PINA

Australia will help prop up the Solomon Islands police force after a request from its prime minister as the federal government works to increase its role in addressing the nation's security needs. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed his counterpart Jeremiah Manele with a guard of honour at Parliament House on Wednesday ahead of high-level meetings. The Australian Federal Police commissioner took...

In response to the petition presented to the deputy French Ambassador during a solidarity march led by the Vanuatu President of the Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs (MCC), Chief Paul Robert Ravun, French Ambassador Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer has issued a comprehensive Opinion-Editorial addressing key concerns regarding New Caledonia’s indigenous recognition, decolonisation process, discrimination, military operations, and calls for independence. Ambassador Vilmer...

Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, welcomed Jeremiah Manele, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands to Canberra on 26 June 2024 on his first international visit as Prime Minister. This was their first meeting as Prime Ministers. The meeting followed recent visits to Honiara by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Marles and Foreign Minister Wong, highlighting the importance of our relationship. Australia and...

The Pacific Regional and National Security Conference (PRNSC) wrapped up today with a key panel discussion this week focused on national security. The panel emphasised the vital role of inclusive stakeholder management in crafting effective national security strategies. Moderated by former senior diplomat and police officer Ross Ardern, the ‘National Security Panel’ included the Cook Islands National Security Advisor, Maara Tetava,...

Australia must heed Pacific calls for a more ambitious climate strategy as the region faces an existential threat, a former environmental lawyer turned Greens senator says. Steph Hodgins-May is due to deliver her first Senate speech on Wednesday after being sworn in on 14 May, replacing Janet Rice who retired from politics. The Victorian senator was an environmental lawyer and worked...

Fiji is proud to join the global community in observing the International Day for Women in Diplomacy commemorated this week on 24 June, 2024. The day is dedicated to recognising the remarkable contributions of women diplomats in the foreign services and calls for inclusivity of women into diplomatic roles that shape and implement the multilateral agendas. Commemorating this special occasion, the...

The recovery of Pacific bluefin tuna has achieved a major milestone—the species exceeded international targets a decade ahead of schedule. The rebuilding of Pacific bluefin tuna reflects a fisheries management success. International organisations cooperated across the Pacific to reverse decades of overfishing for the prized species. The International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species in the North Pacific Ocean (ISC),...

By Malla Kaval Ocean currents across the vast Pacific Ocean are bringing plastic wastes to Tonga. This is the warning from two visiting scholars from New Zealand. The two scholars, Professor Palatasa Havea from Massey University and Dr Bridie Allan, a lecturer at Otago University, gave a public talk at the University of the South Pacific (USP) Tonga Campus recently. One of...

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is satisfied with Japan’s test results on the Fukushima treated nuclear waste water released into the Pacific ocean more than a year ago. Japan government officials has confirmed that it has continued to update Pacific Island leaders including Rabuka about the test results showing no presence of radioactive elements in the treated wastewater until today. “We...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will finally face a United States court 14 years after he leaked troves of secret state information and ended up in a British maximum security prison for his troubles. An odyssey that started with Assange holed up in Ecuador's London embassy before leading him to solitary confinement in Belmarsh prison in the United Kingdom, now looks...