News

A $1,240,411 grant aims to reduce invasive species in U.S. territories and Freely Associated States. This grant, from the U.S. Department of Interior follows a $1.4 million grant for coral reef management and protection, according to a press release.

SAIPAN — The Marianas Visitors Authority and the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands welcomed the People’s Republic of China’s decision to reinstate the Northern Mariana Islands on its Approved Destination Status list, allowing package tours and charter flights to the destination once again. 
 

The House Committee on Natural Resources will host a Congressional Field Hearing on Guam from 10 a.m. to noon on Aug. 24 at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa.

Tokio Marine Pacific Insurance Limited, which recorded premiums written of approximately $176 million USD in 2022, will be soon be acquired by locally-owned Calvo Enterprises, Inc.

While the U.S. Missile Defense Agency awaits approval for the $9.6 billion it’s seeking in the fiscal 2023 budget, it is moving ahead with plans for Guam.
 

Nauru Airlines added a Boeing 737-800F to its fleet for freight operations. The airline operates four Boeing 737-300 passenger aircraft, and services to Brisbane, Honiara, Majuro, Nadi, Pohnpei and Tarawa. During the FAA’s downing of Asia Pacific Airlines to islands in Micronesia, Nauru Airlines began carrying cargo on routes in the region.

A couple of months after it started selling Chico de Marianas at selected outlets, the Kensington Hotel Saipan hosted a launch party for the NMI’s first homegrown chocolate souvenir July 28 at OHAS Cafe.

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce wants a workers visa that will encompass both the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam as it faces dwindling NMI-only workers each year as the foreign worker program winds down in 2029.