PINA

Countries expressed disappointment as key negotiations on climate finance and emissions-cutting measures made scant progress at mid-year talks By Megan Rowling and Matteo Civillini UN climate talks in Bonn ended in finger-pointing over their failure to move forward on a key programme to reduce planet-heating emissions, with the UN climate chief warning of “a very steep mountain to climb to...

Vanuatu Minister of Internal Affairs, Johnny Koanapo, said the government should make future referendums compulsory to ensure inclusive participation. While the referendum provided an opportunity for citizens to exercise their rights under Article 7 of the Constitution to make changes, there were some who were irresponsible in abstaining from voting, he stressed. He said while turnout in some polling stations were...

The leaders of Papua New Guinea and New Zealand have discussed a refreshed partnership that could boost the number of places for short-term RSE horticultural workers coming to Aotearoa. Christopher Luxon had a stopover in Papua New Guinea while en route to Japan with a business delegation, and met with PNG Prime Minister James Marape. The two discussed regional issues, a...

An entity to look into corrupt practices in the Samoa government will be set up soon as the first National Anti-corruption Policy and Strategy was officially launched last Thursday at Tanoa Hotel. The policy marks the first step towards establishing such an organisation, however, the harder part would be setting the parameters in the context of culture. Samoa acceded to the...

In a significant step forward for agricultural development, the new Centre for Agriculture Technology Transfer (CATT), also known as the Smart Farm, officially opened its doors Friday, 14 June 2024 in Nausori, Fiji. This ambitious project is a joint effort between the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways of Fiji and the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM), supported by the Taiwan International...

Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere has reaffirmed Fiji's support in finding a peaceful solution to the war by Russia against Ukraine. At a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Katonivere emphasised that his presence at the first ever “Summit on Peace in Ukraine” signifies Fiji's high-level support to Ukraine and its commitment to ending the war and...

The leaders of Papua New Guinea and New Zealand have discussed a refreshed partnership that could boost the number of places for short-term RSE horticultural workers coming to Aotearoa. Christopher Luxon had a stopover in Papua New Guinea while en route to Japan with a business delegation, and met with PNG Prime Minister James Marape. The two discussed regional issues, a...

The transfer of U.S Marine Corps troops stationed in Japan's Okinawa to Guam will start in December, a Marines official said Sunday, the latest development in a long-agreed Japan-U.S forces realignment plan aimed at reducing the southern island prefecture's base-hosting burden. The plan to move 4,000 of the approximately 19,000 Marines currently in Okinawa, agreed upon in 2012, is set...

When Fijian Mika Sela saw New Caledonia's glaringly empty hale at the Hawaii Convention Centre, the Fiji delegate took his kava bowl and sat alone. The Indigenous Kanaks of the French territory were forced to pull out at the last minute from the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture due to deadly unrest. The violent protests began when France’s...

The Micronesian Games kicked off in Majuro Saturday night with a gala celebration that featured sports delegations from the 10 islands in the sub-region parading in uniform with flags and banners along a newly opened track field, a rarely performed traditional stick dance of the Marshall Islands, a Marshall Islands flag dance, and numerous local and off-island bands performing....