PINA

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will join regional leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum as tension begins to show over New Caledonia. The Australia prime minister will arrive in Tonga late on Tuesday, joining other leaders from the 18-nation bloc. For the most part, leaders displayed the regional unity that summit organisers have craved after a tumultuous few years. However, on the...

Australia has committed to assisting Tuvalu in climate adaptation through the Falepili Union treaty, Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo says. The agreement signed at the end of last year - labelled “shameful” by one ex-Tuvalu leader - between the two nations creates a special visa pathway for Tuvalu citizens to live in Australia. It also gives Australia veto power over Tuvalu...

By Nic Maclellan As delegates gathered in Nuku’alofa for the annual Pacific Islands Forum, the new Indoor Stadium at Tonga High School resonated with song from hundreds of school students, at Monday’s official opening. Soon after the ceremony, the building shook with the impact of a 6.9 magnitude earthquake. For a nation recovering from the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and...

The Pacific Islands Forum got underway in Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa, with leaders hoping to draw global attention to the region's worsening climate plight. “We really need to ensure that we continue to push for action from countries that are the most polluting,” Tuvalu Climate Minister Maina Talia told AFP on the sidelines of the summit. “Polluter pays should be on the...

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has met with the Secretary-General of United Nations, Antonio Guterres, on the margins of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders’ meeting in Tonga Monday Their discussions centred around the continued fight against climate change impact, the State of the Economy after COVID19, the Pacific Islands Forum agenda, and how UN could better...

A new weather radar for Tonga will help save lives through improved forecasting and early warnings for communities during hazardous weather events, says Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. Making the announcement while attending the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting, Peters says the launch of the facility situated at the Fua’amotu Airport delivers on a commitment by New Zealand. “We’re delighted to...

“We can only achieve our biggest goals by working together” - Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong on why the Pacific Islands Forum is more important now, than ever before Op-Ed by Penny Wong, Australian Foreign Minister Across the Pacific, there are many goals we share: creating more good jobs, better health services and schools, building safe communities – and we...

Samoa triumphed in a gripping conclusion to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub Regional Qualifier A on Saturday to book their place in next year’s combined EAP/Asia Qualifier. A narrow nine-run victory for Fiji earlier in the day over the Cook Islands opened the door for Samoa to claim top spot, and they sealed the deal in...

Five-time champions Fiji kicked off their Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2024 campaign on Friday with a 42-16 win against Samoa, while Japan beat hosts Canada 55-28 in the second match on Sunday. The scoring patterns of the matches were very different with Fiji having to come from 16-15 behind at half-time to get the victory, while Japan were...

Pacific island leaders and top diplomats from key partners including China and the United States have gathered in Tonga for a week of talks on decolonisation of New Caledonia, climate change and regional security and cohesion. The Forum Leaders Meeting for Pacific island nations opened Monday in the Kingdom of Tonga. Melodic Tongan choir singers and dancing school children in traditional...