PINA

A senior official with the World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted the need for a global treaty on pandemic preparedness and response, urging countries to “seize the moment” and support its development. Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the agency’s Emergencies Programme, delivered opening remarks at a UN General Assembly meeting on Wednesday where ambassadors were briefed by the Independent...

Fiji has recorded 1,301 new cases of COVID-19 and 9 death Thursday. Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said 293 cases are from the Western division and 1008 cases are from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji’s main island. He said there have been 245 new recoveries reported since the last update, which means that there are now 20,200 active...

The COVID-19 crisis is not going to end in October even if Fiji achieves its vaccination target, says National Federation Party(NFP) leader Professor Biman Prasad. During a debate on the 2021-2022 Appropriation Bill in Parliament on Monday, he said people would continue to fall ill and lives would continue to be lost even if inoculation targets were met. He also said...

By Kiley Price Despite their small size, Pacific Island nations and territories are a powerhouse in the fishing industry, contributing more than a third of the global tuna catch. However, the tide could soon turn for these islands — and not for the better. Fueled by greenhouse gas emissions, ocean warming will alter the habitats of tuna, causing these fish to...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Tokyo While Fiji’s gold medallist Olympian sevens team get on the long nine hours’ flight back home, hours after their historic win in Tokyo against rival New Zealand, the international media at Tokyo 2020 are still abuzz with the spectacular finish, the emotion and humility of the players after the final whistle at Tokyo...

Today, the European Union and the Cook Islands agreed to continue their successful fisheries partnership as part of the sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA), for a duration of three years. The agreement allows EU fishing vessels operating in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean to continue fishing in the Cook Islands fishing grounds. Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries,...

Pacific Foreign Affairs Ministers have concluded their virtual meeting this week reiterating the call that climate change remains the greatest threat facing the region right now. And while urging for global climate action to speed up not delayed as the world prepares for the United Nations COP26 meeting on Climate Change in Scotland later this year, the Forum ministers also...

Cocaine packages with a street value of around $2.3 million pa’anga(US$1 million) have washed up on beaches at Höleva and Ha’alaufuli in Vava’u, triggering a major search for further drugs by Tonga Police and HMAF navy today. Matangi Tonga Online reports the first packages found by locals were handed over to police last weekend Vava'uans are being urged to hand over...

Samoan Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has announced that there is no rush for Parliament to meet as Cabinet needs more time to screen and review the financial arrangements in place by the caretaker government using an Emergency Budget. Fiame said last Saturday evening that Parliament was to meet in the first opportunity sometime this week to pass a budget. When...

AUSTRALIA)---The fifteenth Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Pacific Business Monitor reports that sentiments among the Pacific business decision-makers remain critical and expected timelines for economic recovery are shifting back further. COVID-19 impacts on Pacific businesses have remained at severe levels since tracking began in May 2020, with between 79 to 92 percent of respondents consistently reporting a negative impact. The recent...