PINA

Solomon Islands MP for Central Honiara, Gordon Darcy Lilo, Monday withdrawn his Motion of No Confidence against Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, citing insufficient support from fellow Parliamentarians. Lilo acknowledged his inability to secure the numbers needed to challenge the Prime Minister’s leadership during a parliamentary session. “I don’t have the number. The number has retracted. But the number out there are...

Samoa called for “immediate cessation of wrongdoing” when it appeared before the International Court of Justice hearing last week highlighting growing global consensus on climate accountability. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) or the World Court is the only international court adjudicating general disputes between nations and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. Located in the Hague, Netherlands the historic...

Two Australians hospitalised in a suspected mass alcohol poisoning are on their way home — as Fiji reassures tourists of their safety. Another two Australians are among a total of seven people hospitalised, and the federal government was providing consular assistance to two families. Two Australians died in Laos from a suspected mass ethanol poisoning. The father and grandfather of two of...

WWF commends the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission for the adoption of binding measures on crew labour standards at its 21st annual meeting. A key development that will require WCPFC Member States to uphold their commitment to human rights and labour standards across tuna fisheries (WCPO), these standards could strengthen measures against IUU fishing, which might be associated with...

By Sione Tekiteki The AUD$140 million (US$89 million) aid agreement between Australia and Nauru signed last week is a prime example of the geopolitical tightrope vulnerable Pacific nations are walking in the 21st century. The deal provides Nauru with direct budgetary support, stable banking services, and policing and security resources. In return, Australia will have the right to veto any pact...

Papua New Guinea’s first match in the NRL is tipped to be the most watched game in history and Kumuls great Marcus Bai predicts the atmosphere will be like nothing else in world sport. PNG will join the NRL in 2028 and Bai said Santos National Stadium in Port Moresby would not be anywhere big enough to accommodate the number...

Central Honiara MP Gordon Darcy Lilo has withdrawn his motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele after Speaker Patteson Oti ruled the motion could not be deferred. The motion, initially scheduled for debate on Monday, 16 December was widely expected to fail, with the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) declaring it “rock solid” and fully united...

Vanuatu's top court has dismissed a constitutional challenge to the dissolution of the nation's parliament, clearing the way for a snap election. Voters will go to the polls on January after the Supreme Court found a political powerplay to dismiss the last government was constitutional. It will be the third election in four years for the notoriously politically instable Pacific nation. Faced...

Op-Ed by Edward Clark Generating revenue has always been a challenge for Pacific Island nations, but the amount of funding required has dramatically increased with the need for large-scale climate resilience solutions, including expensive infrastructure. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change, and the United Nations has repeatedly stressed that access to finance, and...

A lawyer for a small South Pacific island nation told the world’s highest court to heed her warning. “Tuvalu will not go quietly into the rising sea,” Phillipa Webb said, hoping her ominous words last week would make a mark as two weeks of historic and closely-watched hearings on the threat of climate change wrapped up Friday. The International Court of...