PINA

Australians stranded in New Caledonia could be offered a route home if a military aircraft is allowed into the island nation. At least six people have died and hundreds more were injured after violence erupted in the French Pacific territory last week. As a result, the La Tontouta International Airport is closed until further notice, making it difficult for the government...

“Australia has announced its agreement for the servicing and maintenance of all patrol boats under the Pacific Patrol Boat Programme in Fiji’s revitalised shipbuilding, slipway and ship repair and maintenance facilities. This not only serves Fiji’s priorities but also our responsibility as the regional hub, a regional port of entry and trans-shipment centre for the region.” This was shared by...

The Australian federal government and the NRL are closing in on a deal worth up to $600 million (US$400 million to secure a new NRL side based in Papua New Guinea. NRL chairman Peter V'landys met with Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy on the sidelines of the NRL's Magic Round in Brisbane late last week to discuss the deal. Conroy...

The first-ever World Rugby 7s grand final will be played in Madrid in two weeks' time, with eight teams in contention including Fiji. However, Samoa will be absent from the elite group, having finished second last at the end of the league season. Under the competition's new format, that means they along with Spain, the United States and Canada have a...

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has announced the renewal of the Vuvale Partnership between Fiji and Australia, which aims to facilitate seamless two-way travel through the Pacific Engagement Visa program. He also emphasised the shared culture and kinship between Fiji’s First Nations peoples and their Pacific neighbours. Key components of the partnership include the expansion of the labour mobility scheme through...

The Board of Fijian Drua has appointed highly respected coach Glen Jackson as Head Coach for the Men’s team. Jackson is currently the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua Men’s Assistant Coach. He is a former leading international referee who officiated over 100 first class fixtures, and a Super Rugby Pacific flyhalf for the Chiefs with 60 appearances over five years. He...

French forces launched a "major operation" on Sunday to regain control of a road linking New Caledonia's capital Noumea to the main international airport, after a sixth night of violent unrest. Officials said more than 600 heavily armed gendarmes were dispatched to secure Route Territoriale 1, the main artery connecting the restive capital with air links to the outside world. Furthermore,...

The U.S military is proposing a new defence site in Palau as part of its strategy to beef up regional security amid escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific. According to a statement from the Joint Region Marianas, engineers from the U.S Navy, U.S Air Force and U.S Marine Corps brief Palauan leaders and citizens about the proposed new projects that include...

The fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) is heading to Antigua and Barbuda later this month with “human survivability and protecting our planet” topping the agenda when it comes to containing climate change, according to the Caribbean nation’s Prime Minister. This year’s conference will focus on “charting the course toward resilient prosperity” by assessing small States’ ability...

As Australians stranded in New Caledonia amid unrest beg for help to come home, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong says the defence force is “ready to fly” once commercial flights to the territory resume. Six people have been killed in the French-ruled Pacific Island territory during the upheaval, sparked over contested electoral reform, and a state of emergency has been...