PINA

-The Royal Navy’s carrier strike group would be welcome to visit Palau when it deploys to the Indo-Pacific this year, as the island attempts to counter growing Chinese intimidation. In an interview with the Telegraph, Palau's President Surangel Whipps said his country was facing a pressing need to shore up allies, as Beijing steps up its efforts to lay claim...

The COVID-19 pandemic is “a long way from over” but there are many reasons to be optimistic and it’s possible the pandemic can be brought under control “within months”, the head of the UN health agency said on Monday. Although January and February saw six consecutive weeks of plummeting COVID-19 cases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief said that had...

Samoa’s cliff-hanger general election is a victory for under-represented women in Pacific island politics, regardless of the final outcome, FAST leader Fiame Naomi Mata’afa said. Her Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party is on the cusp of a major upset after Friday’s vote, leaving Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi fighting for his political life after 22...

Across several constituencies, FAST candidates are chipping away at the lead held by Government MPs on their seats, including senior Cabinet Ministers, early figures show. Caretaker Minister of Finance and first term Parliamentarian Sili Epa Tuioti is 43 votes behind FAST hopeful, Matamua Vasati Pulufana in Faasaleleaga No. 1. Matamua’s late husband Tiata Sili Pulufana was the Member of Parliament for...

The Papua New Guinea Opposition faction of the National Alliance Party (NA) has joined the Marape-Basil Government. Party leader, Patrick Pruaitch, in a media conference Thursday said the move is for stability to allow the Marape led Government to complete its term before the 2022 General Elections. The National Alliance party had two factions of its members during last November’s Vote...

Tuvalu is the latest country in the Pacific region to receive 4,800 AstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine doses. “Congratulations to the government and the people of Tuvalu! Tuvalu is the second country in the Pacific region to receive full vaccines to cover 20 percent of the population under the COVAX Facility,” UNICEF Pacific said on twitter. COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility is co-led...

In a fine sun shiny Samoan day, 120,000 voters go to the polls today to elect a new government following months of intensive and unprecedented campaigning. The ruling HRPP led government of 40 years is facing a real challenge by the seven month old FAST Party led by a former Deputy Prime Minister and former Speaker who left the HRPP...

More than 100 countries and economies have now received COVID-19 vaccines through the UN-partnered equitable coronavirus-busting scheme, COVAX. The first delivery of lifesaving jabs arrived in Ghana on 24 February. Announcing the news on Thursday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that more than 38 million doses of AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech and Serum Institute of India-produced shots (one of the AstraZeneca vaccines...

By Nanai Anae Dr. Iati Iati STANDFIRST Can you remember the last time Samoa had a formidable political opposition? It has been a while, and it has been even longer since a different political party was in government. Nanai Anae Dr Iati Iati offered his insights to the Pacific Cooperation Foundation into the mood of the nation, the most pressing...

By Mark Peter Notaras It was a great surprise and honour that Gordon Peake approached us to be the guinea pigs/first interviewees for Devpol’s inaugural ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ podcast. Gordon and podcast curator Julia Bergin have since encouraged us to buck the ‘literary silences’ and write about development in an engaging manner. ‘Use your zestiest voice’ was Gordon’s advice...