PINA

The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine was publicly approved for international use on Wednesday by UN health agency expert advisory board, SAGE, which allayed concerns over clotting events being associated by some countries, without definitive evidence, with coronavirus jabs. In a virtual press conference from Geneva, SAGE hailed the one-dose Janssen shot – produced by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary - as...

The people of Banaba in Kiribati have received the much-needed fresh water supplies from the capital Tarawa on Sunday – after a year without clean water. Reports reaching PACNEWS confirmed the Kiribati government-chartered vessel, LC Linnix arrived on the island with fresh water supplies, a desalination plant and materials to repair damaged water tanks on the island. The Kiribati government...

Pacific Women basketball leaders are leading the way in the growth of basketball in the region with fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to developing the game. According to a Russell 1000 report, in 2018, female leaders held 20.8 percent of the board seats listed on corporate boards. With a review of the current board members of National Federations in the Oceania...

The Office of the President in Kiribati has today responded swiftly to desperate pleas for fresh water supplies from the people of Banaba. PACNEWS has established that a directive has come from the President’s Office in Tarawa to send a chartered vessel to the island, as early as tomorrow, with the much needed fresh water supplies for the 300 residents...

Small island states in the Pacific are opening a new front in the fight against rising seas, to secure rights to an ocean area bigger than the moon that is home to billion-dollar fish stocks. States from Kiribati to Tuvalu are mapping their remote islands, scattered across the ocean, in a bid to claim permanent exclusive economic zones (EEZs), stretching...

The first doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to 10 frontline workers at the Nadi International airport today. Receiving the first ‘jab’, Dr Mara Vukivukisevu from the Lautoka hospital reiterated that having the vaccine is very important during this fight against COVID-19. Dr Vukivukisevu is one of Fiji healthcare heroes who have treated COVID patients in the Lautoka...

The people of Banaba Island in Kiribati are calling for humanitarian intervention from Australia, New Zealand and the international community to an on-going severe drought and water crisis on the island. Community leader, Roubena Ritata speaking to PACNEWS from Banaba said the situation is ‘desperate’ and the 300 residents on the island are ‘dying for clean water.’ Banaba, commonly known as...

The people of Banaba Island in Kiribati are calling for humanitarian intervention from Australia, New Zealand and the international community to an on-going severe drought and water crisis on the island. Community leader, Roubena Ritata speaking to PACNEWS from Banaba said the situation is ‘desperate’ and the 300 residents on the island are ‘dying for clean water.’ Banaba, commonly known as...

The Morrison Government has awarded TAFE Queensland a $36 million (US$27 million) contract to provide mariner training and support to the Navy crews of the Guardian-class Patrol Boats. The funding is being delivered as part of the Morrison Government’s $2 billion (US$1.5 billion) Pacific Maritime Security Programme to strengthen maritime capability in the Pacific. The Acting Minister for Defence, Senator Marise...

By Sarah Boxall The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” – a celebration of global progress towards women’s equal representation in leadership positions. For the Pacific, discussion of women’s leadership has focused on women’s political representation, which at just 7% is among the lowest in the...