PINA

After 25 months on the sidelines, the national men’s teams of New Zealand and Samoa will finally return to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Singapore this weekend. Neither team has played since the HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver in March 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19 and will be desperate to take to the field after so...

China has accused the U.S, UK and Australia of trying to build an “Asia-Pacific version of NATO” after the three countries announced that they will develop hypersonic weapons via the recently created AUKUS security alliance. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, U.S President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the plan after holding a check-in on the progress of...

The publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III report on climate mitigation only confirms what vulnerable and marginalised communities, indigenous people and climate activists have been saying for years–we are on the brink of climate catastrophe if we do not immediately and drastically reduce fossil fuel production, terminate fossil fuel subsidies, and phase out...

Vodafone has made its entry back into the Papua New Guinea market as of last night as Digitec-Vodafone to operate as the third mobile operator company. In the next two weeks the PNG market will see the new look Vodafone operate in 25 different locations of the country selling mobile phones and SIM cards to customers by 21 April, 2022. Minister...

The Pacific Elders’ Voice welcomes the convening of the 07th Our Oceans Conference in Palau on the 13-14 April. We congratulate the Republic of Palau for hosting this conference and making implementation of the commitments from previous conferences, as well as focusing on significant new commitments around six action areas, the core thrust of the conference. At the outset, the Pacific...

Palau says it’s ready for the 07th ‘Our Oceans Conference’ next week, and that it will co-host with the United States. 80 countries and over 100 non-government organizations have confirmed their attendance according to Justin Kenny, from the U.S Department of State, advocacy and communications for a more sustainable planet, working with Palau counterpart on preparations for Our Oceans Conference...

The ocean is a source of opportunities to sustain livelihoods, trade and mitigate climate change. But the health of the ocean is deteriotrating and the economies it supports are under threat. Protecting our ocean and boosting its economic benefits demands a global trade, investment and innovation "Blue Deal" to create a sustainable and resilient ocean economy that benefits all. An UNCTAD-led...

Two of Australia’s top intelligence chiefs have quietly travelled to Solomon Islands to meet Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and raise the government's deep concerns over a security agreement that the Pacific Island nation is on the cusp of signing with China. Late on Wednesday, Sogavare's office issued a statement revealing he'd held what he called a “positive” meeting with a...

At a January meeting between a Chinese general and New Zealand’s defence secretary, there was one Pacific issue that New Zealand wanted to speak about in detail – the Solomon Islands. The possibility of China building a military base in the Pacific has become a major concern for New Zealand officials and, after details emerged of a prospective security deal...

Don’t compare my actions to the coups perpetrated by Peoples’ Alliance leader Sitiveni Rabuka. That’s the reaction from Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama after critics likened his military intervention in 2006 to the violent overthrow of the government in 1987 by Rabuka, who was at the time, a Major General in the Fiji military. Bainimarama has rejected any similarities between the two...