PINA

British foreign minister James Cleverly has skipped a planned trip to Samoa to focus on coordinating the UK response to the Sudan crisis, which he is doing from New Zealand, his office said on Thursday. Cleverly had been scheduled to meet Samoan officials and New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta in Samoa but has instead arrived in Wellington, New Zealand,...

French Polynesia's President Edouard Fritch has warned of chaos, should his party lose power to the pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira. In last Sunday's first round of the territorial elections, his Tapura Huiraatira came second, winning 30 percent of the votes against Tavini's 35 percent. Fritch's Tapura has now joined forces with the opposition Amuitahiraa to have a joint list of candidates in...

Women’s bodies should not be held captive to choices made by governments or individuals, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has said, as it launched its flagship State of the World’s Population Report for 2023. Instead of instituting these measures, policy and law makers must work to empower women to achieve their individual reproductive goals. Speaking to UN News, Marielle Sander, the...

Papua New Guinea and the United Kingdom signed a defence agreement that the Pacific island country’s foreign minister said had been “gathering dust for many years,” part of a renewed Western focus on the region after China’s inroads. The status of forces agreement – a pact generally used by countries to establish the rules under which foreign military personnel operate...

Australia's foreign minister urged Pacific island countries on Thursday to stay united in the face of great power competition as she visited New Caledonia, where the president raised concerns about Australia's AUKUS nuclear submarine programme. Foreign Minister Penny Wong's visit to the French territory coincides with a push by a China-backed group for several Pacific island nations, including New Caledonia,...

New Zealand and Tonga are reconnecting and strengthening ties, while acknowledging the need to be united as a Pacific region in response to the many challenges we face. In Nuku'alofa Thursday,Tonga's Prime Minister and New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister agreed that defence cooperation remains strong During a joint press conference with Prime Minister, Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, the visiting New Zealand Deputy...

The new Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations, Filipo Tarakinikini, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres Monday this week Prior to his appointment, Tarakinikini held several positions at the United Nations Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS), including as Chief of the Middle East and North Africa Section, beginning in 2018, where he led United Nations...

Niue is this week welcoming its first visiting yachts in three years. The steady trickle of maritime visitors had been a much welcome feature of Niuean winters for many years until the island was shut down due to the Covid pandemic. Niue Yacht Club manages moorings for the vessels and its commodore Keith Vial told RNZ Pacific these latest arrivals came...

Vanuatu continues to show innovation in the face of natural disasters with the launching of the country’s first Ocean Monitoring Network this afternoon. The network, which consists of six new wave buoys, was officially launched by the Minister of Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu. “Today’s launch is very timely following the aftermath of the twin cyclones that impacted our nation. Severe...

Fijian Drua coach Mick Byrne believes the Chiefs is a side that can attack from anywhere, ahead of their Super Rugby Pacific clash tonight. Byrne says they are aware the table leaders can run at them hard, and they have clever players as seen in their past games. He says the side also has depth which is why they must ensure...