PINA

Australian officials are being given the cold shoulder in Kiribati amid concerns the atoll nation’s president is being courted by China. Visa applications have dragged on or been denied while work on a treaty with Kiribati – which should have been finalised a year ago – was indefinitely put on ice, a senior foreign affairs department official confirmed to AAP. While...

Lightspeed Pte Ltd (Fiji), with offices in Port Moresby, Honiara, Brisbane, and Auckland, has been confirmed as a Starlink Authorised Reseller for Fiji. With Starlink’s recent approval by the Government of Fiji to provide services in Fiji, Lightspeed has been approved by Starlink as its first Authorized Reseller in Fiji. The agreement provides the same Reseller status to Lightspeed for its...

Tevita Kofutu'a has plans for the $10,000 in superannuation he earned over five years of seasonal work in Australia. He'll use it to buy a vehicle and pay a deposit on some land in Tonga where he and his wife Fine want to raise a family. But nearly 10 months after he returned home, he's still waiting for the money. Kofutu'a said...

Commentary by Michael Kabuni The last reliable national census for Papua New Guinea (PNG) was conducted 24 years ago, therefore the 2024 census is critical. But early signs suggest the latest attempt to count the country’s population will not be easy. It started on 16 June, with a completion date set for 30 June. Many provinces either started late or have...

Samoa recovered from a 10-point deficit to beat Italy 33-25 in a sweltering Test in Apia on Friday. The home side scored four tries to three in a successful start to the tenure of new coach Mahonri Schwalger and newly appointed captain Theo McFarland. Italy were favoured to win, coming off an encouraging Six Nations campaign in which they beat Wales...

Flying Fijians head coach Mick Byrne believes missed opportunities are something they can’t afford against the All Blacks next weekend. However, the national coach said they have another week to fix things before facing the three-time world champions. Byrne said Fiji had some good opportunities against Georgia which they failed to execute. “There were a couple of opportunities out wide that we...

The country’s internal security is further at risk with foreign syndicates operating illegal activities in the country and controlling institutions like immigrations and customs, Papua New Guinea Opposition spokesman and Member for Finschhafen, Rainbo Paita said. He said while we are talking about the issues of fuel, the disparities of funding to the MPs, the high debt to GDP ratio...

Nauru President David Adeang says he hopes Chinese investment “transforms” the tiny island nation after switching recognition from Taiwan. There is growing influence from Beijing in the Pacific region, and notably Nauru, which under Adeang’s leadership abandoned support for Taiwan in January to formally recognise China. Adeang on Thursday confirmed that move was to try to attract Chinese investment. “It has much...

If the pen is mightier than the sword, then an army of journalists has assembled in Fiji’s capital to discuss the state and future of the industry in the region. The Pacific Media Conference is organised and hosted by the University of the South Pacific, in collaboration with the Pacific Islands News Association(PINA) and Asia Pacific Media Network, with more...

Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Information and Communications Technology, Timothy Masiu Thursday expressed strong support for Fiji’s recent media law reforms. Addressing 2024 Pacific Media Conference in Suva, Masiu stressed the critical importance of media freedom and the need for the region to chart its own path in media development. “We support and are happy with this Government of Fiji for...