PINA

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says at a time when Fiji is moving forward and big power rivalries are affecting the region, the need for greater unity among island countries is critical. He said this was evident during the election campaign. While highlighting the achievements of the first 100 days, Rabuka says this became much clearer to them when he became...

Fiji's Minister for Fisheries, Kalaveti Vodo Ravu, officially launched the inaugural Fiji Tuna Symposium Tuesday with a commitment to strengthen partnership for the sustainable development of Fiji's domestic tuna industry. The two-day event, organised in partnership with the Ministry of Fisheries, Fiji Fishing Industry Association, Conservation International, and Worldwide Fund for Nature, brings together all stakeholders to think and plan...

Fiji 7s coach Ben Gollings will again keep opposition guessing with his starting lineup for every game at the Singapore 7s this week. The national coach says he understands that there needs to be some form of consistency his run on side but he trusts all the players to deliver when they’re given the opportunity to play. Gollings said they’re all...

A 7.0-magnitutde earthquake which hit East Sepik’s Chambri Lakes at around 4am Monday reportedly killed four people, injured 17 and destroyed more than 300 homes, according to Papua New Guinea police. Provincial police commander Supt Chris Tamari told The National from Wewak last night that they were unconfirmed figures as authorities continued to collate information on the extent of the...

The Pacific is expected to sustain its economic recovery, with growth across all of Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Pacific developing member countries this year, according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2023, ADB's flagship economic publication, released today. Pacific economies expanded by an average of 5.2 percent in 2022 as borders reopened and business activity resumed following the COVID-19...

By Harlyne Joku Beijing has raised concerns about a proposed security agreement between Papua New Guinea and Australia, the Pacific island country’s foreign minister said Monday as he returned home from an official visit to China seeking development assistance for his nation. The prime ministers of Papua New Guinea and Australia said earlier this year that they wanted negotiations for a...

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) will start accepting applications in July from companies that want to mine the ocean's floor, a decision that came after the UN body spent the past two weeks debating standards for the new and controversial practice. Deep-sea mining would extract cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese - key battery materials - from potato-sized rocks called “polymetallic...

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has justified the Government’s use of Standing Order 51 to fast-track the repeal of the Media Industry Development (Repeal) Bill of 2023 and the i-Taukei Land Trust (Amendment) Bill of 2023. Speaking to FijiLive, Rabuka said that the two motions do not need to go to any of the Standing Committee and the two Bills...

China will deepen the strategic alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s Connect PNG Programme, welcome PNG to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). China continue to provide economic and technical assistance to PNG without political conditions attached, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang when meeting with PNG Minister of...

The global transition to renewable energy will require greater investment in integrated weather and climate services, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Monday. This investment is critical, including to ensure that energy infrastructure is resilient to climate-related shocks, and to harness the power of energy generated from sources such as the sun and wind, the UN agency said. In this...