PINA

Australia’s purchase of 500,000 Pfizer doses from the global vaccine-sharing Covax initiative has renewed debate about whether more Covid-19 vaccines should be reserved for developing countries. On Tuesday Labor and the Australian Council for International Development questioned Australia’s purchase of 500,000 doses from the World Health Organisation-run scheme, which was first announced by the health minister, Greg Hunt, on 06...

The Fijian government is hoping a study into the potential for industrial hemp will provide an alternative for the illegal marijuana trade in Fiji. Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has told parliament that they are not interested in hemp with a high level of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC which makes people high. “We want it to replace the illicit agriculture sector, but...

By Kishti Sen & Tom Kenny It’s been a tough time for Pacific island economies. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated global supply chain disruptions along, with mobility restrictions, impacted commodity exporting countries while closed borders meant the tourism dependent economies were decimated in 2020. With international borders remaining closed and many local restrictions still in place, economic conditions will be...

Cook Islands travel bubble with New Zealand has been suspended after health officials have reported new Covid-19 community cases in Auckland. Four community cases were reported overnight by authorities, including an Auckland hospital worker, bringing total to five. Cases are all linked to Tuesday's first case in Auckland, which is confirmed as Delta variant. “While the epidemiological variance and transmission link for...

Fiji has recorded 590 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 new deaths Tuesday, increasing the total number of cases to 41,107 and 403 deaths since the outbreak in April. Permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said 420 cases are from the Western division and 170 cases are from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji's main island. “There have been 1,304...

Fiji’s Chief Justice Kamal Kumar Tuesday ruled that the Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem's decision to vacate Niko Nawaikula as a Member of Parliament is null and void. Justice Kumar said the Supervisor of Election’s action in removing Nawaikula’s name from the Register of Voters is unlawful and wrong. He said with this decision, Nawaikula is to be reinstated as a...

Papua New Guinea deputy Controller for National Pandemic response Dr Daoni Esorom says the country has 12 confirmed cases of delta variant. He said the latest COVID-19 cases are three males from Western Province. The National Control Centre will be sending a team to Western Province as they did with Madang last week to help with contact tracing and give technical...

By Leonard Louma Despite claims of a Pacific ‘Step-up’ and ‘Reset’, very little has changed in Australia and New Zealand’s attitude to the region, former Secretary of Papua New Guinea’s Department of Foreign Affairs Leonard Louma writes. I have been pondering the ways Pacific countries can work with their traditional development partners, particularly Australia and New Zealand, in the days...

The damage to people and livelihoods caused by climate change is happening at a scale that “people on the front lines cannot manage”, according to the UN’s humanitarian office, OCHA. OCHA says that “time is running out for millions of people who are already losing their lives, their homes and their livelihoods” due to “extreme weather” that is “decimating” communities...

Former Fiji Prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, says he wants next year's election to be about common beliefs and not personalities. Rabuka has emerged from what he describes as eight months in the political wilderness, to launch a new opposition party called the People's Alliance. It's now going through the official registration process, but the former leader of SODELPA is confident approval...