PINA

By Jo Chandler In mid-May, a bulldozer began clearing a logging road into an area of largely untouched rainforest near the village of Suburam, on Papua New Guinea’s north coast, between the mountains of the Adelbert Range and the Bismarck Sea. Towering kwila trees were among those locals say were felled by loggers. This is a coveted, high-value species that...

Former Leeds Rhinos and Toronto Wolfpack coach Brian McDermott is set to guide Fiji in next weekend’s opening World Cup match against Australia after answering an SOS call to help the Bati. Recently appointed Wests Tigers assistant David Furner was Fiji’s coaching director during the mid-season Test against Papua New Guinea but was unable to travel to England and he...

-Mal Meninga wants every NRL player to pledge their allegiance to a specific country when they sign their first NRL contract as he escalates his push to scrap the tier system and put Pasifika powerhouses such as Tonga and Samoa on a level footing with Australia. The Kangaroos coach, who will lead the World Cup holders in their first Test...

-A tricky first half did not prevent England opening their World Cup campaign with an 84-19 dismantling of Fiji at Auckland’s Eden Park, extending the tournament favourites’ winning streak to 26 matches. The match was a long time coming for both teams with the finals starting a year late because of coronavirus, plus this being the first meeting between the...

By Elenoa Dimaira The treaty of the Biodiversity of Areas Beyond Marine Jurisdiction or the Treaty of the High Seas, which is still under negotiation is of critical importance to the Pacific Islands as it will impact our culture, food, livelihoods, and national economies. Negotiations on the BBNJ Treaty have been ongoing for the last 18 years, the latest were...

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the prime minister and his Solomon Islands counterpart will discuss important regional issues amid concerns about Honiara relationship with Beijing. Such concerns include threats to ban foreign journalists critical of the Chinese government. Dr Chalmers told reporters before the meeting that the face-to-face was "an important opportunity ... talk about all of the issues we confront". “You...

Fiji's ruling party,FijiFirst has introduced its first batch of 20 proposed candidates for the 2022 General Election. The lineup includes former Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Viliame Naupoto, former Land Transport Authority CEO Naisa Tuinaceva, former journalist Aliki Bia and former Police Chief and High Commissioner Iowane Naivalarua. The other proposed candidates are lawyer Ratu Josefa Niudamu, Sugar Cane Growers...

Papua New Guinea Justice Minister and Attorney General Pila Niningi, has announced that Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, has stepped down from official duties for an indefinite period, as of Wednesday 05 October 2022. Minister Niningi says that this was done to protect the integrity of the office of the Chief Justice, following the arrest of his daughter, and a...

The first physical meeting of the Pacific Island Regional Climate Centre (RCC) was commissioned in Apia with a call on delegates to work together in the Pacific Way to find solutions to help the region overcome the “climate emergency.” The call came from the Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Sefanaia Nawadra, during the...

-Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says respect for their sovereignty was likely among the reasons why Pacific leaders accepted an offer of partnership from the U.S, after earlier shelving China's. “For many Pacific countries emerging from COVID, fighting climate change and with increased debt, we would be looking for support from all corners,” Brown told the ABC's Pacific Beat...