PINA

Southeast Asian and Pacific leaders are hailing an ambitious United Nations treaty to protect ocean life by establishing protected areas in international waters. About 193 countries agreed to the legal framework on Saturday night. It comes as ocean life faces growing threats from climate change, overfishing, shipping traffic and seabed mining on the high seas. “Only one percent of the high...

Fijians are counting themselves “lucky” after escaping the wrath of tropical cyclones Judy and Kevin which barrelled through Vanuatu last weekend. The scale of destruction is becoming clearer as the Vanuatu government assesses damage to homes, buildings, infrastructure and telecommunications. There are no reports of casualties, but power and water are yet to be restored in some areas, including the capital,...

Former Fiji's Prime Minister and suspended Opposition Leader Voreqe Bainimarama has resigned from Parliament. He confirmed this in a live video posted on the FijiFirst Facebook page. “You are aware that two weeks ago I was suspended from Parliament for three years. My suspension means that FijiFirst numbers in Parliament will go down to 25. “Given the precedent that has been set,...

Australia will stand behind Baron Waqa, the controversial pick as Pacific Islands Forum leader, despite his chequered record as Nauru president. The 63-year-old has been nominated by Micronesian nations to be the next Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) secretary general from next year,PIF nations agreed to his appointment at a special leaders retreat a fortnight ago attended by Foreign Minister Penny...

The Australian federal opposition has ruled out backing a new Pacific visa lottery scheme, labelling it as arbitrary and patronising to the Pacific community at home and abroad. Last month, the government announced plans to establish a new visa class for up to 3,000 people from the Pacific region, giving them a pathway to citizenship and access to benefits such...

Beijing’s newly appointed special envoy to the Pacific has underlined China’s investment in infrastructure during his first official trip to the region, as Australia and the United States step up efforts to keep island nations in their orbit. Qian Bo, the envoy, met with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko on Tuesday after visiting...

Communities in Vanuatu are slowly beginning to pick up the pieces left behind after destructive winds and heavy rains, brought by two Category Four cyclones, tore through the Pacific Island nation within the space of a few days, said Save the Children. Initial reports from Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office have indicated approximately 251,319 people, of which 125,500 are children,...

A pilot programme to provide mentoring for women journalists in the Pacific has been launched in Fiji, Tuesday. The project is a result of collaboration between the newly formed peak body for women working in Fijian media, Women in Media Fiji (WiM Fiji), the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) and Women in Media Australia (WiM Australia). The programme is an exclusive...

The European Investment Bank (EIB), the bank of the European Union (EU), officially inaugurated its new representation office in Suva Tuesday, covering Fiji and the Pacific region. The new EIB office will be located on the premises of the Delegation of the European Union for the Pacific. It will strengthen the European Union’s partnership with the region and enhance the...

The Government of Japan and UNICEF have officially signed a new USD$9 million partnership to strengthen digital health systems in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The four Pacific Island countries will receive support for immunisation, including information systems and digital health efforts that will enable monitoring for vaccination coverage down to the individual level. “On behalf of the...