PINA

A gang known as the "wanted boys" were allegedly armed by Bougainville police and carried out robberies for officers, who are now attempting to arrest the men for those crimes. Chiefs and community leaders in the autonomous region in Papua New Guinea have called for the police officers to be investigated over their alleged involvement in organised crime. "These policemen do...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE The President of COP28 Sultan Al Jaber has announced that participating parties have endorsed the ‘UAE Consensus’ Wednesday in the climate change negotiations in Dubai. The consensus, supported by representatives from 197 countries that addresses fossil fuels for the first time. Al Jaber expressed satisfaction with the two weeks of efforts. “We have worked very...

By Elenoa Dimaira in Rarotonga A new Tropical Tuna Measure was adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission 20th meeting which concluded early Saturday morning in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The measure will guide fishing controls for bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna in the WCPFC’s jurisdiction and was one of the key proposals of the 17 member countries of the...

By Elenoa Dimaira in Rarotonga A new rule for the treatment of crews of fishing vessels operating in the Pacific will be produced at next year’s Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission meeting in Fiji. The proposal to have binding conservation and management measure for improving labor and crew welfare, human rights at the Fiji meeting was unanimously passed by delegates...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE Kiribati's Minister for Fisheries & Marine Resources, Ribanataake Tiwau, emphasised the vital role of tuna for his country in a panel discussion at a COP28 side event on Monday, on the impact of climate change on fisheries." The event took place at the Moana Pasifika Pavilion in Dubai, moderated by Forum Fisheries Agency...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE Niue’s Minister for Natural Resources Mona Ainu’u, has highlighted the importance of tuna for the island nation in a panel discussion about the impact of climate change on fisheries. The event took place Monday at the Moana Pasifika Pavilion on the fringes of COP28 in Dubai. “All of us know, we rely heavily on...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE On the last day of negotiations at COP28, Karlos Moresi Lee, the Pacific Islands Forum Programme Adviser for Resilient Development Finance, discussed the challenges faced by negotiators from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) as they push for strong language on the phase-out of fossil fuels. Lee said AOSIS negotiators stayed up...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE Marshall Islands head of delegation and Minister for Natural Resources John Silk, Monday highlighted the important role of tuna in his country’s economy during a panel discussion on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai. The event focused on the impact of climate change on fisheries, particularly in the Pacific region. “Tuna is a central...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE In a move towards ocean conservation, Coral Pasisi, Director of the Climate Change and Sustainability Programme at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Monday revealed that Niue's innovative financing mechanism, the Ocean Conservation Commitment (OCC), has received approximately NZ$7 million (US$4.28 million) in investments from various sources. “We probably have around...

By Pita Ligaiula at COP28 in Dubai, UAE The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Chairs Minister, Cedric Schuster of Samoa, Monday voiced deep worries regarding the process and content of the document in reaction to the COP28 Presidency’s draft text on the Global Stocktake (GST). Minister Schuster, joined by other AOSIS Ministers, including Minister John Silk of the Republic...