PINA

The United States and Palau are bolstering their longstanding partnership through Exercise Valiant Shield, a large-scale military training event currently underway across the Indo-Pacific region. “This exercise is a routine training event that upholds our commitment to regional security and Palau’s defence under the Compact of Free Association,” said Colonel Matthew Mulvey of Combat Logistics Regiment 17, who is leading...

Fijiana 15’s coach Moses Rauluni says it was a rusty start to the week, with players not putting in their maximum effort as they prepare for their first Test against Japan. However, things took a positive turn during Thursday’s captain’s run ahead of their Test against Japan. The former national skipper says that the players seemed to lack undivided attention in...

Taking the helm of the Pacific Islands Forum as its new secretary general, former Nauru President Baron Waqa has called on island nations to stick together toward accomplishing regional goals. “Our PIF membership has never been as strong as it is today. But we cannot afford to become complacent. We must continue to work every day to build and strengthen...

As nearly 40 percent of land across the planet is degraded with more acres lost every second, governments, businesses and communities must galvanise action to reverse the damage and protect Earth, the UN chief said in a strong message for the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked annually on 17 June. “Every second, around four football fields of...

The national congress of New Caledonia's pro-independence platform, the FLNKS, was postponed at the weekend due to major differences between its hard-line component and its more moderate parties. The FLNKS is the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front. It consists of several pro-independence parties, including the Kanak Liberation Party (PALIKA), the Progressist Union in Melanesia (UPM) and the more hard-line Union Calédonienne...

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...