PINA

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...

The Nauru Speaker of Parliament Marcus Stephen has issued a Writ for 24 September to elect the 19 members of the 24th Parliament for a three-year term. A statement from the Nauru Government says voting on polling day will start at 7am and close at 6pm. A total of 8,054 eligible voters have registered for the 24 September election in eight...

Fiji's Attorney General, and Minister for Elections, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has tabled the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2022 (‘Bill’) in parliament this morning which seeks amendment to reflect recommended changes. In preparation for the 2022 General Election, the Fijian Elections Office has recommended changes to the Electoral Act to reflect practical ways of implementing existing provisions of the Act. These amendments are also...

Japan's nuclear radioactive waste disposal plans are a fundamental breach of Pacific Peoples right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment: Pacific Groups Civil society groups, non-governmental organizations and movements in the Pacific are reiterating the call that the Pacific Ocean is not a radioactive dumpsite for the Government of Japan. This call comes after Japan's recent announcement on the progression...

Australia and Papua New Guinea are mates and it’s time Australia treats Papua New Guinea the same way we treat them, says Morobe Governor Luther Wenge. He said that Australia needed labour that Papua New Guinea could supply. Wenge was reacting to statement by Sun Engineering Pty Ltd chief executive officer Mark McMonagle on the processes of visa that were impacting...