PINA

The NSW Rugby League has set their sights on fielding teams from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga in their main competition as part of the game's push into the Pacific. The code's Pacific expansion remains a key talking point with Papua New Guinea firming to enter the NRL from as early as 2026 or 2027. Fiji will take another step towards following...

The best 12 men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams in the world have arrived in Vancouver, Canada for the highly anticipated fourth round of HSBC SVNS 2024. Some of the world’s fittest and fastest Olympic athletes will battle it out over three days of intense, non-stop rugby sevens action in front of a famously noisy and vibrant crowd under the...

The Papua New Guinea Government has given notice to amend Section 145 of the Constitution on motions of no confidence. Prime Minister James Marape told The National that the proposed amendment would insert a subsection allowing for a restart to the 18-month grace period, should a motion of no confidence failed. He said the amendment would not stop a motion of...

As the Fiji Police Force tries its best to uncover those involved in the illicit drug trade, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) Commander affirmed the military’s willingness to assist within legal limitations. Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai has expressed deep concerns about the increasing presence of illicit drugs particularly involving children. Following the recent massive seizures of methamphetamine in...

By Nic Maclellan On 01 March 1954, the U.S government exploded a thermonuclear weapon on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, codenamed Bravo. The test had an explosive yield of nearly 15 megatons, a thousand times more powerful than the U.S atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This year, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) will hold ceremonies on 01 March...

Militants and protesters clashed with police in downtown Nouméa on Wednesday as New Caledonia plays host to three French government ministers this week. The crowd - an estimated 2,000 according to organisers, 500 according to police - had been called to voice their opposition to a French-planned constitutional amendment process which would include the modification of New Caledonia's electoral roll...

Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) soldiers have been given powers to arrest, and discharge their weapons to protect innocent lives and properties. Police Commissioner David Manning made this announcement in Wabag, Enga Province when attending to the massacre of more than 50 men killed in a violent tribal warfare on Sunday. “Any further attempt to cause trouble, it will be...

Japan's industry minister summoned the president of the utility that runs the Fukushima nuclear power plant to his office Wednesday and chided him for a radioactive water leak at the plant earlier this month. Mishaps related to the massive amount of contaminated water at the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant are especially sensitive while the government tries to get support for...

Benny Wenda, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) President, has called for an international arrest warrant on Prabowo Subianto, the new Indonesian President. Wenda accuses Prabowo of being a dangerous war criminal complicit in genocide in both East Timor and West Papua. According to Wenda, Prabowo, as a General and leader of the Kopassus unit, orchestrated massacres in East...

In a rally echoing his “Palauans First” campaign slogan, President Surangel Whipps Jr officially launched his re-election bid on 11 February, becoming the first candidate to declare for the November 2024 general election. Whipps addressed a crowd in Koksai, touting his administration’s achievements like the successful renegotiation of the Compact with the United States and the implementation of the Comprehensive...