PINA

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...

Five police officers are among 39 new cases of Covid-19 in Fiji Thursday. The government announced late last night that 32 of the latest cases are from existing clusters. Another 11 cases were reported from the country's main hospital in the capital Suva. Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong said the ministry's mitigation strategy is to isolate cases, treat seriously-ill patients and...

The New Zealand government will not get involved in the state of affairs of any nation and this applies to Fiji which is fighting the second wave of COVID-19. New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, made these comments when asked by the media on Fiji's effort in containing the virus. Mahuta said New Zealand role is to assist and not...

Members of the Papua New Guinea Special Police Forensic Criminal Investigation Team (SPFCIT), arrested prominent lawyer Gregory James Sheppard of Young & Williams Lawyers on Tuesday in Port Moresby. He was taken to the Boroko Police Station, interviewed and subsequently charged with two counts of misappropriation and another two counts of money laundering in relation to his alleged direct involvement...

Samoa caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr Sailele Malielegaoi was Tuesday served to appear in Court next week, to face a motion that he and others be cited with contempt of Court for boycotting the convening of Parliament on Monday 14 May 2021. The Court action is a response to a motion by FAST – Faatuatua i Le Atua Samoa ua...

There's been a strong uptake from Pacific Island athletes getting vaccinated against Covid-19 in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics. The Summer Games are scheduled to begin on 23 July, after being delayed by 12 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The International Olympic Committee said vaccination was "encouraged" but not compulsory for athletes. Leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in...

Tom Trbojevic scored a hat-trick as a dynamic New South Wales crushed Queensland 50-6 Wednesday to draw first blood in the best-of-three State of Origin rugby league series. In front of a raucous sell-out crowd in Townsville, Brad Fittler's men took charge with a three-try blitz in nine first-half minutes, sending them to the break 20-6 ahead. And there was no...

In the wake of the Marshall Islands government dropping its 14-day quarantine period for fishing boats to enter Majuro lagoon, tuna transshipment activity leaped during May, doubling the totals of the previous four months. Transshipment data from the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA) shows there were 24 transshipments in May, which included 22 involving transfer of tuna from purse...

A United States Congressman, Ed Case, from Hawaii, says Washington needs to change its view of the Pacific. He said this is the driving force behind his championing of the Blue Pacific Act, which has been before the House for the past year. The legislation, which has significant support, is aiming to establish a broad and co-ordinated U.S policy towards the...

Japan's Government says nuclear wastewater it plans to dump into the Pacific Ocean will be treated. Earlier this year it announced plans indicating that 1.25 million tons of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant would be discharged into the Pacific. Last month, the outgoing Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor, expressed concern over a lack...