PINA

Australia s always the ‘first there’ to help Pacific Islands in need during a crisis, says Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific Michael McCormack. “I think Australians do deeply care about it,” McCormack told Sky News Australia. “We know that Pacific Island nations need every bit of assistance; that’s why whenever there is a calamity, we’re the first there...

Last week Pacific Heads of Health were encouraged to jointly address the region’s growing HIV vulnerability through investments in proven prevention, testing, treatment and care approaches. Health Ministry senior advisers learned of rising AIDS-related deaths across the region, along with increasing new infections in Fiji and Papua New Guinea which put the entire Pacific at risk. The challenge calls for bold...

Gloria Julia King is the only female member of Vanuatu's parliament. Before she was elected last year, there hadn't been a female MP in Vanuatu for 15 years. “It was very hard to make the decision to go into parliament because ni-Vanuatu people — in their mind, in their upbringing, in their surroundings — the leadership has always been the men,”...

By John Grady The Freely Associated States lying between Hawaii and the Philippines are crucial to the United States remaining a Pacific power, the special envoy to these three island nations said Friday. To China, the Republics of the Marshall Islands and Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia “are the Second Island chain” in defining its historic territorial claims across...

The fourth-ranked Fijiana Drua scored 20 unanswered points to stun the previous unbeaten Waratahs in a rematch of last year’s final. Centre Vana Arei scored a double, including the match-winner in the 69th minute to seal their place in the Final for the second straight year, The Waratahs looked like they were going to replicate their 31-5 victory from round three...

Tonga earned their third PacificAus Sports Netball Series title on the Gold Coast in Australia, beating Malawi by 13 goals in the final. The tournament at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre served as a warm up for this year's Netball World Cup in Cape Town, featuring Pacific nations and three African countries appearing for the first time. One of...

After six days of exciting competition in Stellenbosch, South Africa, the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 came to a climax at Markötter Stadium on Sunday with South Africa women and Tonga men being crowned overall tournament champions. South Africa women captured back-to-back gold medals with a slim 17-14 victory over Belgium thanks to a final minute try by Elizabatha...

A total of 1,167 Niuean voters get a chance to elect a new parliament this weekend. They will choose from the 17 candidiates lining up for the six common roll seats, while six of the 14 village seats have already returned MPs unopposed. One of those already back is the incumbent premier Dalton Tagelagi in Alofi South. Esther Pavihi, the head of...

Schools in Samoa have been closed for a further week as more than two thousand cases of the Influenza B flu have been recorded affecting mainly children. The public notice was issued Thursday by the Director of Education following a Cabinet directive to close all schools in order to curb the rapid spread of the virus and also to assist...

The Board of the Reserve Bank has approved further relaxation of exchange controls. This comes into effect from 01 June. Governor Ariff Ali said the changes are in line with the current strong performance of the economy and its favorable growth prospects moving forward. Ali said that over the years, changes to exchange controls were made progressively in a sequenced programme, simultaneous...