PINA

Solomon Islands is slowly returning to normality. And because of that Secretary to Prime Minister (SPM) Dr Jimmie Rodgers has thanked the foreign forces for helping the country to bounce back over the past weeks. Honiara was hit by rioting, looting and burning late last month after a peaceful protest calling for the removal of current Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare turned...

Vanuatu Opposition bloc is appealing to the Prime Minister not to implement the Council of Ministers’ decision to increase housing allowances for government ministers and increase salaries of first political advisers. Leader of Opposition, Ralph Regenvanu said the proposed increase is completely unjustified. “If this decision is implemented it will increase inequality in the country while reducing equity and heightening the...

Only 9.9 percent of elderly people in Solomon Islands are fully vaccinated while only 33.8 percent have had their first dose. This was confirmed by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in his latest national address delivered on Friday. “We encourage families to help the elderlies including those with terminal illness, disability to reach vaccination centres to get vaccinated because if we have...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of the Marshall Islands (RMI) today signed agreements for a US$7 million grant to support the Marshalls Energy Company (MEC) improve its performance to enhance the disaster resilience of RMI's energy network and to prepare for a shift to renewables. The agreements, part of the RMI Energy Security Project, were signed by...

The Australian federal government hired private luxury jets belonging to Crown Melbourne to deliver aid, including COVID-19 vaccinations, to two Pacific destinations earlier this year at a cost of almost $600,000 (US$428,000). The flights were confirmed by Crown and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), though Foreign Minister Marise Payne declined to comment. The Bombardier Global Express XRS jets,...

There have been mixed opinions from the Kanak community, in New Caledonia, after the third and final referendum returned a 96 percent vote against independence. While anti-independence parties welcomed the victory, the pro-independence side refuses to recognise the result. The turnout of potential voters was especially low among the Kanak community because many Kanaks abstained from the voting process. Aile Tikoure, an...

Vanuatu is expected to undergo a further extension of the State of Emergency (SOE). This was confirmed in a Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting held last week. In decision No. 364, CoM has approved for the President of the Republic of Vanuatu to extend the SOE under the Disaster Risk Management Act No. 23 of 2019. The SOE will be active for...

The installation of radar systems in Palau by the United States Defence Department will bring in US$42.3 million into the country’s economy, according to Rear Admiral Benjamin Nicholson, the Joint Region Marianas commander. “There is the US$42.3 million that actually come to Palau as part of the NDAA…That is a separate amount of money. That comes to Palau. And that’s...

The Cook Islands Prime Minister says Cabinet has approved new entry rules for people once the border is reopened mid-January. Mark Brown said the Covid-19 Safe Framework will be enforceable under new regulations available to Te Marae Ora (TMO) Ministry of Health. Under the Safe Framework there will be three different groups of visitors able to enter the country, each group...

The World Health Organisation (WHO) approved on Friday the Covovax vaccine for emergency use listing (EUL), elevating to nine the number of immunisations approved to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The vaccine is produced by the Serum Institute of India, under licence from Novavax, and will now be part of the COVAX facility portfolio, boosting efforts to vaccinate more people in...