shaped by lifecycle resilience, community engagement and improved development outcomes, guided by the seven Pacific Quality Infrastructure Principles endorsed by Pacific leaders in 2023. Governments and development partners across the region are now moving away from lowest-cost procurement approaches,…

source: AAP Roșie Huntington-Whiteley has shared snaps of her Egyptian holiday, saying the trip has been on her bucket list for a long time. Roșie Huntington-Whiteley haș achieved a “lifelong dream” after visiting the Pyramids of Giza with fiance Jason Statham. The model took to her Instagram page to share snaps of the Egyptian holiday, as she admitted the trip was one she had wanted to take for some time. “The most incredible few days in Egypt. Visiting the Pyramids of Giza had been a lifelong dream,” she wrote alongside the images.Article continues after advertisement The mum-of-two added that the…

source: AAP Paul McCartney has reflected on the time when he and his Beatles bandmates, spent an evening with Elvis Presley at his LA home. Paul McCartney says meeting Elvis Presley six decades ago was a “pinch yourself” moment for the young musician. The former Beatles star, 83, met the ‘The King’, alongside his bandmates for the first and only time in 1965 when the group visited his home in Los Angeles in California. Reminiscing about his Beatles days, McCartney raved about his experience meeting Presley and his wife Priscilla.Article continues after advertisement Appearing on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks Of…

For reasons relating to the terms and conditions of the permanent public service, ingrained habits of reticence learned therein, or the uncertainties of consulting, many who work in and around development are hypersensitive about putting their names to their opinions. I am reminded of this every time I write a review of a book that touches in some way on goings-on in the Canberra aid and foreign policy scene — I get messages from insiders in said scene telling me I’ve either been too tough on the subject or not gone hard enough. Insider tales and perspectives gush out, many…

Workers rights activist say CNMI’s foreign worker community has long struggled for more secure immigration status. Photo: 123RF Human rights advocates, labor activists, and former lawmaker Edwin Propst are warning that a new US immigration policy that restricts immigrant visa holders from applying for green cards could create fear, family separation and workforce instability in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The new US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) memorandum issued this week characterises Adjustment of Status (AOS) as “extraordinary relief” and signals that many applicants may instead be expected to process immigrant visas overseas. Propst criticised the…