PINA

A large crowd of people showed up at the public hearing to oppose the proposed bill to re-open the Palau National Marine Sanctuary to long-line and purse seine fishing. With the Our Oceans Conference (an international conference on oceans’ health) slated to be held in Palau five weeks from now, Palau’s national congress is contemplating overturning one of Palau’s landmark...

Australia has been able to stop an “incursion” by Beijing into the Pacific islands by talking with leaders there weekly and offering vaccine aid, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday. Concern over China's military ambitions for the region, after it provided police and riot equipment to the Solomon Islands, prompted U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken to last month...

Pacific Small Islands Developing States (PSIDS) continue to face capacity and resource challenges in accessing global climate funds. Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Climate Change Finance Adviser, Pacific Islands Forums (PIFs), Exsley Taloiburi says climate finance remains the top priority for implementing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) commitments for Pacific countries. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2019...

Solomon Islands Opposition is concerned with the ruling Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement’s (DCGA’s) continual push to extend Parliament from four to five years. Opposition Leader, Mathew Wale and MP for East Are’Are, Peter Kenilorea Junior (Jnr) are aware that government convened meetings, and also with the recent Chamber of Commerce statement issued, majority did not support the idea. The Opposition...

Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has tested positive for COVID19 and will be home isolated with members of his immediate family for the mandatory health order period. Prime Minister Sovaleni will continue to conduct his duties and responsibilities through technologies, a measure that he has been actively promoting in preparation for, and since the onset of, community transmission of COVID19...

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has received the first of two Guardian-class Patrol Boats, delivered through the Pacific Maritime Security Programme, at a handover ceremony Friday in Henderson, Western Australia. President of the Federated States of Micronesia, President David Panuelo and Assistant Minister for Defence, Andrew Hastie welcomed the handover which speaks to the closeness of the relationship, shared...

Regulations in the Cook Islands are softening, with Prime Minister Mark Brown announcing major changes surrounding travel to the nation. The changes are in response to New Zealand's adjustments to the increasing Omicron infection rate. Rapid Antigen Tests will now be used instead of PCR tests for travellers coming from New Zealand to the Cook Islands. A negative Covid-19 test under supervision...

  By Rosie Julin United Nations member states have tried for years to reach a global agreement that would protect marine life on the high seas—those parts of the world’s oceans that fall beyond the jurisdiction of any individual country. The endeavor is seen as hugely important for protecting the world’s biodiversity and limiting the impact of climate change. While existing...

The Fijiana Drua have backed up their Super W debut with another impressive win, overcoming the Queensland Reds 27-12 at Suncorp Stadium. The newcomers thumped Melbourne last weekend but knew they faced a stiffer task on Saturday when the Reds controlled the early stages and scored first through Ivania Wong. The Drua had just 20 percent of possession in the first...

-The Queensland Reds have avoided one of the great Super Rugby boilovers, surviving an incredible Fijian Drua comeback to win 33-28. The Reds led 28-9 with 18 minutes to play after scoring their fourth unanswered try, before three runaway five-pointers against a tiring defence turned Saturday's game on its head. Five eighth Teti Tela had a chance to put the newcomers...