PINA

By Nic Maclellan When France’s overseas minister, Sébastien Lecornu, announced that New Caledonia’s third self-determination referendum will be held this December, he created a major challenge for the main independence coalition, the Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste, or FLNKS. The stakes are high, and time is short. Under a 1998 agreement known as the Noumea Accord, two referendums have...

Some of the Olympic rugby gold medal contenders for Tokyo 2020 next month are set to be in action this weekend for the final warmup tournament before the Games at the Oceania Sevens Championships in Townsville. The tournament at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium will include Fiji, winners of the men’s first Olympic rugby sevens gold medals at Rio 2016,...

The Samoa Court of Appeal has clarified that it did not stop parliament from convening when it ruled on Article 44(1a) where the provision requires 6 women representatives in the Assembly. The declaratory order from the Court means that there is nothing stopping parliament from convening and it does not require it to wait until all petitions and by-elections are...

The maximum number of seats that will be contested in the 2022 General Election will be 55. This as the Electoral Commission has approved that the composition of Parliament for the next General Election will be 55 seats, an increase of four seats from the current 51-member Parliament. The Electoral Commission has approved this in accordance with section 54 of the...

Claims by overseas media that Fiji is on the brink of social unrest have been shot down. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Pacific Beat service has published an article, claiming the brawl in Jittu Estate, Suva is a sign of things to come. The article lacks corroboration from any local authority or individual and quotes local reports as saying there are mounting...

The caretaker Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi claims the Samoa Observer Newspaper has long been trying to topple the Government. Speaking on the state-owned 2AP radio programme on Thursday, Tuilaepa accused the country’s only daily newspaper of being the champion in "twisting stories and fabricating news" with the intention to tear down the Government. He alluded to the claims whilst responding...

The new head of the Pacific Islands Forum says restoring unity to the congregation of Pacific leaders is his 'utmost priority' in the short term. In his first trip to Australia as the region's top diplomat, Henry Puna said leaders were engaging in a process of dialogue, following a decision by Micronesian representatives to leave the forum early this year. The...

The leader of the Tautua Samoa Party, Afualo Dr Wood Salele, has been found guilty of bribery by the Samoa Supreme Court. The court further dismissed three counts of bribery against the Faatuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party candidate, Fepuleai Faasavalu Faimata, who is the Member of Parliament-elect for the Salega No. 1 seat. Justice Niava Mata Tuatagaloa and...

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that China is ready to continue providing vaccines and other support for Fiji's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In a phone conversation with Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, Xi said China will set up a China-Pacific Island countries reserve of emergency supplies, and help Fiji and other island countries improve their ability to cope...

Fiji’s test positivity for COVID-19 has crossed the World Health Organisation threshold of five percent. The national seven-day average daily test positivity now stands at 5.7 percent which means there is widespread virus transmission in the Lami-Nausori containment zone. Higher positivity rates mean that more testing should be done, as it suggests there are more people with the disease in the...