PINA

Papua New Guinea Pandemic Response Controller David Manning has authorised the mass burial of 200 bodies in the Port Moresby General Hospital mortuary. The mortuary is now filled beyond capacity with more than 300 bodies stacked on top of one another, as more Coronavirus (Covid-19) bodies continue to be brought in from the hospital wards and homes. Hospital chief executive officer...

The International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) calls for concerted international action to support Papua New Guinea (PNG) as a surge in COVID-19 cases overwhelms the country's health system. The latest surge has seen the highest number of daily COVID-19 cases recorded since the beginning of the pandemic. Uvenama Rova, PNG Red Cross Secretary General, said: “Hospitals are full,...

By Sivendra Michael As leaders prepare for the 26th Climate Change Conference in Glasgow next week, tensions mount up on the inadequate representation of Pacific governments and civil society due to travel challenges posed by COVID-19. As part of the Pacific Cooperation Foundation’s Pacific Voices series, Fijian climate activist Sivendra Michael says the Pacific's presence has been crucial at...

Australia needs to be put on notice by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders for abandoning its commitments under the South Pacific's nuclear free accord, the Treaty of Rarotonga, by signing up to the controversial security pact, AUKUS. The deal by the Australian, the United Kingdom, and the United States Governments is “highly problematic” and “heightens risks for nuclear proliferation” in...

The Vanuatu Government will not be sending delegates to this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) starting soon in Scotland, due to COVID-19. The National Advisory Board (NAB) on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction has decided that delegates refrain from travel abroad to attend the global climate summit, Acting Manager of the NAB Secretariat, Florence Iautu, said. The Vanuatu Government...

Former Australian prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, and former foreign affairs minister Bob Carr, have accused the Morrison government of “cynical indifference” and “empty rhetoric” when it comes to climate action, saying the commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 was the “bare minimum” that needed to be done. The broadside came in a letter to Pacific...

Pacific Island climate action groups have demanded countries including Australia end support for the fossil fuel industry during the COP26 Climate Change Summit in Glasgow. The Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN), which includes environmental activist group Greenpeace, issued a list of demands to world leaders on Friday, saying they must provide "a safe and habitable future for the Pacific...

Climate change is more of a threat to the Indo-Pacific region than a great power war, the president of the Pacific’s Federated States of Micronesia has warned in an interview with The Telegraph. “Saving humanity is way paramount and more important than the geopolitical competitions that happen around the world,” said President David Panuelo, urging the United States and China...

Telstra has announced that it has partnered with the Australian Government to acquire Digicel Pacific, the biggest mobile operator in the South Pacific region. Australia has deep personal, historical and cultural ties with the Pacific, forged over decades of sustained engagement, and Telstra, via our International team has been doing business there for decades. A statement from Telstra said its mobile...

The Australian Government welcomes today’s announcement by Telstra of its decision to enter into an agreement to acquire and run Digicel Pacific. Digicel Pacific is the leading telecommunications operator in the South Pacific, providing mobile and network services in Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga and Fiji. The Government has committed to provide a financing package through Export Finance Australia...