By Anna Kirk, an intern in the Lowy Institute's Melanesia program.
- At the Australian launch of the World Bank's new report, Voice and Agency: Empowering Women and Girls for Shared Prosperity, Ashlee Betteridge interviewed Dame Carol Kidu on the difficulties women in PNG face.
- Fiji's suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum has been lifted, but as Tess Newton Cain told the ABC's Pacific Beat, Prime Minister Bainimarama has stated that Fiji will not return while Australia and New Zealand are members.
- On The Interpreter, Philippa Brant examines how attractive Chinese aid really is to Fiji.
- During their most recent surveillance exercise, the multinational Fisheries Maritime Police caught a record 12 boats in breach of their licences and boarded 114 vessels. For an interesting take on China's lack of transparency in fishing in the Pacific, read this article by Shannon Service.
- Stephanie Koorey asks what factors are driving demand for illicit small arms in the Pacific.
- After the release of PNG's most recent monthly monetary policy statement, Paul Flanagan at Devpolicy says PNG's economy is on a 'slippery slope' to high levels of inflation.
- The Pacific Policy Society gives us this interview with Paula Vivili from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community on the impacts of non-communicable diseases in the region.