PINA

U.S President Joe Biden will arrange another summit of Pacific island leaders this year after the disappointment caused by his cancellation of a visit to Papua New Guinea due to the domestic debt ceiling crisis, his national security adviser said on Wednesday. Political analysts said Biden's cancellation of the short visit to Port Moresby planned for next Monday after a...

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta says she takes a “country-agnostic” view to the militarisation of the Pacific amid reports that the United States is on the brink of signing a security agreement with Papua New Guinea. It's unclear how any pact would be affected by U.S President Joe Biden cancelling his trip to PNG, which was scheduled for...

The Biden administration’s US$7 billion pledge to extend Washington’s economic engagement with the freely associated states and an additional US$2 billion for other allies in the Indo-Pacific region are critical components of the national security strategy aimed at countering China, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The renegotiated economic packages for Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall...

Fiji is a step closer to its goal to provide 100 percent of its population with access to affordable, reliable, safe and clean energy services. Wednesday, the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded US$1.5 million grant to Fiji’s Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics (MoF) for a feasibility study that will advance Fiji’s goals of...

French Polynesia's newly-elected president Moetai Brotherson has presented a 10-member government, which includes four women. Brotherson has confirmed his pre-election choice of Eliane Tevahitua as vice-president as well as culture, lands and environment minister. Several of the ministers are new to politics, with 29-year-old Jordy Chan as infrastructure and transport minister being the youngest. Vannina Crolas, who was an official in the...

U.S President Joe Biden's cancelled visit to Papua New Guinea, which had declared next Monday a public holiday in honour of his arrival, has dealt a blow to U.S credibility in the Pacific island region, analysts said on Wednesday. Biden's planned visit to a nation of 9 million just north of Australia had been viewed as a major step to...

Papua New Guineans have reacted with disappointment to the news that U.S president, Joe Biden, has cancelled his visit to the capital, Port Moresby, in order to focus on debt limit talks in Washington. Preparations for the visit – the first by a sitting U.S president – began six months ago and included a plan to shut down the country’s...

Fiji's Acting Registrar of Political Parties, Ana Mataiciwa has suspended four political parties for 30 days with immediate effect for contravening Section 26(2) of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding & Disclosures) Act, 2013. The four parties are All Peoples Party, FijiFirst Party, New Generation Party and We Unite Fiji Party. Mataiciwa stated that Section 26(2) of the Act requires all...

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka jets into Port Moresby Thursday ahead of the Pacific leaders to kick off bilateral meetings on trade and regional security. Rabuka will reciprocate Prime Minister James Marape’s visit to Fiji early this year and will hold bilateral meetings with Marape and Government leaders. Marape said Rabuka is expected to travel to Bitapaka, East New Britain to...

Coral Pasisi has been appointed Director of Climate Change and Sustainability (CCES) at the Pacific Community (SPC). Coral's extensive experience in the Pacific region spans over 25 years, from the community level to the international level. Her expertise in regional and international policy, multilateral agreements and arrangements for sustainable development, and climate change financing complements an education background in Earth Science,...