Pacific Islands Table of Contents
FIJI: Severe storm floods parts of Suva
A freak storm which has hit the Fiji capital Suva is wreaking havoc on
some medical services and schools. A number of schools and businesses
have been closed for the day - with some parents forced to retrieve
their children from flooded school buildings. Twenty-four houses were
washed away after a river burst its banks and families have been
evacuated to emergency housing on higher ground.
Pacific Beat
Australia's opposition wants EU-style community
Australia's Opposition has released a discussion paper - filled with
ambitious ideas for the Pacific. The paper calls for a treaty to
establish a 'Pacific Community', similar to the European Union, along
with a Pacific Parliament and a special court. It also wants the
Australian dollar adopted as a common currency for Pacific Island
nations. And perhaps most controversially, the Australian Labor Party is
proposing giving thousands of Pacific Islanders temporary working visas
in Australia - arguing it would help overcome labour shortages, while
helping Pacific states through remittances.
Pacific Beat
Anne to present PNG chiefs with medals
The daughter of the Queen of England, Princess Anne, is to leave Papua New Guinea on Thursday evening, after a short visit to mark PNG's 30th
independence anniversary. The Princess arrived in Port Moresby on Wednesday afternoon and was welcomed by a crowd of over 2,000 people.
Before she leaves, the Princess will present the medals of the PNG order of Logohu to several people in recognition for their contribution to
Papua New Guinea's development.
Pacific Beat
Final Plan draft now released
The final draft of the much debated Pacific Plan has now been released.
The Plan is a blueprint for regional integration and it's being
developed by the region's peak representative body, the Pacific Islands
Forum. The document was first suggested by the Pacific Eminent Persons
Group early last year. And while consultation over the Plan is
continuing, a number of Pacific-based NGOs have expressed concern over
the final draft and want the Plan's release to be postponed for two years.
Pacific Beat
Core samples being tested for Uranium
Samples of rock from the island of Niue are being examined by a
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