PINA

By Nacanieli Tuilevuka Many countries in the Pacific are struggling to pay off their loans during this coronavirus pandemic. The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) coordinator Maureen Penjueli said during this coronavirus pandemic many countries are taking more loans to help keep them afloat. Penjueli while speaking during the coronavirus economic recovery workshop said countries like Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa and...

The Asian Development Bank has generally endorsed a new five-year strategy aimed at building resilience against economic shocks, delivering sustainable services, and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth in the 12 smallest Pacific island countries (PIC-12) as they rebound from the immediate shock of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Pacific Approach, 2021–2025 serves as the country partnership strategy for the...

Samoa's caretaker prime minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, is risking jail time as he continues to defy a court order to convene Parliament. The judiciary is warning anyone who stands in the way of its ruling could face criminal penalties. Tuila'epa's announcement last night also included a warning to the judiciary that it was over-reaching its powers by seeking to limit his...

The Covid-19 Amendment Act, designed to protect the country against the virus through border restrictions and combatting misinformation, was extended for another six months during Cook Islands Parliament last week. Addressing the Bill to extend the Act, Prime Minister Mark Brown said it was necessary because the “deadly virus is still swarming around the world”. Brown referred to the Cook Islands...

By Giulio Fabris Home to some 11,000 inhabitants, Tuvalu consists of three islands and six low-lying atolls scattered across the middle of the Pacific Ocean. With a total land area of only about 26 square kilometers, it is the fourth-smallest country in the world. The nation’s highest point above sea level is around four meters, while on average it...

Fiji has reported 274 positive cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and Fijians should expect the next wave of the virus to arrive in four to five days from now, permanent secretary for Health and Medical Services Dr James Fong has warned. He said virus moves in waves and the next wave to come, they expect it will be the most severe...

Only severe cases of COVID-19 in Fiji will now be entered into isolation centres while others who do not display severe symptoms will have to isolate at home. Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said their resources are limited and their response must now be targeted to where it is needed most. “Over the next few weeks, as cases increase,...

Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner and Controller of the PNG COVID-19 National Pandemic Response David Manning said the country is considering banning all international flights in and out of Papua New Guinea following the rapid spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant. The Delta variant of COVID-19 (also known as B16172), which was first detected in India in October last year,...

The Tongan prime minister's insistence on defending a government minister convicted of fraud will again be subjected to public scrutiny with sentencing in the case to be handed down this week. The minister for infrastructure and tourism 'Akosita Lavulavu was earlier this month convicted of three counts of fraud alongside her husband 'Etuate Lavulavu. The charges date back to 2016 when...

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held separate phone talks Tuesday with the leaders of six Pacific island nations, calling for their cooperation in Japan's efforts to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific region, according to the Foreign Ministry. Suga offered the six nations -- Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and Vanuatu -- Japan's continued support in tackling the...