PINA

The United Nations Security Council has formally selected the current Secretary-General António Guterres as its nominee to serve a second five-year term in the UN’s top job. The recommendation, made in a resolution adopted by acclamation in a private meeting, now goes to the 193-member General Assembly for formal approval. In a statement, Guterres said it was “a great honour” to...

The man who returned a positive test for Covid-19 last week in Cook Islands will appear in court this Thursday. The man, who is a Cook Islander and works overseas, has been charged with making a false declaration on a travel document. Police arrested the man on Saturday after the matter was referred to them by Te Marae Ora health ministry....

The U.S. policy chief for the Indo-Pacific said on Tuesday the United States aims to work with Japan, New Zealand, Australia and others to assist island nations in the Pacific, a region of increasing strategic competition with China. Five Pacific island nations announced in February they would start withdrawing from the Pacific Island Forum, the region's main political grouping after...

The President of Nauru and Chancellor of the regional university, Lionel Aingimea says the Council acted within the guidelines of the University of the South Pacific Charter and Statutes in re-appointing the vice chancellor and relocating his place of work. A sub-committee chaired by President Aingimea presented six recommendations to the USP Council which convened a special meeting on 25...

Vanuatu Supreme Court judge, Justice Oliver Saksak, has granted a stay on the vacation of 19 seats in the country's parliament. On Tuesday the Speaker of Parliament, Gracia Shadrack, declared the seats of the Prime Minister Bob Loughman and 18 of his MPs vacant because they had been absent from parliament on three consecutive occasions. The MPs were absent on the...

The Fijian Government’s vision to supply 100 per cent of energy in Fiji from renewable sources by 2036 is coming to fruition. This follows Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama signing an agreement on the sale of 44 per cent shares of Energy Fiji Ltd (EFL) to Sevens Pacific Pte Limited Wednesday. Sevens is a joint venture company established in Singapore comprising of...

by Grant Walton Over the past decade, around the world, the number of anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) – organisations specifically tasked with fighting corruption – has increased significantly. In turn, researchers and policymakers have sought to understand how ACAs are established and why they often fail to live up to expectations. The international literature points to three institutions that determine how ACAs...

By Oliver Hasenkamp For decades, Samoa was seen as the most politically stable country in the Pacific. Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi served as prime minister for almost 23 years with little opposition. His Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) had been in power for nearly 40 years and was the only party represented in the country’s parliament, the Fono, in the...

Small island developing states (SIDS) are facing an uphill struggle to recover from the impact of the pandemic, which has deepened their financial and economic vulnerabilities, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) Last year was an exceptionally challenging year for SIDS, which are at least 35 per cent more susceptible to external economic shocks than...

Samoa's FAST party is seeking clarification of an Appeal Court decision about extra parliamentary seats for women. An Appeal Court decision last week upheld the Supreme Court's earlier voiding of an extra women's seat in the aftermath of April's national election. The ruling meant the FAST party maintained its majority of 26 seats in the 51-seat Parliament. But the court also ruled...