PINA

Fiji's Court of Appeal has dismissed Millemarin Investment Limited’s appeal to stop U.S authorities from seizing the Russian superyacht the Amadea. The vessel was taken into custody by local law enforcement when in berthed at the Lautoka Wharf last month. The Appeal Court has ruled that the decision made by the High Court is affirmed and the Amadea is to be...

Australia has announced that they will allow seasonal workers to bring their families with them to Australia and create a new pathway to 3,000 members of the Pacific family getting resident permanency per year. In a major announcement, new Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaking in Suva Thursday at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat stated that for generations Pacific islanders...

Papua New Guinea has recorded a preliminary total of 2,351 candidates at close of nomination Thursday for the 2022 National General Election, Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai announced. Out of these 2351 candidates recorded nationwide, 86 of them are women, the highest recorded in Morobe Province with a total of 14. Sinai announced at close of nomination in Port Moresby that there...

The State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, will visit Fiji from Saturday 28 May to Tuesday 31 May. This will be State Councillor Wang’s second visit to Fiji, the first was in 2018. During his official visit to Fiji and the region this week, State Councillor Wang will be accompanied by a...

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has warned Pacific leaders a region-wide security and trade deal with Beijing could sacrifice their independence, lead to unsustainable debt levels and endanger the region. Wong spoke in Suva after new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed the former Coalition government for China’s rising influence in the Pacific, arguing Australia had “dropped the ball” by neglecting...

China has “no intention at all” to build a military base in the Solomon Islands, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday, dismissing speculation about the purpose of its recent security pact with the island state. The Chinese minister, who was in Honiara at the start of an extensive tour of Pacific island states, said the security agreement Beijing sealed last...

The best thing the new Labor government could do to repair the relationship with Pacific is commit to no new coal and gas, Greens Leader Adam Bandt said Thursday. Pacific leaders have been making clear for years that the good relationship with Australia is dependent on climate action, with a focus on no new coal and gas. Former President of Kiribati,...

-The New Zealalnd government is being criticised for letting its relationships with Pacific islands drift, as China tries to boost its influence in the region. Leaked documents have revealed Beijing is proposing a region-wide deal with almost a dozen countries in the Pacific. Beijing's offer covers police training, biometrics like fingerprints, new trade arrangements and scholarships. National Party foreign affairs spokesperson Gerry...

Tongan deputy Prime Minister Poasi Tei and former Prime Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa, both Members of Parliament have each been granted a stay in the execution of their judgements, that declared their election void, until their appeal is heard and determined. Lord Chief Justice Whitten QC granted Tu'ionetoa's application for stay of execution on 25 May and the Deputy PM got...

The Marine Stewardship Council, which certifies fisheries under its blue tick sustainability label, has ordered an independent investigation into allegations of shark finning on tuna vessels in certified Pacific fisheries. Shark finning is the cruel practice of removing fins from live sharks. A report by the UK charity Shark Guardian with CNS Global Consulting, a sustainable development consultancy, has alleged...