PINA

Vanuatu's opposition bloc is reportedly planning to file a fourth motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau as the country's political crisis continues. Reliable sources close to the opposition have told the Daily Post newspaper that the opposition bloc, led by former PM Bob Loughman, is planning for the no confidence vote against both Kalsakau and the...

Women-owned businesses present a substantial yet largely untapped market for financial institutions targeting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Fiji, according to an assessment conducted by the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Women’s Finance Exchange. The assessment notes that women-owned MSMEs (WMSMEs), which account for 19 percent of the MSMEs in Fiji, have an unmet credit demand of US$111 million....

The film Oppenheimer has shone a global spotlight on the dawn of U.S nuclear weapons tests. In the Marshall Islands, where 23 of those earth-shattering blasts happened, people have never been able to forget. By Lucy Sherriff At first glance, the aquamarine waters that surround the Marshall Islands seem like paradise. But this idyllic Pacific scene hides a dark secret:...

Governments must respond to growing concerns expressed by children about the effects of the climate crisis and other environmental emergencies on their lives and futures, a UN body has said. In a strongly worded formal opinion published on Monday, the Committee on the Rights of the Child concludes that the triple planetary crisis – the climate emergency, the collapse of...

The speaker of Vanuatu's parliament has appealed a court decision deeming a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau successful, prolonging a political crisis in the Pacific island nation. Vanuatu, at the centre of a strategic rivalry between China and Western countries in the region, was plunged into political uncertainty when opposition leader Bob Loughman lodged the no-confidence petition criticising...

Pacific island nations and territories must stick together to hold the Japanese government accountable for any consequences that might result from its release of advanced liquid processing system-treated water from the Fukushima power plant into the Pacific Ocean, Guam Lieutenant Governor Josh Tenorio said. “None of these decisions are within our control but I think it will be helpful for...

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka staunchly defends his decision to support the safety protocols outlined by the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding Japan’s nuclear wastewater release into the Pacific Ocean. In a recent interview with FBC News, Rabuka emphasised that Japan had willingly submitted to scientific investigation and entrusted the foremost authority on nuclear accidents and radioactivity, the International Atomic...

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) led by Benny Wenda presented a false report on the situation in Papua at the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Summit, forcing Indonesia to walk out of the forum. The summit of Melanesian countries, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the Kanak...

West Papua’s independence movement again failed to obtain MSG membership, highlighting members’ competing strategic interests. By Grant Wyeth Last week the 22nd Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders’ Summit was held in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The MSG is a regional body that includes Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea as well as the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front...

Fiji say their attention will not deviate from their World Cup opener against Wales despite making history against England at Twickenham. Fiji celebrated a first win against England in front of Wales head coach Warren Gatland, with the two sides facing off in Bordeaux on 10 September. “We have been preparing for 10 September, that has been our goal since the...