PINA

The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has officially sought the support of the Vatican in its bid for political independence from Papua New Guinea. A letter from the ABG President Ishmael Toroama, calling for the Pope Francis’ advocacy, was presented by ABG Vice President Patrick Nisira, to the Bishop of the Bougainville Catholic Diocese, Darius Kaluza, during the Pope’s recent visit...

The Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Agafili Shem Leo says media restriction in October is based on Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Bluebook guidelines. Agafili explained the situation on Thursday during another CHOGM sub-committee press conference, during which only two private media personnel turned up. The CEO explained the CHOGM Bluebook is the...

After retaining the country's top post on the floor of parliament Thursday, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James has assured the country that the Marape-Rosso government remains committed. He said the government stands ready to address issues in the country and looking forward to contributing meaningfully to the country's development. The prime minister urged members of Parliament including the members of...

The Pacific Islands Forum has been targeted in a “malicious” hack, a spokesman for New Zealand's foreign minister said Thursday, revealing an attack that hit the bloc in the runup to a recent regional summit. A rapid response team of Australian specialists was despatched to the Forum's headquarters in Fiji after the hack was detected earlier this year, the spokesman...

Nauru's aspiring electoral candidates have just two weeks left to apply to contest next year's national elections. The Nauru parliament introduced "significant changes to the electoral system" late last month. In public notice on 29 August, the Nauru Electoral Commission (NEC) said the amendments to the 2016 Electoral Act means those who want to enter parliament must declare their intentions to...

World Boxing Assocaition (WBA) Oceania president Ferlin Marsh has confirmed they are reviewing video footage of the fight between New Zealand' John Parker and Fiji's Alivereti Kauyaca in Hamilton last week. Responding to RNZ Pacific via email, Marsh said he has sought the assistance of four international boxing judges in reviewing the footage and giving their opinions in response to...

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has survived the Vote of No confidence against his leadership 75 to 32. Government numbers supported maintaining PM Marape with the Opposition unable to gain favour to have its Alternate PM Rainbo Paita lead. The speaker of Parliament Job Pomat allowed the motion of the notice of no confidence against the Prime Minister to...

The Australian government sent expert teams to Fiji this year to help the Pacific's top regional body after its networks were infiltrated by Chinese state-backed hackers, the ABC has learned. The cyber attack on the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat, which is based in Suva, was first detected in February this year, although the hackers likely gained access well before...

By Wesley Morgan It’s now very likely Australia will be announced as the host of the COP31 global climate talks in 2026 alongside Pacific nations. This would be a very big deal. The talks run for a fortnight and draw tens of thousands of delegates. It would be the largest diplomatic summit Australia has ever held, with satellite events in...

The President of the Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS), Lagi Keresoma, has expressed disappointment over the stringent media guidelines announced by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Media Committee at Wednesday media briefing, raising significant concerns about transparency within the local media community. “It is very disappointing for a Government that claims to believe in democracy, transparency, and accountability...