PINA

Australia’s credibility would be boosted on the world stage if the yes vote wins the looming Indigenous voice referendum, a senior Pacific leader says. Henry Puna, the head of the Pacific Islands Forum, said on Wednesday that while he respected the country’s right to make its own democratic decision it would be “wonderful to see Australia vote yes”. The Pacific Islands...

The Pacific island country of Tuvalu has prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex and disability – provided it doesn’t conflict with traditional values – under a new constitution that went into effect this week. Rights groups and United Nations agencies have previously expressed concerns about gender inequality and other forms of discrimination in Tuvalu. Amnesty International said on Wednesday...

Trade officials from Pacific Islands Forum member countries met today in Suva, ahead of Friday’s Trade Ministers Meeting. The meeting focuses on regaining lost growth opportunities during the pandemic and strengthening resilience in member economies against future shocks. Forum deputy Secretary General, Esala Nayasi told the Forum Trade Officials Meeting, as a region, they need to work towards stronger coordination, strengthened...

Westpac has decided to maintain a presence in the South Pacific after the federal government indicated it wants to see Australian companies maintain a role in the region. The bank told the ASX on Wednesday it will retain ownership of Westpac Bank PNG and Westpac Fiji and increase investment in the subsidiaries. This comes two years after a $420 million...

As Japan will begin releasing a second batch of wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant Thursday, the issue is expected to be a standing agenda item between the Pacific and Japan at the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) to be hosted next by the Asian nation. Forum Secretary, General Henry Puna made the statement when asked on the issue...

The opposition in Vanuatu is looking forward to taking charge of the government this Friday, promising to work for the people. Charlot Salwai, the Leader of the Opposition, revealed his side determination to take charge of Vanuatu’s affairs in press conference, held on Monday this week. Salwai’s statement came in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Speaker’s...

The Japanese government has called on the international community to adopt a new interpretation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in a bid to maintain current exclusive economic zones even if sea levels rise due to global warming. Through its call to maintain existing low-tide lines — shorelines where the sea and land meet during...

A report on the tropical cyclone outlook for 2023/2024 has forecast Samoa to experience at least one tropical cyclone event between November and April next year. The forecast was issued a fortnight ago on 23 September 2023 as part of a report 2023 to 2024 Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclone Outlook authored by the Long-Range Tropical Cyclone Outlooks. According to the report,...

New research presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), in Hamburg this week, suggests that exposure to low doses of radiation may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes. The study by Dr Huan Hu and Dr Toshiteru Ohkubo from the Japanese National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health involved more than...

The European Union and Kiribati signed a new fisheries protocol to the sustainable fisheries partnership agreement for a duration of five years. The Kiribati protocol will grant the European Union fleet operating in the Pacific Ocean access to the richest and healthiest tuna stocks worldwide, an area which provides for more than half of the global tuna catch. Stocks of the...