PINA

The NRL is poised to announce Papua New Guinea as the location for the league's 18th team. 2GB radio host Ben Fordham on Wednesday revealed a deal has been struck with the game's governing body and the governments of both nations. It's said to be worth $600 million (US$396.72 million) over 10 years. “The deal is done. The deal has been done,”...

Frank Lomani will make his return from a six-week suspension for the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua’s must-win clash against the Melbourne Rebels in Lautoka this weekend. Lomani takes up the halfback position in one of five changes from the side that lost to the Highlanders last week. Coach Mick Byrne has called up prop Haereiti Hetet in place of the injured...

As Tuvalu battles sea level rise, the greatest threat to its survival, the island nation also faces great challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.This is a target that most likely wont be met until 2065, as forecasted in a UNDP regional human development report. “The forecast comes as no surprise, as Tuvalu and other similarly vulnerable Pacific...

Today is the National Referendum polling day, which has been declared a public holiday in Vanuatu. All eligible voters are expected to cast their votes today. Citizens abroad, particularly in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and New Caledonia, will also start voting today. However, a recent amendment to the Referendum Act allows the Electoral Commission to extend the voting period for them...

Taking the floor, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown shone the spotlight on Pacific Island led solutions for climate change challenges faced by SIDS, yet not caused by SIDS. Contributing to less than 1 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, Small Islands Developing States are amongst the most vulnerable as they sit on the...

International financing is the fuel for sustainable development, but small island States are “running on empty” - drowning in debt and rising sea levels due to climate change and through no fault of their own. That’s the warning from UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Day Two of the pivotal Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) taking place...

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environment Facility launched a new US$135 million Blue and Green Islands Integrated Programme (BGI-IP) today during the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4). This initiative aims to emphasise the crucial role of nature and expand nature-based solutions to combat environmental degradation in three key sectors: urban development, food...

Cook Islands Prime Minister and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum Mark Brown, said that as a proud steward of two million square kilometres of exclusive economic zone, his country has strived for sustainable management of marine resources for centuries. Brown made the remarks at the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda. The Pacific...

The Prime Minister of Samoa, as Chair of Alliance of Small Islands States(AOSIS), stressed the role of political will from the international community to drive the SIDS blueprint on our journey towards resilient prosperity across the next ten years. Speaking from the podium at the plenary of the Fourth International Conference on Small Islands Developing States in Antigua and Barbuda,...

The Marshall Islands has announced it is joining the initiative for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty during the General Debate at the Fourth International Conference on Small Islands Developing States in Antigua and Barbuda. Taking great strides, this follows on from the Marshall Islands declaring its candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council elections later this year. Five months on from...