PINA

By Cliff White The state of labour conditions in the Fijian longliner fleet has come under closer scrutiny following the issuance of a withhold-release order by U.S Customs and Border Protection in August. The Hangton No. 112, owned and operated by Suva, Fiji-based Hangton Pacific Co., was hit with the order on 04 August, with the CBP citing the presence...

Building a strong Pacific islands negotiations block at the world's largest climate change conference is gaining momentum less than two months away from the Twenty-Sixth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26). Working with Pacific Island Parties, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the IMPACT Project (Climate Analytics)...

Opinion editorial by ANZ Fiji Head of Retail, Renuka Kumar Over the past five months, many Fijians have been working from home to protect themselves during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to help stop the spread of the virus. During this time, it has been both a privilege and a challenge for ANZ’s branch staff who have been face-to-face with our...

Nature’s role in growing Fiji’s socio-economic development cannot go unnoticed as efforts are made to mitigate against the impact of climate change and warm ocean levels. This message was highlighted today by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama in a virtual message to the global community at the ‘Transformative Action for Nature and People High-level’, an event held along the margins of...

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is altering the process for negotiations to curb fisheries subsidies in a manner that will make it harder for developing countries, including Pacific member states to engage in the talks. PACNEWS has confirmed that Chair of the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations, Santiago Wills, has communicated to Member States’ Heads of Delegation on a specific and...

Beginning more than a millennium ago, intrepid seafarers traversed vast Pacific Ocean expanses in double-hulled sailing canoes to reach the far-flung islands of Polynesia, the planet's last habitable region to be settled by people. A genetic study published on Wednesday has deciphered the timing and sequence of this settlement of an area spanning about a third of Earth's surface, with...

Fiji is among the climate-vulnerable countries in the region that continues to receive less than one percent of global climate finance. Minister Responsible for Climate Change, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said this is unfair and unsustainable. While speaking on ‘priorities for Fiji at COP26’ in parliament today, Sayed-Khaiyum highlighted the unfair disbursement of climate financing is against the Paris Agreement which states the...

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday repeated his call for a global COVID-19 vaccination plan to boost production and reach millions over the coming months, in line with recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Speaking at a summit on the global pandemic, hosted by United States President Joseph Biden, the UN chief stressed that the move is not philanthropy,...

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, says PNG has experienced the impacts of climate change, therefore, he as the leader is qualified to talk about climate change and to call on industrialised nations to contribute more towards reduction of carbon emissions and the conservation of existing rainforest, including the rainforest in Papua New Guinea. The Prime Minister made this...

The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) has announced two new senior appointments within the Force. Captain Humphrey Biu Tawake has been appointed as the deputy Commander Republic of Fiji Military Forces whilst Colonel Sapenafa Motufaga is now the new Chief of Staff (CoS) at the Headquarters RFMF. Before taking on this role, Captain Tawake headed the Republic of...