PINA

China's former ambassador to the United States claims Western countries are treating the South Pacific like their “backyard” in a throwback to the colonial era, while Beijing sees the small island nations as equals. Cui Tiankai made the remarks in an interview with CNN on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore on Sunday. In the interview, Cui...

With four days to go before the opening ceremony of the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022, the Oleai Sports Complex was a beehive of activity Monday with construction workers putting the finishing touches on the quadrennial event’s central hub. Mini Games Organizing Committee chair Marco Peter said they’re making the final push to have everything ready for the Mini...

Oceania Weightlifting Federation secretary general and world-renowned weightlifting coach Paul Coffy is all praises for the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 weightlifting venue at the Marianas High School Gymnasium. The technical delegate for the Mini Games inspected the MHS Gym after arriving from his home in Australia last Sunday and came away impressed with the facility. “Believe me this venue...

Australian troops have touched down in Papua New Guinea to help support the country’s national election. The vote from 02 - 22 July is largely pitched as a contest between the incumbent James Marape and former prime minister Peter O’Neill. The 130-strong Australian Defence Force contingent will provide planning, logistics and air transport support to local authorities. It comes as Australia looks...

The ability of Pacific Island Countries to manage their fish stocks are at risk if the World Trade Organisation (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) started Sunday in Geneva, passes an agreement to address declining fish stocks, which could unfairly impact our fishing industries. Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) Campaigner Adam Wolfenden said from Geneva that the proposed WTO agreement, which...

The Pacific region’s call for strengthened finance to minimise Loss and Damage (L&D) associated with the adverse impacts of climate change has been amplified in Bonn, Germany, with the emphasis placed on the need for new and innovative sources of finance to begin to address this “lived reality for our region.” The concept of Loss and damage in climate negotiations...

A point of order intervention from Pacific and other global islands voices in climate talks Germany last week has rippled round the world. Pacific nations at the current Bonn prep meetings for COP27 have reminded the world's climate negotiations body, the UNFCCC, that fair, engaged and transparent process is central to the work they do. Members of the Alliance of Small...

Australian Minister for Veteran Affairs Matt Keogh Friday handed over a Guardian class patrol boat to its Pacific neighbour and friend, the Cook Islands. Keogh said the handover speaks to the deep and abiding friendship between thetwo nations. “And it demonstrates our shared commitment to a free and open Pacific region. “Today, we confront common threats to our collective security: “Of these, first...

Opening career pathways and providing equal opportunities for women is the focus of a world-first initiative that sees an all-female deck crew set off on their first fishing trip on a tuna longline vessel, today. The collaboration between SeaQuest Fiji and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency seeks to begin addressing some of the issues creating the sizable gender imbalance...

What does it take to stay calm in the crossfire? Unaisi Vuniwaqa has witnessed terrible suffering. As the Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security, she has worked as a UN peacekeeper in some of the world’s most dangerous places. “Sometimes it can be very overwhelming, you really feel for the people and the suffering that they're going through.” Peacekeepers have one...