PINA

The Speaker of Parliament of Vanuatu Gracia Shadrack has resigned today amid a dispute with the government of the prime minister Bob Loughman. Last week, Shadrack declared the seats of the prime minister, the deputy prime minister and 16 other government MPs vacant for missing three sittings of parliament. The government challenged the move and a hearing of its constitutional application...

Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama has set 01 September, 2025, as the tentative date for the declaration of independence for the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. He told the House of Representatives that the Bougainville position had been tabled at the Kokopo consultation which detailed a five-year timeline from this year to 2025. “Each year comprises a number of key milestones to be...

Ten people have died in Fiji after testing positive for Covid-19 but only four had their deaths attributed to the coronavirus. The Health Ministry said six other patients had died from existing chronic conditions they had while being admitted at the country's main hospital in Suva. This has raised some concern among Fijians who are calling for an explanation over what...

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) will open its doors to the public on 16 June in celebration of the day the SPREP Treaty was signed. Around 150 guests are expected to attend the Open Day, including students and teachers from seven schools, and diplomatic dignitaries. One special addition that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic is the...

Stepping up global efforts to combat land degradation is the only way to safeguard food and water security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ward against future threats to health and the environment, the UN General Assembly President told ambassadors meeting in New York on Monday. Addressing a high-level dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought, Volkan Bozkir described restoring nature...

Fiji's COVID-19 outbreak, fuelled by the Delta Variant which ravaged India's public health system earlier this year, is now worse than Australia and New Zealand, health authorities warned. While announcing another 89 new cases of the virus on Monday night, Fiji's Health Ministry confirmed its staff are tired and some working at the country's main hospital have been infected. The Fiji...

Flying Fijians Head Coach Vern Cotter has named a mixture of experience and young players for the two test matches against the All Blacks on July the 10th and 17th in Dunedin and Hamilton respectively. Cotter said “It’s an exciting squad and a perfect opportunity for the players who have been training well and the exposure within the squad against...

by Sue Farran While most Pacific islands have escaped the worst of COVID-19, a cornerstone of their economies, tourism, has taken a big hit. By June 2020, visitor arrivals in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu had completely ceased, as borders were closed and even internal travel restricted. In Fiji, where tourism generated about 40% of GDP before the pandemic,...

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) agreed to reduce the total allowable catch for yellowfin tuna after months of pressure from non-governmental organisations and some commercial groups. But according to environmental organisations, the effort has fallen short of ending overfishing, as five members of the commission objected to the rebuilding plan. The Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE) and the International Pole and...

The Delta variant of Covid-19, first identified in India, has been detected in 74 countries and continues to spread rapidly amid fears that it is poised to become the dominant strain worldwide. Outbreaks of the Delta variant have been confirmed in China, the U.S, Africa, Scandinavia and Pacific rim countries. Scientists report that it appears to be more transmissible, as...