PINA

By Katy Watson "They look like chocolate truffles, just don't eat them," jokes Jean Mason, the curator of the Cook Islands Library and Museum as she reaches into a display cabinet and pulls out a black, knobbly rock. The “rock” she is holding may well determine the future of this Pacific nation. It is what scientists call a polymetallic nodule, created...

On Monday, USA Swimming confirmed that the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Centre in the city of Irvine, California, will host the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, which will bring together the best swimmers from Pacific countries and serve as a preview of the LA28 Olympic Games. The event, to be held from 12-15 August 2026 in its pool phase, will...

Two nobles have resigned following Monday's sudden resignation of Tonga's Prime Minister, Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni. Speaking at a press conference in Nuku'alofa, caretaker Prime Minister, Samiu Vaipulu confirmed three Ministers have now resigned; Lord Fohe who is the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forests, Lord Vaea, Minister for Internal Affairs and Lord Tu'i'afitu, Minister of Lands who resigned last month. The...

The Australian Federal Police (AFP), together with Pacific Police Chiefs, have officially launched two key state-of-the-art training and development facilities in Queensland, as part of the Pacific Policing Initiative’s (PPI) commitment to supporting law enforcement across the region. AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus officially opened the PPI Development and Coordination Pinkenba Hub and nearby Pinkenba Training Centre...

Fiji’s Defence Minister, Pio Tikoduadua has assured the nation that Fijian peacekeepers stationed in the Golan heights remain safe amidst escalating tensions in Syria and its surrounding regions. “I wish to reassure the people of Fiji that our troops deployed in the Golan Heights under the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO)...

Safety for tens of thousands of Pacific islander workers in Australia as part of a labour scheme is a major issue with road accidents and exploitation key concerns. The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme benefited Australia and its participants, but it could be improved, Employment Minister Murray Watt said as he convened a roundtable with high commissioners from participating...

Torba, Penama, Malampa and Tafea provinces will now have access to patrol boats and other essential equipment to support the work of the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF), following a formal handover from the Government of China to the Vanuatu Government Monday. The handover took place at Lapetasi Wharf, with the Ambassador of China to Vanuatu, Li Minggang, presenting it to...

Tonga will select a new Prime Minister on Christmas eve, 24 December following the resignation of Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, which was accepted by King Tupou VI Monday. During Monday's Parliament session, the King’s Private Secretary, Sione Fifita, announced the acceptance of Sovaleni's resignation. Speaker Lord Fakafanua then set a 14-day window for members of Parliament to nominate candidates for the top...

Vanuatu has reaffirmed its global leadership in climate action as the first country to launch a technical assistance programme under the Santiago Network for Loss & Damage. This historical achievement was announced by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), according to a statement from the Department of Climate...

The collapse of France's government has thrown New Caledonia into fresh uncertainty as it tries to recover from its worst civil unrest in decades. Hopes for a quick injection of financial support for rebuilding efforts are in limbo while leaders in New Caledonia wait for a successor to prime minister Michel Barnier. Barnier’s government lost a motion of no confidence in...