PINA

The French government denied any cover up on Friday over radiation levels in the Pacific following its nuclear testing in the region, as discussions were held in Paris about the legacy of the explosions. A two-day roundtable meeting called by French President Emmanuel Macron in April began on Thursday following fresh allegations that the testing between 1966-1996 caused hidden atmospheric...

Fiji records 522 new cases and three more deaths SUVA, 05 JULY 2021 (FIJI TIMES/FBC NEWS) --- Fiji has recorded 522 new cases of COVID-19 and three COVID-19 deaths Sunday. The first death is a 93-year-old woman from Matata, Valenicinia Lami. She died at home. According to protocol she was swabbed and tested positive for COVID-19. She was not vaccinated. The two...

Japan will provide Pacific island nations and territories with 3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from mid-July through the UN-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing program, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday. Suga’s announcement came as leaders of Japan and Pacific island nations and territories held an online meeting Friday, with Tokyo aiming to promote its “Free and Open Indo-Pacific...

Papua New Guinea has opened its vaccine programme to anyone over 18 years old as it tries to overcome high levels of hesitancy. Health authorities are worried the country is particularly vulnerable to the Delta variant because of its low vaccination levels. Papua New Guinea's vaccination program is off to a slow start — so far just under 55,000 people have...

The Pacific Island Forum (PIF) Leaders and Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga convened the 9th Pacific Islands Leaders’ Meeting (PALM 9) Friday with a renewed commitment to sustainable recovery and resilience through regional solidarity. Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama expressed his appreciation to Japan for its leadership through the PALM process which provide opportunities to collaboratively address challenges in...

Samoa will only send overseas athletes to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s Government has announced. The Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (SASNOC) has confirmed the Government order has led to the withdrawal of three weightlifters from the team. Vaipava Nevo Ioane and Don Opeloge were due to compete in...

World Rugby said on Thursday it has offered to help Samoa sevens players stuck in the United Arab Emirates following last month's Olympic qualifying tournament. The Pacific Islanders have been in Dubai since failing to reach this summer's Tokyo Games after losing in the semi-finals of the preliminary tournament on June 20. They remain in the Middle East after being unable...

Ministers responsible for civil aviation and senior aviation officials from 14 Pacific Islands States convened virtually this week to endorse the Port Moresby Declaration formalising their shared commitments to progressing important Pacific regional aviation matters through a new enhanced collaboration framework. The Regional Aviation Ministers Meeting (RAMM), hosted by the Papua New Guinea government on Wednesday, 30 June, resulted in...

Small island nations on the climate crisis frontlines have been overlooked in overseas aid, according to a new index. Urging a move away from the current benchmark of using gross domestic product (GDP) to measure aid allocation, researchers from the Commonwealth secretariat and the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (Ferdi), a French thinktank, have developed the universal...

The dramatic plunge in global tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic is having far-reaching and devastating effects, particularly for Small States. During a Commonwealth Tourism Seminar, the Commonwealth Secretariat proposed the development of a global 'Tourism Action Plan' to help spur a much-needed recovery. Tourism is the economic lifeblood for many Commonwealth Small States, in particular Small Island Developing States (SIDS)...