PINA

Former Palauan President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr is eligible to run again for the Office of the President, according to a legal opinion from the Attorney General provided to the Election Commission (PEC). The clarification came in response to a letter from Senator Rukebai Inabo dated 30 July 2024, in which she requested the PEC to disqualify Remengesau’s candidacy. In her...

By Jeremy Lasek ‘Leave your suits at home.’ That’s the travel advisory message from Samoa’s prime minister ahead of her tiny Pacific nation hosting one of the world’s most prestigious meeting of world leaders next month, in what will mark a series of firsts. It will be the first Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting to be attended by King Charles since...

The United States and the Pacific island states have rolled out a regional initiative to boost maritime patrol and curb criminal activities around the region, which has gained notoriety as a “drug highway.” The Palau-led Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police, along with Todd D. Robinson, assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, announced...

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved the first funding related to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, an important milestone for ensuring the health and resilience of more than two-thirds of the world’s ocean ecosystems. The US$700,000 approved by GEF CEO Carlos Manuel Rodríguez will support efforts in the Marshall Islands, Palau, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu related to...

World Bank President, Ajay Banga made a historic visit to Tuvalu Friday, becoming the first head of the global financial institution to set foot in the climate-threatened Pacific nation. During his visit, Banga witnessed the acute impacts of climate change and outlined his vision for the World Bank’s role in addressing the crisis. Banga’s journey to Tuvalu is part of a...

The head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis has highlighted Papua New Guinea’s inequality and instability and called for an end to tribal violence during a public speech in the capital Port Moresby. Speaking to government authorities and diplomats and huge crowds of PNG people on Saturday, he also spoke out on women’s equality, fair distribution of wealth from natural...

Seven Pacific Island Countries will maintain uninterrupted access to the global financial system through a new World Bank project to strengthen correspondent banking relationships in the region. The project will benefit Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, and one regional organisation, the Pacific Islands Forum. World Bank Group President Ajay Banga announced the project during...

For the past 13 years, engineer Didier Bule has maintained the machinery at the heart of New Caledonia’s Koniambo nickel plant, a symbol of economic empowerment for the French territory’s indigenous Kanak population. But last weekend, the smelter’s furnaces were switched off – leaving about 1,000 workers at Koniambo Nickel SAS (KNS) out of a job. After years of operating without...

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s (SPREP) Fourth Executive Board Meeting held to discuss strategic, programme and governance issues pertaining to the organisation ended on a high in Apia Friday. The three-day meeting held at the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) at the SPREP Campus in Vailima was guided by the theme: “A Resilient Blue Pacific Continent Free...

Fiji booked their place in the Pacific Nations Cup semi-finals on Friday after holding off Tonga to claim a convincing 50-19 win in Nuku'alofa. The visitors finished as Group A winners and will play either Japan or the United States in Tokyo next weekend. Samoa also went through as Group A runners-up to the semis, which will both be played in...