PINA

Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa sounded a warning to the heads of Pacific's maritime forces to be mindful of the current geo-political interest and attention towards the blue Pacific region. She made the remarks as she officially opened the 6th South-West Pacific Heads of Maritime Forces Meeting in Apia on Wednesday. Samoa plays host to the conference this year and...

Vanuatu Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP), Seoule Simeon’s advice rang out amidst the lingering tension in Parliament Wednesday afternoon: “Go to Court if you are not happy.” The backdrop was the Extraordinary Session of Parliament, an attempt to navigate the current political impasse that gripped the nation. Unfortunately, that session also failed to solve the political stalemate. In...

Vanuatu narrowly avoided a political crisis as Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament on Wednesday. Vote of no confidence against PM Kalsakau was defeated as opposition failed to achieve absolute majority of 27 votes. 26 Opposition Parliamentarians voted for the removal of PM while 23 MPs from the government side voted against. The Opposition is demanding to know...

Papua New Guinea Police personnel have been issued with a Commissioner’s circular on the approved use of force in the execution of their duties to protect lives from domestic terrorist and other criminal activities. With the escalation of violence in the Highlands and other areas, Police Commissioner David Manning said personnel must be clear on the extent of their powers,...

The Sixth Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-6) Meeting closed Wednesday buoyed by the potential of the Weather Ready Pacific Programme for the safety of our Pacific Islands. The Seventh Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-7) will be hosted by Vanuatu in 2024, with the Eighth Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-8) and the Fourth Pacific Meteorological Ministers Meeting (PMMM-3) to be tentatively hosted by the...

Ten years ago, at the Second Pacific Meteorological Council there was one woman at the head of the table representing her national Met Service. At the Sixth Pacific Met Council Wednesday there are six women at the table propelled by the saying – “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” The World Meteorological Organisation has cemented actions to...

NOAA Fisheries has awarded FLOAT Partners a five-year, USD$50 million) contract to oversee efforts to put observers on commercial fishing vessels in the Pacific Islands. Under the contract, which is set to begin 01 September and continue into 2028, Hawaii, USA-based FLOAT will recruit, supervise, and outfit fisheries observers as part of the Pacific Islands Region Observer Programme (PIROP). The programme...

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Government of Solomon Islands have signed a letter of agreement (LOA) for the Greening of the 2023 Pacific Games initiative. The support delivered through the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) underlies the partnership and collaboration between SPREP and the Solomon Islands Government. The signing between the Director General of SPREP,...

The Kangaroos will host Toa Samoa and the Jillaroos will play the Kiwi Ferns in re-matches of last year’s World Cup finals to kick off a new Pacific Championships involving men’s and women’s teams from seven nations. The Australian Rugby League Commission announced details of the Pacific Championships to be played in 2023 and 2024, with Australia, New Zealand and...

Flying Fijians Coaches Wednesday conducted a short coaching clinic at the team’s training ground in Pornic While the Flying Fijians were on a day off from training, the coaches were invited to attend a coaching clinic that had around 60 kids from Rugby Club Pornic and Rc Trignqc Rugby Club. It was a scene of excitement in the kids as their...