PINA

Fijian Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says he is dumbfounded that Fiji’s role at COP26 has been a source of criticism. Speaking in parliament Monday Bainimarama stressed that international prestige is not the reason Fiji took on the responsibility to highlight the devastating impact of climate change on small nations. He said Fiji took on an active and assertive role in the...

The coronavirus pandemic will likely cost the global tourism sector US$2 trillion in lost revenue in 2021, the UN's tourism body said Monday, calling the sector's recovery “fragile” and “slow.” According to the latest forecast by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the same amount was lost in 2020, making it one of the sectors hit hardest by the...

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has told Parliament Monday that he’s ready to face the motion of no confidence against him and calls on the Leader of Matthew Wale, to think first before tabling it in Parliament. Parliament resumed today less than a week of chaotic scenes that started around Parliament before spreading into central and eastern parts of...

The streets of Solomon Islands are calm again but there are warnings of worse troubles ahead if the underlying issues that provoked the recent rioting in Honiara aren't addressed. Solomon Islands' security forces, backed by a contingent of Australian police officers and soldiers, and with the support of security personnel from Papua New Guinea, were on alert in the capital...

The Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC) signed an MOU with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) regarding institutional cooperation to promote capacity building in the Pacific Region on disaster risk finance and management. The MOU was executed by the PCRIC CEO and PIFS Secretary General on 25 November. This partnership will allow PCRIC to place a Regional Coordinator within PIFS...

Spike in drug use has caused problems across Tongan society, with arrests doubling in two years and children severely affected By Joshua Mcdonald After more than four decades spent living in New Zealand, Ned Cook knew it was time to return to his home country of Tonga. His country was in the grip of a methamphetamine epidemic that was ripping families apart...

50 Fijian soldiers will be dispatch to the Solomon Islands Tuesday as part of a reinforcing platoon. The team will be commanded by Major Asaeli Toanikeve. The country’s capital Honiara has been wracked with unrest in recent days. Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama said his platoon will be embedded with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) elements on the ground. Bainimarama said another 120 troops...

For decades, the tiny Marshall Islands has been a stalwart American ally. Its location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has made it a key strategic outpost for the U.S military. But that loyalty is being tested amid a dispute with Washington over the terms of its “Compact of Free Association” agreement, which expires soon. The U.S. is refusing...

Nations most vulnerable to climate change say rich world must step up, meet goal to limit temperature rise to 1.5C. By Catherine Wilson The United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference held in Glasgow this month was billed as the last chance to save the future of life on earth by ensuring global warming did not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees...

The World Health Organisation (WHO)published on Sunday an update on the science regarding the new coronavirus variant Omicron which is causing global concern and sparking increasing flight bans on Southern African countries. The experts of the UN health agency said researchers in South Africa and around the world are currently conducting studies to better understand the aspects of Omicron, but...