PINA

Fiji has reported its highest daily total of positive COVID-19 infections as of 8am today with 279 cases reported this evening. Ministry of Health and Medical Services permanent secretary Dr James Fong said of those cases, 46 are from existing containment zones or quarantine facilities in Nadi. That includes 22 from Nawajikuma, 8 are from Tramline, and 16 are close contacts...

Samoa Supreme Court’s decision on the legality of the swearing in ceremony performed by the FAST Party on 24 May 2021 in a tent outside Parliament’s locked doors, will be delivered Monday 28 June. The legal arguments were heard this week by Justice Lesatele Rapi Vaai, Justice Vui Clarence Nelson and Justice Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma. The legal challenge by the Attorney...

- Pacific churches have called on Christian leaders not to take advantage of the COVID-19 situation in Fiji to manipulate Christians and proselytize. In a statement, Pacific Conference of Churches General Secretary, Reverend James Bhagwan, noted with concern the use of misguided theology by some Christians to create. “Over the past few months, some church communities are using immature or undeveloped...

Papua New Guinea deputy Prime Minister and member for Bulolo, Sam Basil will be facing a leadership tribunal. Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika appointed the Leadership tribunal to enquire into allegations of misconduct in office by the member for Bulolo. The appointment follows a request by Public Prosecutor Pondros Kaluwin, to the chief justice under section 27 of the organic law...

By Claire Heath The numbers of drifting fish-aggregating devices in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) have been underestimated, an ongoing study by the Pacific Community (SPC) shows. Dr Lauriane Escalle, at SPC’s Oceanic Fisheries Programme (OFP), said they had counted 159 FADs or satellite buoys around Wallis and Futuna in the first year of a project with Wallis...

Former Oil Search managing director Peter Botten has branded UBS “greedy” for the fees it charged on a deal in Papua New Guinea and said he was uncomfortable with the investment bank being on both sides of the transaction. In much-anticipated evidence to the royal commission into the so-called “UBS loan scandal”, Botten singled out the investment bank for criticism. Former...

The 19 Members of Parliament (MPs) on the Vanuatu Government side who are subject to the ruling of Justice Oliver Saksak, will be filing a civil case through their legal counsel today. Public Relations Officer (PRO) to the Prime Minister's Office, Fred Vurobaravu, confirmed this to the Daily Post. The MPs which include Prime Minister Bob Loughman, Deputy Prime Minister and...

Proof of Covid-19 vaccination from countries with “rampant” cases of the virus are a future consideration, says Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown. “Our travel bubble with New Zealand doesn’t require vaccination and that’s working well but of course as we go on and people start to travel more, we may consider that (proof of Covid-19 vaccination) as a requirement...

As Fiji's COVID-19 outbreak continues to devastate the country's economy, there are mounting fears the crisis could spark social unrest in the small Pacific island nation. Those concerns have ramped up after a wild street brawl erupted in a poor neighbourhood in the capital, Suva, over the weekend, following a number of rare protests by quarantined villagers. A video of the...

Political tension is rising in New Caledonia as a third referendum on independence from France is planned in December. The decolonisation process under the 1998 Noumea Accord is nearing its conclusion and scenarios are being drawn up for how to deal with the result. In 2018 and 2020, a majority voted against independence, but the winning margin shrank from 56.7 percent...