PINA

Papua New Guinea has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new US$265 million loan aimed at strengthening the country's climate resilience. The deal, announced on Tuesday, will help PNG address the growing impacts of climate change while supporting key economic reforms. The agreement, which will run in parallel to existing IMF arrangements, is part of...

French Overseas minister François-Noël Buffet will travel to New Caledonia next week, from 16 - 18 October. Buffet, who was recently appointed to the position as part of new French Prime Minister Michele Barnier's cabinet, said the visit comes in support of all players in New Caledonia in the wake of the crisis triggered by riots that broke out in...

The Pacific Island nation of Kiribati has issued rare criticism of China over last month's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, saying the Pacific is not “isolated pockets of ocean” and it “does not welcome” Beijing's action. Kiribati, a Pacific Ocean neighbour of Hawaii with a vast Exclusive Economic Zone of 3.6 million square kms (1.4 million square miles) has...

Visiting Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo criticised the United Nations' exclusion of Taiwan as a “hypocritical” act during a meeting with President Lai Ching-te in Taipei on Tuesday. It was “hypocritical” of the UN to not include Taiwan and its people in its system even though the world body has championed “inclusivity” and “the principle of not leaving anyone behind,”...

Acting Samoan Prime Minister, Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio, says there is no evidence of oil spillage in the area where the New Zealand naval ship HMNZS Manwanui sank except for small leakages coming from the sunken vessel. In a statement released by the Acting PM's office Tuesday, he referred to the confirmation report from Captain Dowling, Commander of Operations and Chairman...

Cook Islands has enacted seabed minerals harvesting regulations despite concerns about the lack of 'meaningful consultation' and the premature nature of the legislation, given that the exploration phase is still ongoing. The Seabed Minerals (Minerals Harvesting and Other Mining) Regulations 2024 (MH Regulations) were passed last week, the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) confirmed in a statement on Friday. SBMA...

Panthers centre Paul Alamoti has been rewarded for his finals form with selection in the Tonga team to play Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific Championships. Tonga will meet the Kangaroos in the opening match of the tournament at Suncorp Stadium on October 18 before facing the Kiwis at Go Media Stadium on 03 November, with the side to...

As the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC82) concludes in London, the 6PAC+ coalition representing Pacific and Caribbean Island nations has spearheaded the call for a universal maritime emissions levy. This levy aims to fund decarbonisation efforts for ships and promote climate justice. With strong backing from leaders of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and other Small...

Last week, the Government of the United Kingdom (UK) made the announcement that it would be handing back its last colony in Africa, the Chagos Islands, to the African island nation of Mauritius. This historic announcement follows decades of pressure and negotiations, including a 2019 Advisory Opinion (AO) from the United Nations’ (UN) highest court, the International Court of Justice...

The President of the Pacific Island News Association (PINA), Kalafi Moala of Tonga is urging Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa who is the Chair of the upcoming Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) meeting in Samoa, to allow the media to perform their role freely without interference from the host broadcaster. In a joint letter with the Pacific Freedom Forum...