PINA

Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General and Pacific Ocean Commissioner Henry Puna has called on UN member states to conclude a legal binding agreement on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction(BBNJ) UN member states ended two weeks of negotiations Friday without a treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas, an agreement that would have addressed growing environmental and economic challenges. “I urge...

The Biden administration told the Supreme Court Monday that it should not take up a case about citizenship rights for American Samoa even though advocates say it would give justices a chance to upend a series of century-old precedents that have been roundly denounced as racist. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar told the Supreme Court in a brief filed Monday...

U.S Senator Marsha Blackburn on Monday sounded off about her recent trip to Taiwan. Blackburn told Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Company” that her trip was about “protecting” the Pacific islands “from the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression.” She warned China was “intent on being globally dominant by the time we get to the midpoint of the century.” “What we are doing is...

The President of the New Caledonian Congress Roch Wamytan says a visit with French representatives will take place on 12 September. The minister delegate for overseas territories Jean-Francois Carenco is due to come to New Caledonia after both delegate ministers cancelled their initial meeting earlier in July. In an interview with La Premiere, Roch Wamytan said he still doesn't know what...

Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, urged unified positions by the 79-member grouping ahead of a number of international meetings, namely, the 77th United Nations General Assembly in September, the World Health Summit 2022 in Germany in October as well as the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (UNFCCC COP 27)...

Australia continues to step up its engagement with the Pacific amid concerns the Solomon Islands government is moving to further align itself with China. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare threatened to ban entry to foreign journalists critical of China following an ABC report. Sogavare's office attacked the ABC report of China's actions in Solomon Islands as "racial profiling". It was also...

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says Australian aid in the Pacific comes with “no strings attached”, in a veiled reference to China’s expanding power in the region. Visiting Port Moresby on Monday, Wong said Australia wanted the “closest possible relationship” with Papua New Guinea and would work with, and listen to, its government and people. The Australian foreign minister is...

Three New Zealand judges have been branded “very biased” by the Kiribati government, after a dramatic attempt to deport a fellow judge failed. In July, Kiribati suspended Judge Bill Hastings, a New Zealand judge appointed as chief judge of Kiribati's High Court, after Hastings ruled in favour of another High Court judge, David Lambourne, who the government refused to allow...

Kiribati's Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Development Ribanataake Tiwau said the Pacific should start controlling its supply of tuna and dictating its own price. The Pacific remains the world’s biggest source of tuna with half of the world’s supply from the region. He said Pacific Ocean sits within the equatorial belt of the Western and Central Pacific also referred as...

The Fijian Warriors’ win over Manuma Samoa was much needed to set the platform for the next round. Coach Kele Leawere says the side will still need to step up another notch for this week’s clash. The Warriors took down Manuma Samoa 60-10 in the first round of the Fiji Invitational Series last Saturday. Leawere says high expectations have been laid on...