PINA

The writs for this year’s general election will be issued on 12 May, says Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai. He told The National that the issuing of writs originally planned for Thursday 28 April, had to be moved for various reasons including the impact of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic which made it impossible for the commission to update...

By Dionisia Tabureguci Tuvalu is confident in the prospects of its former Governor General Sir Iakoba Taeia Italeli to make the Secretary-General’s position in the Commonwealth. Sir Iakoba is Tuvalu’s nominee to head the eminent body, whose members include 54 independent countries, most of whom were former British colonies. “We are extremely proud of his campaign because, if he wins, he will...

Independent scientists are questioning Japan’s plans to dump just over one million tonnes of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, following a review of the available evidence. The panel of multi-disciplinary scientists, hired by the intergovernmental Pacific Islands Forum, has not found conclusive evidence that the discharge would be entirely safe, and one marine biologist fears contamination could affect the...

Human activity and behaviour is contributing to an increasing number of disasters across the world, putting millions of lives in danger, together with a wide range of social and economic gains over recent decades, a new UN report published on Tuesday warns. The Global Assessment Report (GAR2022), released by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) ahead of next...

Opinion by Peter Dunn The Solomon Islands' security pact with China is yet another worrying marker of Australia rapidly losing influence in the Pacific. Unless it demonstrates clear strategic leadership, Australia can expect to see other pieces of its regional security architecture crumble away. The Provincial Premier in the Solomon Islands, Watson Qoloni, didn't mince his words when he refers to...

The United States wants to expand security cooperation with the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea, a U.S official said on Tuesday, amid concerns in Washington about China's motives for striking a security pact with the nearby Solomon Islands. A U.S delegation met PNG Prime Minister James Marape and its defence chiefs last week and plan to hold further...

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama Tuesday received a courtesy call from Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, David Hurley. Prime Minister Bainimarama said that Fiji is proud to host this State visit, the first state visit since the re-opening of Fiji’s international borders, and it reaffirms Fiji-Australia’s strong friendship and Vuvale Partnership. The Prime Minister expressed the Fijian Government’s appreciation to...

The United States will launch a high-level strategic dialogue with Solomon Islands in September to address mutual security concerns and enhance cooperation in public health, finance and other issues. The latest U.S diplomatic push came after the Pacific island nation signed a security deal with China that U.S officials described as a “complete lack of transparency.” “I think it's clear that...

The speculation that China will build a military base in the Solomon Islands is pure disinformation fabricated by a handful of people who harbor ulterior motives, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday. The security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands is based on equality and mutual benefits and it is within the sovereignty of our two countries...

A Papua New Guinea cabinet minister has called on the Australian government to take the findings of a royal commission into the 2014 UBS loan affair seriously and investigate whether local authorities should take any action. Kerenga Kua, PNG’s Petroleum Minister, told the Australian Financial Review that the government was holding a cabinet meeting on Wednesday and would discuss the...