PINA

Australia has pledged $68 million (US$43 million) to Fiji in budget support and has agreed to sell the Pacific nation 14 bushmaster armoured vehicles for its peacekeepers as the two nations sign an "elevated" new partnership agreement in Canberra. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Canberra on Wednesday as he continues a state visit to...

By Kerryn Baker and Theresa Meki Independent states in the Pacific region have the lowest levels of women’s political representation in the world. Fewer than seven percent of Pacific politicians are women, compared with 27 percent globally. The absence of women’s voices in political decision-making has been consistently raised in regional forums, although progress has been slow. Yet, in November...

The countdown to the annual Oceania Rugby Sevens Championship has begun, with less than a month to go until the action-packed weekend of rugby sevens at Brisbane's Ballymore Stadium. The three-day tournament starting on November 10 will feature 25 teams, 15 men's and 10 women's teams, from 14 countries in the region. The top Pacific Island nations, Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa,...

The Fiji Rugby Union is pulling out all the stops to retain the services of Head Coach Simon Raiwalui for the Flying Fijians. Raiwalui made it official that he won’t be seeking a contract extension following their quarterfinal loss to England this past Monday. While Raiwalui had already decided on his departure prior to the quarterfinal clash, FRU remains committed to...

The Solomon Islands National University as one of the games village is now ready to be occupied by over 5000 athletes and officials from around the pacific regions during the 2023 Pacific Games next month. Eleven Pacific Island nations contingents have been confirmed, that will be accommodated at SINU villages starting November 14 for PG2023. The university is one of the...

Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the signing of a renewed and elevated Vuvale Partnership representing the principles and priorities of both countries and reflecting the growing maturity of the bilateral relationship. ‘Vuvale’ is the word in the Fijian language for ‘family’ and it recognises our respect for each other. The updated Vuvale Partnership elevates...

Former Tongan Health Minister Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala has been nominated as the next World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific. Health ministers and other senior officials from the Region’s Member States voted Tuesday during the seventy-fourth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific. Proposed by Tonga, Dr Piukala is a surgeon with nearly 30...

Economic activity in the Asia-Pacific region remains on track to contribute about two-thirds of global growth in 2023, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Wednesday. This is “despite a challenging environment shaped by a global demand rotation from goods to services and synchronised monetary tightening,” the Washington-based fund said in its latest regional economic outlook report for Asia and...

Fiji’s prime minister said Tuesday he hopes Australia’s acquisition of a fleet of submarines powered by U.S nuclear technology will enhance peace in the Pacific region but stopped short of endorsing the increased military cooperation with the United States. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said he will discuss with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday how a “zone of peace”...

Pacific leaders have expressed disappointment after Australia voted against altering its constitution to create an Indigenous voice to Parliament over the weekend. Had it won, the referendum would have established a representative body to advise the government on issues that affect First Nations people. Former Pacific Island Forum secretary-general and PNG diplomat Meg Taylor said consultation in the lead-up to the...