PINA

Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama has stated that Bougainville’s future as an independent sovereign nation is inevitable and that there was nothing that can change the resolve of the government and people from achieving sovereignty. And he warned in the Autonomous Bougainville Parliament that no foreign government or foreign leader would dictate to Bougainville the outcome of the Bougainville Peace Process. Further,...

The Pacific looks set benefit economically, but some countries could also face “danger” to their democracies, after China's president cemented his grip on the country's leadership. As widely anticipated, Xi Jinping was elected as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party on Sunday, his third term in that role, which will also likely see him elected as China's president in...

Top Police leaders from twenty-eight Transnational Crime Units (TCU) across the Pacific are meeting in Samoa this week to address transnational crime such as drug trafficking, cyber-bullying and more. The three-day conference was opened by Samoa Minister of Police & Prisons, Faualo Harry Schuster, who highlighted that his hope is for member countries to boost efforts in combating transnational crime...

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has published version 3.0 of its fisheries standard, meaning fisheries entering MSC assessment for the first time have until May 2023 to adhere to the new standard, while certified fisheries have six years to come into compliance. MSC's standard review and uupdate, considered the most-comprehensive ever done by the organisation, began in 2018 and has...

A year ago, on 1st October 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed the first Resident Coordinator Micronesia, Jaap van Hierden, to head the UN’s newest Multi-Country Resident Coordinator’s Office. Based in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the UN Multi-Country Resident Coordinator’s Office Micronesia (UNMCO Micronesia) covers the five Micronesian countries including Palau, the Republic of Republic of Marshall...

A committed Wales outfit pushed Tonga to the limit before the hot favourites prevailed 32-6 at Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens. The win leaves Tonga on track for a blockbuster quarter-final showdown against Samoa but they will need to improve their discipline and get some combinations right if they are to challenge for the title. An early mistake by halfback...

Fijiana 15’s had finished 9th at the Rugby World Cup (RWC) after coming in as the newcomers and 21st-ranked team in the tournament last month. They lost two games against number one ranked England and 4th placed France. Fijiana managed to secure their first World Cup win against South Africa and finished third in their pool with four points. Fiji Rugby...

Australian deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says the Multinational Observer Group for the 2022 polls, which Australia was co-leading, would do their part to ensure the process was “thorough”. Speaking at a media roundtable in Suva Friday, Marles said Australia respected the sovereignty of Fiji and he expected the 2022 General Election to be conducted in a free and fair...

No governmental authority will interfere in the activities of the Multinational Observer Group (MOG) during the general election, states the MOG Terms of Reference (TOR) that was signed between the Fijian Government, India, Indonesia and Australia last week. The TOR states the Fijian Government will seek the approval of the Fijian Elections Office to provide unimpeded access to the MOG...

Ian Fry, Australian National University Professor and Tuvalu’s former ambassador for Climate Change for over 21 years, was appointed in May by the UN Human Rights Council, as the first Special Rapporteur on climate, following the overwhelming vote to recognise the Right to a Healthy Environment, in 2021. “Human-induced climate change is the largest, most pervasive threat to the natural...