PINA

By Ilan kiloe As the 7th Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival commences in Port Vila this week, the public parade from seafront stage to Saralana Park already exhibited a great variety of cultures and traditions. The festival provides an opportunity for tribes and cultural groups across Melanesia display their traditional dances, chants, tunes, songs, and artifacts for public viewing...

Fiji and Tonga have named their warriors for their opening 2023 Pacific Nations Cup series clash at Churchill Park, Lautoka on Saturday. The Flying Fijians have named four new caps - three debutants in the starting 15 and one on the bench, while the 'Ikale Tahi have stuck with a tested team, naming only one new cap in the reserves. Lautoka,...

Sports diplomacy has taken a turn to uniting borders, foster mutual understanding and promote shared values and this is seen in a AUD$5.5 million support from the Australian government to invest into PNG’s rugby league pathways. Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy is in Papua New Guinea and confirmed this at the NRL-related dinner that was...

As the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in New Zealand and Australia, one of the most powerful figures in football is adamant there will be an explosion of interest among girls and women throughout Oceania. FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Bareman worked for the Football Federation of Samoa and OFC before being appointed FIFA’s inaugural Chief Women’s...

The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) Secretary-General, Georges Rebelo Chikoti has welcomed the European Union's final approval for the signing of the Post-Cotonou agreement. Chikoti said this is indeed a historic milestone that symbolises the strengthening of relations between Europe and Members of the OACPS. Applauding all those engaged in the Post-Cotonou negotiations, Chikoti salutes the Chief Negotiator,...

Opinion by Dr Kalinga Seneviratne International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Mariano Grossi, after travelling to Tokyo earlier this month to present a report endorsing Japan’s approach to discharging Fukushima’s treated nuclear waste water into the Pacific, has been trying to convince Japan’s sceptical Pacific neighbours of the authenticity of the report’s findings. The IAEA, which has opened...

Head Coach Simon Raiwalui has named the Flying Fijians team for the Pacific Battle match against Tonga at Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday. The match-day squad sees four uncapped players who have been hitting the top performance bar making it into the team. Raiwalui said “It’s a very strong team with a mixture of experienced and young players. Congratulations to...

The president of Palau said the U.S. military is “reactivating” Palauan airstrips built by the Japanese during World War II, after being asked at a speaking event on Monday if America would have full access to his country if China invaded Taiwan. Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr confirmed that the U.S military would have full access to Palau under the...

-Defence Minister Richard Marles declared Australia would be “very keen” to help Solomon Islands set up its own defence force and says the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu was also thinking about establishing a military. Only three Pacific Island nations — Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Fiji — currently maintain standing militaries. But Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said on...

Britain is imposing visa requirements for all visitors from Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu, as Home Secretary Suella Braverman cited abuse of the migration system. The Home Secretary said the changes were being made “solely for migration and border security reasons” and insisted it is “not a sign of poor relations with these countries”. In a written statement to MPs...