PINA

Solomon Islands' decision to sign a security pact with China will not hurt or undermine peace and harmony in the region, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has told parliament Wednesday. Sogavare confirmed the pact had been signed by foreign ministers from the two countries, a day after China announced the signing at a regular news briefing in Beijing. The move, days before...

The Papua New Guinea Government and Cabinet will continue to operate up until the return of writs scheduled for 29 July, says Prime Minister James Marape. “The government and (Cabinet) ministers will continue to remain in office but will work more administratively,” he said. Daulo MP Pogio Ghate and Sohe MP Henry Amuli were sworn in Tuesday as cabinet ministers to...

Federal Labor is accusing the government of the “worst failure of Australian foreign policy in the Pacific” in almost 80 years, after the governments of Solomon Islands and China signed a new security pact. The controversial deal has been subject of significant debate in recent weeks, sparking fears it could allow China to establish a military presence in the South...

The Australian government has sounded the alarm about the newly-signed security agreement between China and Solomon Islands, arguing the pact has been negotiated in secret and could “undermine stability in our region”. The government said it was “deeply disappointed” by the signing of the deal, first announced by China on Tuesday, and would “seek further clarity on the terms of...

China said on Tuesday it had signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, a move set to heighten the concerns of the United States and allies Australia and New Zealand about growing Chinese influence in a region traditionally under their sway. However, Solomon Islands officials had earlier appeared to suggest no agreement had yet been signed. Douglas Ete, chairman of...

China has signed a security deal with the Solomon Islands just days ahead of a visit by U.S government officials to the South Pacific country, exacerbating western fears over Beijing’s growing influence in the region. Wang Yi, Chinese foreign minister, and his Solomon Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele signed the deal “in recent days”, China’s foreign ministry said. The agreement “proceeds in...

The United States is seeking to seize a superyacht suspected of belonging to a Russian oligarch that is docked in the Pacific island nation of Fiji, a restraining order filed on Tuesday by Fiji’s director of public prosecutions showed. The luxury vessel the Amadea is widely believed to be owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, who is the subject of...

Papua New Guinea Electoral commissioner Simon Sinai says the data for the common roll is being processed and will be available next month. “Polling will be held as scheduled on 25 June. “Writs will be issued on April 28 and nomination is on 05 May,” he added. “For this (general election 2022), we have a shorter period of time with many things...

Two new Technical and Vocational Education and Training certificate qualifications were launched earlier this month by the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change and Resilience Building (PACRES) project. Certificate 2 in Resilience provides basic theoretical understanding in agriculture, coastal management, fisheries, forestry, water resources, health, energy and infrastructure, and tourism. While Certificate 4 applies the concepts and knowledge...

The one-week break was an opportunity to freshen up for the Fijian Drua and reflect on what they can do better this week against the Blues. It’ll be a whole new ball game altogether facing New Zealand teams, especially the Super Rugby Pacific leaders, however, Head Coach Mick Byrne said the players are excited. Byrne said this weekend will be an...