PINA

Leaders take their pleas for stronger and more urgent action to the UN General Assembly By Harry Pearl Pacific nations delivered a clear message to the UN General Assembly this year: Climate action was failing to slow accelerating sea-level rise, but statehood would endure even if land territories did not. Many Pacific island nations sit just a few meters above sea level,...

Samoa rugby has hit another devastating blow with the Samoa Police confirming that Manu Samoa head coach Mase Mahonri Schwalger faces sexually related charges after two complainants filed allegations against him. Samoa’s Police Commissioner, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo, has confirmed the former Manu Samoa captain who had been appointed head coach of the national rugby team on 31 March 2024, faces...

The Fijian Drua will kick off their Super Rugby Pacific 2025 season with a clash against the Brumbies. The Brumbies is deemed the most successful Australian franchise with their host of high-profile Wallabies who will play on Fijian soil for the first time next season. The much-anticipated clash will be on 15 February at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva at...

Spain and Fiji each began WXV 3 2024 with bonus-point victories in the United Arab Emirates but the moment of the round was arguably saved until last. Having recovered from going 8-0 down to level the scores in the dying seconds, Samoa were denied a precious victory in the race to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 qualification when Cassie Siataga’s...

Palau’s Vice President and Minister of Justice, J. Uduch Sengebau Senior, marked the island nation’s 30th anniversary of independence with a powerful statement at the 79th United Nations General Assembly(UNGA). She urged world leaders to take decisive action on climate change, ocean conservation, and gender equality. “The global response to climate change is a matter of life and death,” Senior told...

Fiji’s President, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, delivered a stinging rebuke to China’s recent ballistic missile test in the Pacific, calling for an end to provocative actions that threaten peace and security. Speaking at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 26 September in New York, President Katonivere condemned the test, which took place just a day prior. “There was a unilateral...

President of the Federated States of Micronesia(FSM), Wesley Simina took the global stage at the UN, urging immediate, bold action on climate change, ocean protection, and sustainable development. Simina’s speech highlighted Micronesia's vulnerability to the impacts of climate change while championing global unity as essential for peace and progress. “Kamorale,” Simina explaining that this word, coined as Micronesia’s national greeting, embodies...

Tongan veteran journalist Kalafi Moala has been appointed as the new President of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) following the conclusion of the 2024 PINA Summit in Niue. Moala, a respected figure in Pacific journalism, replaces outgoing President Kora Nou, Managing Director of NBC Papua New Guinea after a secret ballot voting. Moala was nominated for the position by Fijian...

The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has delivered a clear and urgent message to the international community: statehood and sovereignty must not be eroded by climate change, no matter the rising tides. In a bold declaration made on 23 September 2024, in New York, AOSIS leaders affirmed that the impacts of sea level rise will not alter the rights...

World leaders, senior government officials and civil society representatives joined forces at UN Headquarters on Thursday to reaffirm commitment to nuclear disarmament as a global priority. The High-Level Meeting was held to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, observed annually on 26 September. “There should be no place for these devices of death in our world,”...