PINA

World Rugby and Two Circles have agreed an expansion of their partnership, with the ambition of accelerating fan-centric global commercial revenue growth. The deal is central to World Rugby’s mission to drive the long-term sustainable growth of the sport by increasing fan accessibility and relevance. The new deal sees an expansion of Two Circles’ bespoke services, including active sales representation for...

Flying Fijians head coach Mick Byrne has started planning for the future, acknowledging that some veteran players like Waisea Nayacalevu may not be around for the next Rugby World Cup. Byrne saidit is important to bring in fresh talents for the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup campaign, mentioning players like Inia Tabuavou and young Naitasiri hooker Kavaia Tagivetaua. The inclusion of new...

Fijian Minister for Home Affairs Pio Tikoduadua is proposing the establishment of an Oceanic Alliance for the Security of Island States (OASIS). Tikoduadua said the OASIS will be a formal platform for Pacific Island States to collectively address the security challenges that we currently face. He said these challenges range from combating transnational organised crime to responding to climate change and...

The Pacific Islands Forum has postponed its Troika-led mission to New Caledonia initially set for this week, to allow more time to address concerns raised by the New Caledonian Government. Incumbent Pacific Islands Forum Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown announced the delay, stating, “The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has been working with the French State and the...

To strengthen Vanuatu's efforts in global climate advocacy, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Matai Seremaiah Nawalu, has appointed Ralph Regenvanu as the nation's Special Envoy for Climate Change and Environment. The appointment, made under Section 29 of the Foreign Service Act No. 20 of 2013, assigns Regenvanu with a pivotal role in advancing Vanuatu's climate and environmental...

A record five female MPs have been elected into the Kiribati parliament, the Maneaba ni Maungatabo, which is one more than the last polls, while 14 sitting MPs have lost their seats in this year's election. The five women are: first time MPs Ruth Cross Kwansing (South Tarawa), Lavinia Teatao Teem (Abaiang) and Ruta Baabo Manate (Maiana Island), a former...

Kiribati has banned foreign diplomatic visits until 2025 due to national elections in a move that has left officials scrambling for more information. A letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration sent to foreign diplomatic missions and obtained by AAP states,” due to ongoing national elections, no visits will be permitted … until the end of December”. “This measure...

China has pledged to support Fiji’s development in a world beset with “turmoil” and help tackle the impact of climate change during Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s visit to Beijing, reports the South China Morning paper. Rabuka met Xi in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People after touring the length and breadth of China for more than a week. President Xi Jinping,...

The French Parliament adopted a bill on 14 May 2024 that dismantles one of the cornerstones of the Nouméa Accord by unfreezing the electoral body in New Caledonia, a non-self-governing territory under French administration in the South Pacific, UN experts said in a statement Tuesday. “The French Ministry of Interior has also presented another bill known as the “Marty Project”...

A stockpile of more than 200 U.S artillery shells from the Second World War discovered at a school in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara has been safely removed. Honiara is estimated to be littered with thousands of bombs and shells left behind on the battlefield after the six-month Battle of Guadalcanal ended in 1943. Royal Solomon Islands Police Force(RSIPF) in a...