Trump says Putin to retaliate over Ukraine attacks as peace remains distant
Following a roughly 75-minute call with Putin, Trump said on social media that they had
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11 hours ago
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Pacific News In Brief For 1 July
Article – RNZ A round-up of news from around the region, including Niue government announcing its budget for 2025. Niue – budget Health, education, social welfare and government salaries have receives a boost in the Niue government's new NZ$12.5 million (US$7.6m) deficit budget. Last week, the island's finance minister announced the largest expenditure of the government is to cover the salaries of its workforce and the cost of social services. TV Niue reported the health department gets the highest increase in this budget of more than $880,000, a 26 percent boost. Cook Islands – firearms Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has announced several new initiatives aimed at enhancing firearm regulation and safety across the Pa Enua (outer islands). Cook Islands News reported this includes the resumption of police-issued ammunition and plans to simplify the driving licensing process for tourists. Speaking in parliament, Brown confirmed that the Cook Islands Police has reinstated its role as the official supplier of ammunition to the Pa Enua. The move is expected to assist island communities in managing issues such as wild animal control. Papua New Guinea – chicken East Sepik Governor Allan Bird has raised concerns over a drop in chicken sales nationwide. Bird said the government banned the importation of frozen chicken from Australia and New Zealand with the pretext of protecting the Papua New Guinea industry from foreign competitors and diseases. He said it was a short-sighted decision and now as imported chicken stock runs out, the impact is being felt around the country. He said imported chickens retail at about 22 kina ($US5.33) per kilo, while locally produced chickens retail at about 40 kina. Bird said local chicken production will remain expensive because the chicken feed is imported and 80 per cent of the cost of producing a chicken is the feed cost. Samoa – festival A large Samoan festival – the Teuila Festival – has been cancelled this year. The festival, which features cultural performances and the Miss Samoa pageant, has been cancelled to avoid a timing clash with Samoa's general election. The Miss Samoa pageant has been rescheduled, to run from 27 October to 9 November. Fiji – ICC Fijian Nazhat Shameem Khan has been elevated to the topmost prosecutorial position at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Fiji Times reported the Office of the Prosecutor at the ICC has announced that deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang have taken over leadership, following prosecutor Karim Khan KC's temporary leave of absence. In May Khan, who is British, stepped aside pending the outcome of a United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation into alleged misconduct. Nazhat Shameem Khan is a Fijian diplomat and former judge. Fiji/PNG – anniversary Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is poised to attend Papua New Guinea's 50th independence anniversary celebrations in Port Moresby on 16 September. Local media reports Rabuka praising his PNG counterpart James Marape for his leadership in strengthening the region and expressed Fiji's commitment to maintaining strong diplomatic ties with PNG. Fiji and PNG established diplomatic relations in 1975 and continue to build on their traditional, political, and economic partnership.
Scoop
12 hours ago
- Scoop
Pacific News In Brief For 1 July
Niue - budget Health, education, social welfare and government salaries have receives a boost in the Niue government's new NZ$12.5 million (US$7.6m) deficit budget. Last week, the island's finance minister announced the largest expenditure of the government is to cover the salaries of its workforce and the cost of social services. TV Niue reported the health department gets the highest increase in this budget of more than $880,000, a 26 percent boost. Cook Islands - firearms Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has announced several new initiatives aimed at enhancing firearm regulation and safety across the Pa Enua (outer islands). Cook Islands News reported this includes the resumption of police-issued ammunition and plans to simplify the driving licensing process for tourists. Speaking in parliament, Brown confirmed that the Cook Islands Police has reinstated its role as the official supplier of ammunition to the Pa Enua. The move is expected to assist island communities in managing issues such as wild animal control. Papua New Guinea - chicken East Sepik Governor Allan Bird has raised concerns over a drop in chicken sales nationwide. Bird said the government banned the importation of frozen chicken from Australia and New Zealand with the pretext of protecting the Papua New Guinea industry from foreign competitors and diseases. He said it was a short-sighted decision and now as imported chicken stock runs out, the impact is being felt around the country. He said imported chickens retail at about 22 kina ($US5.33) per kilo, while locally produced chickens retail at about 40 kina. Bird said local chicken production will remain expensive because the chicken feed is imported and 80 per cent of the cost of producing a chicken is the feed cost. Samoa - festival A large Samoan festival - the Teuila Festival - has been cancelled this year. The festival, which features cultural performances and the Miss Samoa pageant, has been cancelled to avoid a timing clash with Samoa's general election. The Miss Samoa pageant has been rescheduled, to run from 27 October to 9 November. Fiji - ICC Fijian Nazhat Shameem Khan has been elevated to the topmost prosecutorial position at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Fiji Times reported the Office of the Prosecutor at the ICC has announced that deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang have taken over leadership, following prosecutor Karim Khan KC's temporary leave of absence. In May Khan, who is British, stepped aside pending the outcome of a United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation into alleged misconduct. Nazhat Shameem Khan is a Fijian diplomat and former judge. Fiji/PNG - anniversary Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is poised to attend Papua New Guinea's 50th independence anniversary celebrations in Port Moresby on 16 September. Local media reports Rabuka praising his PNG counterpart James Marape for his leadership in strengthening the region and expressed Fiji's commitment to maintaining strong diplomatic ties with PNG. Fiji and PNG established diplomatic relations in 1975 and continue to build on their traditional, political, and economic partnership.
