PINA

Opinion by Dr Kalinga Seneviratne International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Mariano Grossi, after travelling to Tokyo earlier this month to present a report endorsing Japan’s approach to discharging Fukushima’s treated nuclear waste water into the Pacific, has been trying to convince Japan’s sceptical Pacific neighbours of the authenticity of the report’s findings. The IAEA, which has opened...

Head Coach Simon Raiwalui has named the Flying Fijians team for the Pacific Battle match against Tonga at Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday. The match-day squad sees four uncapped players who have been hitting the top performance bar making it into the team. Raiwalui said “It’s a very strong team with a mixture of experienced and young players. Congratulations to...

The president of Palau said the U.S. military is “reactivating” Palauan airstrips built by the Japanese during World War II, after being asked at a speaking event on Monday if America would have full access to his country if China invaded Taiwan. Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr confirmed that the U.S military would have full access to Palau under the...

-Defence Minister Richard Marles declared Australia would be “very keen” to help Solomon Islands set up its own defence force and says the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu was also thinking about establishing a military. Only three Pacific Island nations — Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Fiji — currently maintain standing militaries. But Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said on...

Britain is imposing visa requirements for all visitors from Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu, as Home Secretary Suella Braverman cited abuse of the migration system. The Home Secretary said the changes were being made “solely for migration and border security reasons” and insisted it is “not a sign of poor relations with these countries”. In a written statement to MPs...

Pacific Islands nations Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are considering forming defence forces and have discussed the matter with Australia, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday. Security partnerships in the region, where currently only five out of 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) bloc have a military, have come into focus after China signed a security pact with...

Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, next week will become the highest-profile U.S official to visit Samoa, as the Biden administration steps up its outreach to Pacific island nations. Emhoff will meet with government officials, community leaders and female entrepreneurs during his 13 – 24 July visit to Samoa’s capital, Apia. His communications director, Liza Acevedo, said...

There will be no coup, assures the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai. This follows speculations on social media including the circulation of a 50-page letter. In this letter, allegations were made that the coalition government was misinterpreting the 2013 constitution and called for the RFMF to intervene. Kalouniwai said the RFMF will continue to abide by...

Youth representatives from across the Pacific have had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the issue of loss and damage from experts and experienced climate change negotiators during the inaugural Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Loss and Damage Dialogue. Hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and Climate Analytics, the gathering brought together government and...

The OFC 29th Ordinary Congress was held at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland, on the eve of the FIFA Women's World Cup kicking off at Eden Park today. FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed delegates calling the OFC member nations his “dream team”. Infantino had glowing praise for the transformational change OFC has undergone in recent years. “I am happy and proud...