PINA

Cook Islands has the highest childhood obesity rate, with over 30 percent of children having obesity, a recent study on worldwide trends in underweight and obesity reveals. Bob Williams, Secretary for Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health, said they are concerned with the statistics. Williams said the Healthy Island and Healthy School screening done last year for schools on Rarotonga and...

U.S congressional negotiators released a bill Sunday that would fund key parts of the government through the rest of the fiscal year, which began in October 2023. Among provisions in the appropriations package are critical funds to counter China in the Pacific as part of an agreement signed last year called the Compacts of Free Association, or COFA. Under the compacts,...

Global fish talks to curb harmful subsidies have failed to reach agreement at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial this morning, an outcome the Pacific Network on Globalisation believes avoids the acceptance of a bad deal. “The proposed text for consideration by Ministers lets the large-scale distant water fishing fleets off the hook of cutting their subsidies, undermining the attempts...

Fiji's Sports Minister Jese Saukuru has reaffirmed the government’s hands-off approach in the affairs of the Fiji Rugby Union. Despite Fijian taxpayers contributing to sevens Coach Ben Gollings’ salary through the Fiji Sports Commission, Saukuru emphasises that decisions concerning the coach’s future lie solely within the FRU’s purview. Gollings, saw his side finish sixth at the Los Angles 7s earlier today...

Just hours after Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the government would call a meeting if Fiji Rugby Union doesn’t, the FRU released a statement saying coaches and team officials for the Fiji Airways Men’s 7s and Fijiana 7s will meet with the Trustees on Thursday. As part of the normal procedure, both programmes will be reviewed in detail following...

By Nic Maclellan in Majuro, Marshall Islands The two teams lined up face to face. Students from the College of Marshall Islands (CMI) and the Majuro campus of the University of the South Pacific (USP) squared off in a mock debate: should the Marshall Islands sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)? Arguments went back and forward, highlighting...

By Nic Maclellan in Majuro, Marshall Islands  Republic of Marshall Islands President, Hilda Heine, has questioned whether the Marshalls have reached a crossroads in its relationship with the United States. As Marshallese gathered to commemorate Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day on 01 March – the 70th anniversary of the U.S Bravo nuclear test on Bikini Atoll – President Heine stood before...

Fiji’s President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere opened the 2024 Sessions of Parliament Monday with a call for unity and progress, emphasising the importance of representing the diverse voices of the people. “It is an honour for me to be here today, to open this new Parliamentary Session. “As democratically elected representatives, I ask you to listen to the voices of our people,...

By Nic Maclellan in Majuro, Marshall Islands Gina Langinbelik Anuntak is a student at the College of the Marshall Islands (CMI). She’s President of the CMI Nuclear Club, a student association that unites Marshallese students to understand the legacies of 20th century US nuclear testing. “We want to learn about the nuclear history that we were never taught when we were...

Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Henry Puna Friday delivers heartfelt remarks at the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day, emphasising the event's significance with gratitude and solemn acknowledgment. “May I firstly extend my sincerest appreciation to the President and the Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the warm invitation to join you here today....