PINA

Solomon Islands Cabinet has defended its plan to extend the current term of parliament to five years. Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Albert Kabui said Cabinet has the mandate to change policies as it sees fit. Kabui made this statement in light of the recent call by the Opposition Group in Parliament, calling on the Cabinet not to extend the...

-Samoa remains committed to hosting the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting after Rwanda, says Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa. Addressing guests at the commemoration of the Commonwealth Day in Apia on Monday, Mata'afa said the country remains committed to being the CHOGM host after Rwanda. Prime Minister Mataafa then acknowledge the assistance of the Commonwealth to Samoa. “As a small island...

Top UN officials on Tuesday gathered with government and civil society representatives to draw attention to the scourge of violence against women worldwide who are involved in politics, which is increasingly seeing women parliamentarians, human rights defenders and electoral observers silenced, and intimidated. “As a former Parliamentarian, and a lifelong politician, violence against women in politics is an issue near...

The Australian federal environment minister, Sussan Ley, has successfully appealed against a high-profile court decision that found she had a duty of care to protect young people from the climate crisis when assessing fossil fuel developments. Eight teenagers and an octogenarian nun last year sought an injunction to prevent Ley from approving a proposal by Whitehaven Coal to expand the...

As of Monday this week, Vanuatu has recorded a total of 341 confirmed COVID-19 cases. 45 of these cases have recovered. 42 cases have been reported on Efate and 17 on Santo, as of Monday this week. Minister of Heath, Bruno Leingkone said the Ministry of Health (MOH) is continuing investigation into the death reporter in south Santo and will confirm...

Fiji is a key facilitator of Digital Financial Services (DFS) in the Pacific, says Minister for Industry and Trade Faiyaz Koya. Speaking during the World Consumer Rights Day in Suva, Koya placed special emphasis on fair digital finance and stated that consumers are a critical component of any economy. “Throughout the pandemic, more people have adapted to getting their business online...

Serupepeli Vularika has been terminated from the Fijian Drua team for disciplinary reasons. This was confirmed in a statement which states the Fijian Drua and the Fiji Rugby Union have terminated the participation of Vularika in the Club for disciplinary reasons. The statement further states that Vularika will return to Fiji and discuss future opportunities with the Fiji Rugby Union. Drua CEO...

Fijian Defence Minister Inia Seruiratu says taking over funding of the general operations of the multimillion dollar Blackrock peacekeeping and humanitarian response facility in Nadi will be a huge responsibility. In a press conference, Seruiratu said discussions were ongoing on the funding and how the facility would be maintained. “Like all other projects we have been provided with in the past,...

A Former Australian high commissioner to Solomon Islands says the involvement of Chinese officials in training local police is setting off alarm bells in Canberra. The move from Beijing follows last year's violent riots which targeted Chinese-owned businesses in the capital, Honiara. James Batley, who led the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) and now a distinguished policy fellow at...

Tongan King Tupou VI has consented to relocate people from his estates who were affected by the volcanic eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai and tsunamis. Among the worst hit areas in the catastrophe on 15 January, were the royal estates of Kanokupolu in Tongatapu and Mango Island, in Ha’apai. The affected people from Kanokupolu will be relocated to one of the...