PINA

Fiji's Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Lee Burney, has decided that there will be no reinstatement of charges against former military officer, Ratu Tevita Mara following a review of the matter. Ratu Tevita Mara was charged by the police for making seditious comments in 2011. A nolle prosequi (formal withdrawal of a charge by the State) was filed in court in...

The opening of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Regional Office Tuesday is one of Post Fiji Pte Ltd.’s biggest achievements as it paves a way for advanced postal division in the Pacific. Deputy PM and Minister for Trade, SMEs and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica officiated at the signing ceremony and stated that with Fiji being the hub of the Pacific, hosting...

The United States aims to strengthen its partnership with the Pacific, particularly in key areas such as public health, climate crisis, economic growth, and other key regional priorities. This was revealed by the U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken while addressing the Pacific leaders at Monday's U.S-Pacific Islands Dialogue in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Secretary Blinken said the U.S has...

Former guerrilla fighter and independence hero Xanana Gusmao is in prime position to win Timor-Leste's parliamentary election, with more than half of the votes counted after Sunday's poll. South-east Asia's youngest nation went to the polls on Sunday, with analysts' predictions of a tight result largely coming to fruition. On Monday afternoon, Gusmao's party CNRT had polled just short of 40...

The United States is aware of the needs of its development partners in the Pacific and will set up embassies in all island nations, says secretary of state Antony Blinken. “Work is being done to ensure that the U.S is accessible to its partners in the Pacific,” Blinken said. “Having embassies in these countries will strengthen bilateral relations with the U.S.” He...

Papua New Guinea Monday initialed a defence cooperation agreement with the United States, amid protests against the signing by university students and Opposition MPs. The agreement was signed by PNG Defence Minister Win Daki and U.S secretary of state Antony Blinken. A statement by the U.S state department said the signing, when coming into force, “will serve as a foundational framework...

India plans on improving the health sectors of the 14 Pacific Island nations by setting up Jaipur foot camps, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says. He said Papua New Guinea would have its prosthetic limbs camp this year. Similar camp was set up in Fiji last year and more than 600 people were fitted with prosthetic limbs for free. Modi also announced a...

We, the Pacific Islands Forum, represented at this meeting by the governments of Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, and the United States of America—meet on the occasion of the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Dialogue in Port Moresby,...

The United States and Palau on Monday signed a new agreement under the Compact Free Association, capping two years of tough bargaining over the terms of extended economic provisions that now await congressional action. “For nearly two decades now, the Compact of Free Association has been a hallmark of partnership,” U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement...

The Government of India has reaffirmed its commitment to the Pacific region with major projects planned for the 14-member countries of the India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). While delivering his keynote address at the 3rd FIPIC Summit in Papua New Guinea Monday, India's Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi outlined prospects for regional assistance and increased collaboration between India and the region. As...