PINA

At the first-ever One Ocean Summit, Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum called on all ocean countries to adopt Fiji’s moratorium on deep seabed mining through 2030. The three-day summit, convened by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, brought together 40 Heads of State and Government and representatives of Civil Society and from the private sector to address the protection of marine ecosystems, the...

A landmark Commonwealth Foundation event assesses the way forward for island nations experiencing the worst effects of the climate crisis Tuesday, 15 February – experts, activists and decision-makers came together to discuss how small island states can secure redress for the damage caused by climate change. Speakers acknowledged that small island states are being unfairly forced to absorb huge costs to...

Fijian Drua coach Mick Byrne has named his side to face the NSW Waratahs in the opening Super Rugby Pacific competition on Friday night. Captained by Nemani Nagusa, the side is stacked with local players, most of whom will make their Super Rugby debut. Olympic Games gold medallist Meli Derenalagi has been named in the starting 15 while seasoned prop forward...

The NSW Waratahs have named their team to face the Fijian Drua in the opening match of the Harvey Norman Super Rugby Pacific competition. NSW Waratahs Head Coach Darren Coleman has named three debutants in his matchday 23, with Geoff Cridge, Dylan Pietsch and Jamie Roberts all set to make their first Super Rugby appearance for the Waratahs. There is just...

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown welcomes the decision by the Micronesian Leaders to “pause” their withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum to enable additional time for further dialogue in seeking a resolution to the current situation. As one of the founding Members, the Cook Islands are acutely aware of the history and standing of the Forum that has been...

The Pacific Islands Forum Chair, Acting Prime Minister of Fiji Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum says the temporary suspension of the FSM withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum will help the ongoing discussions towards a resolution. In a statement released last night, Acting PM Sayed-Khaiyum said the temporary suspension of withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum, “is a positive development that is...

The Cook Islands, through Associate Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Tingika Elikana called on the United States to formalise a high level dialogue mechanism with the Pacific if it was committed to deeper engagement with the Pacific. The call was delivered during a Roundtable Exchange last Friday co-hosted by Fiji’s Acting Prime Minister and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and...

Tonga's Prime Minister Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi Sovaleni says his island nation is trying to rebuild the lives of its people and not just its infrastructure, in the wake of the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, the Prime Minister said his people are still struggling to get over the traumatic experience. The devastation from the tsunami...

Papua New Guinea will reopen to vaccinated travellers from Wednesday, ending two years of strict border closures that virtually sealed the Melanesian nation off from neighbours. The country's pandemic controller David Manning said on Tuesday that he had revoked rules requiring approval to enter the country and mandatory quarantine. The rules had hampered production at some of the country's largest copper...

Japan's plan is to dispose more than one million tonnes of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean next year. International Observers are visiting its Fukushima plant to find out if that's safe. More than a decade ago, a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, killing thousands of people. It also led to one of the world's worst nuclear disasters when it...