PINA

The release of contaminated water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant has dominated recent discussions between representatives of Pacific island nations and Japan, with the government in Tokyo offering reassurances that the water will be treated to remove almost all harmful nuclides before it is pumped into the Pacific. The issue was top of the agenda when a high-level delegation...

Australia will co-sponsor Vanuatu’s historic bid for the international court of justice to rule on the climate crisis, including the legal consequences for causing significant environmental harm. The Pacific island country will soon put a resolution to the UN general assembly seeking an opinion on the international legal obligations that countries have to act on the climate crisis. The resolution asks...

Port Villa and Vanuatu's northern islands are surveying the damage from Tropical Cyclone Judy but the cyclone is threatening southern islands while another storm is forecast to be on its way. The islands of Erramango and Tanna are expected to be hit hard soon. Vanuatu's Metservice says Tafea remains under red alert. It said early this morning local time the centre of...

Cook Islands Ombudsman Niki Rattle has returned from a conference in Fiji with fresh ideas as the office looks to establish a Human Rights Institute for the Cook Islands. The Pacific Regional Forum on National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI), held last week, featured representatives from several nations, and took place in Nadi, Fiji. Rattle, along with two fellow staffers, attended the...

Oceana, the largest international advocacy organisation dedicated solely to ocean conservation, is calling on governments to address plastic pollution at the 8th annual Our Ocean conference in Panama City, Panamá. The conference, taking place 02-03 March, brings together leaders from around the world to deliver concrete and actionable commitments to help protect and restore the world’s oceans. Since 2014, the Our...

We note, with deep concern, Japan’s decision to release treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean. According to reports, the release of more than a million tonnes of water, which has been filtered to reduce radioactivity, could start in 2023. We reiterate the observation by Secretary General Henry Puna: “Our ultimate goal is...

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will celebrate a special milestone this weekend with the HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver being the 200th men’s tournament in the competition’s storied history. On 2 December 1999 the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series was born in Dubai. Fittingly, current men’s Series leaders New Zealand had the honour of competing in the very first match...

Papua New Guinea Sports Minister Don Polye confirmed Tuesday that K10 million (US$2.8 million) was paid to Solomon Islands two years ago to help the country with preparations for the upcoming Pacific Games. And Polye is presenting to Cabinet a K12 million (US$3.4 million) submission for the PNG team to attend the Pacific Games in Solomon Islands; K5 million (US$1.4...

The SP PNG Hunters will face Fiji’s Kaiviti Silktails from the New South Wales Rugby League’s Ron Mercy Cup in the Melanesian Bowl challenge on Saturday at the Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka, Fiji (4:30pm kick-off). Hunters chief executive Scott Barker told The National that the team left for Fiji after receiving a late invitation to participate in the trial match. He...

Residents of Vanuatu are hunkering down as a cyclone barrels through the Pacific island nation. Authorities said there were power outages in some areas and many fallen trees and branches, but it was too early to assess the extent of the damage with Cyclone Judy still raging. They said there were no initial reports of major destruction or deaths. Some people had...