PINA

International media has been facing scrutiny from indigenous groups in the Pacific, for the way it has been covering the Russia-Ukraine war. Some have highlighted “double standards” among journalists who have brought attention to the plight of Ukrainians, while long-standing conflicts like those in Indonesia's provinces of West Papua and Papua are often ignored. Vanuatu's Opposition leader and former foreign minister,...

Samoan circus owner Tupa'i Bruno Royale watches from afar as violence escalates between Russia and Ukraine. Although he's thousands of kilometres away in the Pacific, the scenes he's watching on television hit awfully close to home. “I saw this mother running with her six-year-old daughter and they put her into an ambulance ... and she didn't make it. I just couldn't...

The World Health Organisation (WHO), for the first time, included an oral antiviral drug in its COVID-19 treatment guidance. The updated “living guidelines” on related therapeutics now include conditional recommendations on the medication, molnupiravir, the UN agency announced on Thursday. Citing concerns and data gaps, WHO advanced that molnupiravir should be provided “only to non-severe COVID-19 patients with the highest risk...

A Cook Island's resort owner says he is standing by his decision to ban all Russians as a protest against the Ukraine invasion. The Rarotongan Beach Resort and Lagoonarium typically welcomes a few hundred Russian guests a year, but over the weekend this message appeared on its social media pages - 'With regret, Russians are banned from our hotels until...

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report emphasises that the Pacific needs both modern scientific and traditional knowledge to build resilience to climate change, Ben Bohane writes. While the launch of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s latest report this week has been overshadowed by the invasion of Ukraine, both involve significant security impacts. Jagan Chapagain, Secretary-General of the...

The Fijiana Drua team will embark on its maiden voyage this Saturday when they take on Melbourne Rebels in Round One of the 2022 Super W Competition. The Senirusi Seruvakula coached side is stacked with local and overseas-based players, all of whom will make their Super W debut. Seruvakula has named 19 local players in his squad. These players have experience...

It's the mantra guiding the Melbourne Rebels as they begin their Super W season against the Fijiana Drua. After a series of narrow losses in 2021, Alana Thomas and the Rebels are looking to convert their opportunities as they set out their legacy in Victoria. This begins on Saturday March 5 at Endeavour Hills Rugby Club, their first home game in...

A group of Pacific Elders has unconditionally condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Pacific Elders are deeply concerned that the invasion heightens the risk of nuclear war and have asked all Pacific Island countries to hold a special day of prayer for peace. “This invasion will only exacerbate military tensions in the region and are likely to cause economic disruptions...

Fiji was amongst the 141 countries s voted in favour of the resolution, which reaffirms Ukrainian sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Wednesday demanding that Russia immediately end its military operations in Ukraine. Known informally as the world’s “town hall”, the Assembly is where all 193 UN Member States have a voice. Assembly President...

U.S Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA), along with Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Ed Markey (D-MA), Wednesday introduced a resolution recognising the legacy of U.S nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. The resolution reaffirms the relationships between the United States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia, with whom the United States is currently...