PINA

The Fiji government will look into factors challenging regional security following the Pentagon document leak over the weekend. The leak contained information on security and defence details in the Indo-Pacific region. There are concerns if this critical information falls into the wrong hands. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka assures that there is nothing to be concerned about as of now. “Should we be concerned?...

The Australian government has announced they will pledge AUD$20 million (US$13 million) of additional budget support to Samoa. Labor will deliver this financial support to pensioners and people with disabilities because Australia is Samoa’s “partner of choice”, says Minister for International Development Pat Conroy. “That money has gone out to support to pensioners and people with disabilities within Samoa to really...

Tonga's Appeal Court has upheld a decision saying a law did not apply to a nobleman. A member of Parliament, a nobles' representative, was elected in 2021 despite the fact he had a court debt. It is forbidden by law for someone to stand as a candidate with debt over a set amount. The Supreme Court ruled this law does not apply...

By Chris Bartlett Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima reactor into the ocean has its supporters but is causing ripples in the Pacific. Sometime in the next few months, over a million tonnes of treated radioactive water from Japan’s ruined Fukushima nuclear reactor will begin to be pumped into the Pacific Ocean. “We expect the timing...

By David Krofcheck, Auckland University When people go for a swim in an ocean, they are literally bathing in a sea of natural radiation. The predominant component of the radiation comes from potassium-40, which is a natural part of the earth’s environment. Tritium, a heavy cousin of hydrogen, and carbon-14 are also sources produced when high-energy protons from space smash...

By Robert Richmond Japan plans to dump treated, radioactively contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific but it could be used in other ways instead. When the earthquake and resulting tsunami hit Fukushima, Japan in 2011, it killed thousands and caused severe damage to a nuclear power plant, which required a constant flow of cooling water to...

The United Kingdom and Papua New Guinea will sign a security agreement when a senior government official visits the country next week, says Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko. He said James Cleverly, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, would arrive on 19 April to sign the agreement for security purposes. “(A) similar agreement was signed...

The Bougainville Constitutional Planning Commission (BCPC) has begun consultations with Bougainvilleans outside Bougainville. The consultation is to gauge views and contribution of Bougainvilleans to draft an autochthonous or home grown constitution for an independent nation. This follows the referendum held in 2019 which resulted in 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voting for independence from Papua New Guinea. Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama, who is...

The Cook Islands are a step closer to forming formal diplomatic arrangements with the United States. Prime Minister Mark Brown, who recently visited Washington DC and met deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman, said things were progressing well. “We had some very good discussions with the state department. It’s really just finalising the final legal details, and hopefully we will have...

Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Kitlang Kabua is slated to visit Taiwan on Wednesday for a week-long trip. Her delegation consists of government officials including Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Anjanette Kattil. Kabua will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and sign a bilateral agreement on training, exchange, and cooperation of diplomatic personnel and memorandum of understanding...