PINA

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says a key focus of his tenure as chair of the Pacific Islands Forum(PIF) will be to restore solidarity in the region. He made the comment Wednesday while speaking in support of a motion that Parliament ratifies the 2005 agreement that established the PIF. Bainimarama said part of his key focus was rebuilding “trust and confidence...

Fiji's Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has labelled the appointment of University of the South Pacific’s vice chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia – illegal. He said this is a backward and divisive step that goes against the interest of students, governments and regional goodwill. Sayed-Khaiyum claims Professor Ahluwalia’s desperate bid to drum up media attention and frame himself as a victim, has deeply...

The Niue government is considering cancelling an incoming Auckland flight on Monday, in light of New Zealand’s Delta-outbreak that’s seen cases rise to seven on Wednesday. It isn’t clear how any passengers are booked to fly out, but Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi said his team was exploring all options in terms of its Covid-19 response. New Zealand went to alert level...

The motion to ratify the 2005 Agreement establishing the Pacific Islands Forum has been passed by the Fijian parliament Wednesday. The agreement recognises the Forum as an international organisation and will be a region of peace, harmony, security, and economic prosperity, whose people can all lead free and worthwhile lives. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said Fiji remains a key player in...

Fiji has recorded 653 new cases of COVID-19 and eight new deaths Wednesday, increasing the total number of cases to 41,760 and 411 deaths since the outbreak in April. Permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said 462 cases are from the Western division and 191 cases are from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji's main island. “There have been 1,088...

One of Papua New Guinea’s chief health officers have warned the country’s low testing rates, high percentage of positive tests and low vaccination rates provide a “recipe for major spread of the Delta variant” after the country recorded its 12th case of the deadly strain. Dr Daoni Esorom, the deputy controller of PNG’s national pandemic response, said officials were so...

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has condemned the rush by wealthy countries to provide Covid-19 vaccine booster shots while millions of people around the world have yet to receive a single dose. Speaking before U.S authorities announced all vaccinated Americans would soon be eligible to receive booster doses, WHO experts insisted there was not enough scientific evidence to support the...

Hundreds of Kiribati seafarers stranded overseas are pleading with their government to allow them to return home as the country continues to shut its border to international flights. Captain Tekemaua Kiraua is among 165 seafarers who've been in Fiji since March, he says the long wait is affecting their mental health. “It’s frustrating our crew are not good. There's a lot...

Three Covid-19 Delta cases have been reported in Western Province and Papua New Guinea Health Minister Jelta Wong says the priority now is to ensure provinces are prepared to manage the highly infectious disease. The Delta variant infections were confirmed by the National Control Centre (NCC) in a media conference Tuesday. Presenting the Papua New Guinea health sector report in Parliament,...

A Pacific health expert is advising the Pasifika and Maori community to heed lockdown advice and stay home after more cases of the Delta variant were confirmed on Wednesday in Auckland. Dr Colin Tukuitonga, associate professor of public health at the University of Auckland, said Pasifika and Māori were the most vulnerable to Covid-19 and the Delta variant was “no...