PINA

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...

Samoa will turn on the fireworks when they welcome Moana Pasifika ahead of their Super Rugby Pacific clash against the Reds in Apia on Friday. A welcome parade is taking place today and will follow the Police Marching Band to the Government building for the flag-raising ceremony and national anthem. The public will then be able to meet the Moana Pasifika...

At least eight people are dead, 17 recovering in hospital with injuries and 800 houses destroyed in Papua New Guinea by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake which hit East Sepik a week ago, according to Governor Allan Bird. It is understood that the earthquake affected almost all the six districts in the province. According to Bird, eight people lost their lives in the...

The Pacific Islands Forum chairman has been assured by the United States that the AUKUS agreement will honour the Treaty of Rarotonga after initially saying he felt it would go against it. The Treaty of Rarotonga formalises a nuclear-weapon-free-zone in the South Pacific. It was signed by several Pacific nations including Australia and New Zealand in 1985. In a media statement,...

Campaigning for French Polynesia's territorial elections has entered its final week. Dressed in their parties' respective colours, supporters of several parties held small rallies at the Papeete weekend market. In two rounds of voting - on Sunday, 16 April and Sunday, 30 April - voters will elect a new 57-member assembly for a five-year term. A total of seven lists are contesting...

China’s vice-foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu will visit Australia and Fiji this week, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday. The visit by Ma, a former ambassador to Australia, was expected to stabilise ties between the two countries ahead of an anticipated visit to Beijing this year by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The South China Morning Post reported last week that Albanese...

Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa will lead Samoa's delegation to the Atoa o Samoa meeting in American Samoa this week. The Samoan Cabinet at its meeting on last Wednesday finalised and approved the final list of the delegates who will be traveling to American Samoa for the bi-annual meeting. In response to queries from the media last week, PM Mata’afa...

Palau's House of Delegates passed on its third and final reading a Senate bill 11-73 to expand, update and strengthen the anti-human smuggling and human trafficking act. The bill amends the current law ‘to bring them into line with international law and to reflect the true heinousness of these crimes, as well as make clear to all interested parties the...

The leaders of the Marshall Islands, a collection of 29 coral atolls lying halfway between Hawaii and Australia, know exactly why the United States just agreed to a deal promising US$700 million in new support over four years. “t's because of China. We're not naive,” Marshallese Foreign Minister Kitlang Kabua said in an interview at a restaurant close to the...

  Simon Kofe currently serves as the Minister of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs of Tuvalu. He previously contributed to constitutional reform projects as Senior Magistrate. Throughout his career, Minister Kofe has demonstrated a deep commitment to serving the people of Tuvalu and advancing their interests on the global stage. His leadership, expertise, and dedication have earned him a reputation...