Scoop
12 hours ago
- Scoop
What Does The US Remittance Tax Mean For The Pacific?
The United States is set to implement a tax on remittances paid by migrants to their communities overseas. The tax is a component of the " One Big Beautiful Bill", a cornerstone fiscal measure under President Donald Trump. When the spending bill passed through the House of Representatives, the tax was set at 5 percent. The US Senate reduced it down to 3.5 percent, and now again to 1 percent. The bill has undergone numerous amendments in the Senate before it goes back to the House for final negotiations and then to the White House. However, even if the final tax level falls on the lower end, Pacific development experts say that both direct and indirect impacts pose a significant threat to the region. What is the remittance tax? Deep within the pages of congressional reports on the "One Big Beautiful Bill" lies a section titled "Removing Taxpayer Benefits for Illegal Immigrants". The tax takes aim at outward flows of income generated by illegal immigrants within the US economy, one of several measures designed to disadvantage illegal immigrants financially. Remittance transfer providers, such as US banks, credit unions, or licensed brokers and dealers, would collect the tax at the point of transfer before the remittance is sent abroad, increasing the cost of sending remittances. The tax applies to all US citizens and nationals sending money overseas, though it had originally been aimed only at illegal immigrants before a Senate redraft on 30 June. With the US responsible for the largest global share of remittances, particularly to Latin America and the Caribbean, critics argue it could cause serious damage in the developing world. In May, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denounced the tax as "a measure that is unacceptable". It is also proven controversial in right-leaning circles, particularly among libertarians, prompting draft after redraft of the policy. The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, called the tax "poorly designed". "Although the Senate bill's narrowing of the tax would greatly diminish these problems, it would not eliminate them. That outcome can be attained by rejecting the remittances tax in its entirety." Impact on the Pacific The US Migration Policy Institute estimates that, as of 2023 there are 166,389 immigrants currently in the US who were born in Oceania (other than Australia and New Zealand). The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), an organisation of civil society groups throughout the region, said the tax will have "profound implications" on Pacific livelihoods. PANG deputy coordinator Adam Wolfenden told RNZ Pacific that, while relatively less remittance cash finds its way into the Pacific, these are nations who rely on it. "For a country like Samoa, which gets 20 percent of its remittance money from the US, we'll see that cut. For a country like Tonga, for who the US is its biggest source of remittances at just over 35 percent, this will see a cut." "Studies have shown that any increase in the cost of sending money home has a larger impact." According to the World Bank, sending remittances currently costs an average of 6.62 percent of the amount sent, thanks to things like provider fees. Wolfenden pointed to a study by the Center for European, Governance and Economic Development Research, which found that demonstrates that one percentage point increase in remittance costs would correlate with a 1.6 percent decline in the amount that reaches it's final destination. A potential 3.5 percent tax would reduce remittance flows by 5.6 percent, PANG said. "The fear is that, for those who receive remittances in those domestic economies, particularly that rely on remittances to fund a lot of consumption, the tax will ultimately lead to some kind of decrease in economic growth. Amid other US actions in the Pacific, such as massive cuts to aid, tariffs and increased militarisation, Wolfenden believes the US simply is not considering the Pacific in the decision making. "I think they are promoting their interests above all else. And I think that is a short-sighted view towards what a relationship with the Pacific means." The Australian National University's Development Policy Centre deputy director Dr Ryan Edwards called the tax "terrible". "Remittances can get sent in many ways. There's the cash ones which will be targeted through formal channels, and informal channels, where people often just carry it back in their suitcases and declare it or find other ways," he said. "This will push everything to the informal channel market, which many countries have tried for a long time to move people away from for security reasons." Edwards told RNZ Pacific that he is concerned about the precedent the policy will set, and what kind of signal it would send to governments with significant aid contributions. "We have seen the current US administration testing the waters with international trade, aid, and other things. [These things] tend to benefit both sides in ways that we often do not pick up at a first glance. "It is a slippery slope in terms of setting an example, and the US has historically had a role as a global example not so much anymore."
