PINA

The inclusion of Pacific Island countries, such as Fiji to the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction(AMCDRR) is critical during these trying times. This was highlighted by the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Secretary-General, Mami Mizutori during a mini-press conference, kick-starting the week-long conference in Brisbane, Australia. She said at least 90 percent of major disasters have happened during the...

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape had an audience with His Majesty King Charles III during which the Prime Minister passed on condolences from the people of Papua New Guinea on the death of the Queen and discussed with the new monarch various common issues relating to the country. In passing PNG’s condolences, Prime Minister Marape said the late...

Papua New Guinea Rugby League has confirmed the Prime Minister's XIII squad for the upcoming friendly match against our Australian counterpart. Twenty players have been invited to take part in the week leading into the PM's XIII in Brisbane, with camp commencing on Wednesday, 21 September. Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League (PNGRFL) Chief Executive Officer Stanley Hondina, on behalf of...

Pacific island leaders hope to get more support for their goals — particularly regarding climate change and economic diversification — at a summit in Washington, with President Joe Biden at the end of this month. The 28-29 September summit comes amid growing U.S tensions with China and a recent security deal between China and the Solomon Islands that’s part of...

Achieving a just and equitable energy transition is “one of the biggest challenges facing our world,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Global Compact Board meeting on Sunday. Climate disasters and skyrocketing fuel prices have made the need to “end our global addiction to fossil fuels” crystal clear, he said, underscoring the importance of investing in renewables, building resilience, and...

A record-breaking 286 selected Fijian workers were farewelled by the Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Youth and Sports, Parveen Kumar Bala, for employment opportunities under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme on Friday While closing the four-day pre-departure briefing (PDB) on Friday, Minister Bala highlighted that this is the biggest PDB cohort by far and thanked partner...

The Pacific island has become collateral damage in the global drug trade, as an influx of meth fuels a rise in sex work, poverty and corruption. By Gavin Butler There’s only one way in and out of the biggest meth slum in Fiji, and it’s an unsealed dirt road that ends in a cul-de-sac. The taxi cab jostled as it...

By Joseph Nobetau Recently, Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama announced his government’s intention to enact a new anti-corruption law. The president, who campaigned on a platform of eliminating corruption, and has since his election advocated for reform, should be commended for his focus on corruption. As I have written before, good governance is critical to Bougainville’s future as an independent nation state....

Former Kiribati President Anote Tong says a report indicates that Kiribati could “not be habitable beyond 2060”. “Now the question really is, what happens then. Do we just fade away,” Tong told Sky News Australia. Meanwhile, the Kiribati drought crisis is set to continue well into the new year, as its government looks for support. Sally Rimon, the Acting National Disaster Management...

The people of Nauru go to the polls on Saturday to elect 19 MPs across eight constituencies. There are 77 candidates contesting the seats - 18 of those are lining up in the largest constituency, Ubenide, which will elect four MPs. Meneng, in which the current President, Lionel Aingimea is one of the MPs, selects three members. The least number of candidates...