PINA

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...

A hearing on an application brought by the Samoa Attorney General to stop the ad-hoc swearing-in of a new Government from taking legal effect will begin next Monday. The Fa’atuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party held an improvised swearing-in ceremony on the lawns of Parliament on 24 May after finding itself locked out of the premises. Leader Fiame Naomi...

Eighty-nine new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Fiji Monday. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Permanent Secretary Dr James Fong in his virtual press conference. 82 of the new cases are linked to the existing clusters: *IMT: 9 *Nasinu Police Barracks: 17 *Waila: 6 *Naitasiri: 1 *Lami: 1 *CWMH: 4 *Caubati: 5 *Nawajikuma, Nadi: 6 *Navy: 19 *Navosai: 2 *Grantham Road: 3 *Kinoya: 7 *Reservoir Road: 2 Cases...

Studies and living expenses are becoming tougher for Solomon Islands students as coronavirus cases continue to climb in Fiji. A student at the University of the South Pacific (USP), Laucala campus, told Island Sun the second wave of the virus affected them physically, mentally and worse, prices of food in supermarkets have skyrocketed. New cases are recorded every day in Fiji...