PINA

The NIWA and MetService assessment of named tropical cyclone (TC) activity indicates 9 to 12 named TCs could occur in the Southwest Pacific basin between November 2021 and April 2022. The seasonal outlook is for normal to slightly above normal activity in terms of overall named TCs in the region. Tropical cyclones have a significant impact across the Southwest Pacific,...

-The Covid-19 surge is stretching the country’s health system, “something that we thought would never happen in our country”, says Papua New Guinea Health Minister Jelta Wong. “We are pushing our health system to the limit,” Wong said. “We’ve had a lot of deaths. “Six months ago, we became complacent thinking that it will never come here. “(So) we were our own worst...

Fiji has the ability to contain a third wave of coronavirus infections. This, according to Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong. According to his observation, he said the behaviour pattern in Fijian communities around the country had changed. “I do know that there are lot more believers in COVID-safe measures,” Dr Fong said. “People have taken to heart the requirement for COVID...

The grant received by Palau to develop a contact tracing system will also “clean” the country’s mobile network. “We want a clean network and most importantly a network we can trust,” President Surangel Whipps Jr said in his press conference last week. President Whipps again reiterated that the island nation will be removing Huawei technology from Palau National Telecommunications Corporations (PNCC)’s...

Australian experts say a malaria vaccine that has been trialled in Africa and endorsed by the World Health Organisation, could also curb the disease's spread in Papua New Guinea. The WHO last week recommended widespread use of the Mosquirix vaccine for children in regions with moderate to high malaria transmission. It describes the development as an historic moment in the fight...

Australian families looking for a tropical getaway say they feel more confident planning a holiday to Fiji than interstate, with double-vaccination rates in the Pacific country surpassing 80 percent.' After months cooped up in lockdown, Sydney mum Lisa Thwaite said booking a family trip to Fiji felt surreal. “It's exciting and really liberating,” Thwaite said. “It feels like we've been sort of...

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have released a discussion paper which highlights some of the issues on climate finance effectiveness in the Pacific region. The paper explores approaches that have been used to access and deliver climate finance in the Pacific...

The Fijian Drua have bolstered their forward stocks for Super Rugby Pacific 2022, with five new additions to the roster announced today. Headlining today’s announcement is 47-cap Flying Fijians prop Manasa Saulo. He is joined by current Flying Fijians tighthead Samuela Tawake, Fijian 7s star Kitione Salawa Junior, Suva lock Sorovakatini Tuifagalele, and Melbourne Rising and NSW Waratahs squad member...

With more than a million species at risk of extinction, countries must work now to achieve a sustainable future for people and the planet, Secretary-General António Guterres told leaders attending the UN Biodiversity Conference, which opened on Monday from Kunming, China. “We are losing our suicidal war against nature,” he said in a video message to the meeting, which is...

The world is poised to make a big leap forward at the UN COP26 climate summit, with world leaders “sharpening their pencils” to make fresh commitments that could put the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement within reach, John Kerry has said. Kerry, special envoy for climate to Joe Biden, gave an upbeat assessment of the prospects for COP26, which...