PINA

Solomone Kata scored two tries as Tonga gave retiring coach Toutai Kefu a winning send-off with a seven-try 45-24 victory over Romania as the two canon-fodder teams of the Group of Death served up a cracker after suffering a month of beatings. Tonga had too much power and speed as Afusipa Taumoepeau, George Moala, Sione Vailanu, Pita Ahki and Kyren...

Cook Islands are set to play in the inaugural IRL World Series in 2025 to determine the final men's berths in the 2026 World Cup to be played in the Southern Hemisphere. After revamping the World Cup structure to 10-teams, and eight each for the women's and wheelchair tournaments, the IRL announced the establishment of a World Series and further...

Vanuatu's prime minister Sato Kilman has been voted out of office in a motion of no confidence at parliament this afternoon in Port Vila. The motion was carried by a show of hands with 27 votes in the absence of the government bench which had vacated the floor in protest ahead of the vote. Charlot Salwai has been nominated as prime...

The government of Papua New Guinea has appealed to the Australian Federal Police and the Singapore Police to assist PNG police to link money laundering trails. Speaking in Parliament Thursday, Prime Minister James Marape said that Australia and Singapore have been the major hub of transit for possible money laundering activities and want the help of police in the two...

Twenty-five countries pledged support to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) with USD$9.3 billion over the next four years (2024-2027). The Fund urges further contributions from other countries in the coming weeks. The funding pledges received Thursday enable the GCF to channel new, additional and predictable financial resources to developing countries to support the paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate resilient...

In the lead-up to today's no-confidence motion, Vanuatu Prime Minister Sato Kilman has experienced a significant loss of support among his Members of Parliament (MPs). Over the past few days, as the motion of no confidence gained momentum, PM Kilman, who also serves as the President of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), has seen his hold on the majority of...

The United States offered no additional funds to the world's largest climate fund on Thursday, overshadowing fresh support for nations most vulnerable to global warming and infuriating campaigners. The Green Climate Fund (GCF), seen as a key element of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, funnels grants and loans for adaptation and mitigation projects, mostly in Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin...

Trade Ministers and officials from Forum member countries gather in Suva today for the Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers Meeting. Key priorities for deliberation on the agenda today, include dialogue on the current Regional Trade and Investment Landscape following the effects of Covid-19 and other global events and making connections to the changing global trade and investment landscape. The implementation plan...

By Masatsugu Asakawa, President of the Asian Development Bank The world is at a tipping point. The pandemic left a toxic legacy of spiraling poverty, debt distress, and inequality, all amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis. Even more alarming is climate change, a long-term existential threat that is already wrecking lives and costing billions. Recent climate-related disasters are a tragic foretaste of...

A 45-day stopgap measure passed by the United States Congress to avert a government shutdown has left potential funding shortfalls for strategic Pacific island states, which analysts and former officials say makes the U.S allies economically vulnerable and possibly more receptive to Chinese approaches. The Biden administration had hoped to see Congress endorse by 30 September new 20-year funding programmes...