PINA

Millions of people across the world will celebrate Commonwealth Day on Monday, 10 March 2025 with festivals, fairs and faith-based services. With ‘Together We Thrive’ as its theme, the day will bring together 2.7 billion Commonwealth citizens across the 56 member countries in celebration of their shared values and in pursuit of a common future. From Tuvalu in the Pacific to...

Samoa's political crisis deepened on Friday as Deputy Prime Minister Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio publicly expressed his growing concerns over the Speaker of the House Papali'i Li'o Ta'eu Masipau and his handling of parliamentary proceedings. Speaking to the media following the suspension of Parliament, Tuala strongly criticised the Speaker's refusal to accept a motion presented by the cabinet that raised serious...

American territories in the Pacific need more national support amid growing threats from China and North Korea, according to Representative Jeff Hurd, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs. The subcommittee hearing held Wednesday focused on Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Marianas Islands, and their role in homeland security and U.S military strategy...

Oceania Rugby has extended the suspension of the Papua New Guinea Rugby Union (PNGRU) for an additional six months, issuing a final request to President Paul Siwi for outstanding documentation related to the organisation’s activities. This extension follows nearly a year of engagement between Oceania Rugby and PNGRU, during which the governing body faced sanctions from the regional association, World...

Moussa Saleh Batraki of Chad has been appointed Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) as of 03 March 2025. The appointment came during a Troika summit chaired by Angola’s President João Gonçalves Lourenço. Batraki takes over from Angolan diplomat Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, who served since 2020. With over two decades of experience in both national and...

Only indigenous Ni-Vanuatu will be able to contest provincial and national elections in a key reform at the top of the government's 100-day plan. This reform plan bought cries of 'racism' from the opposition ranks of parliament. The 100-day plan's expected outcome for this electoral reform is to strengthen citizenship programme governance, enhance public trust in citizenship processes plus the preservation...

New Zealand Spy boss Andrew Hampton says security risks in the Cook Islands will be an “even stronger focus” for the Security Intelligence Service after the Pacific nation signed agreements with China. Hampton, speaking at a Victoria University Centre for Strategic Studies event on Thursday evening, shared details of his agency’s work with Pacific nations, and defended Security Intelligence Service...

The weak but significant La Niña weather event that began in December is likely to be brief, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has announced. La Niña, a natural climate phenomenon, results in cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures and influences weather conditions worldwide. The latest forecasts from WMO indicate sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are expected to return to normal. The...

The Cook Islands has welcomed the Marshall Islands by signing the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Rarotonga. In welcoming RMI’s signing, Cook Islands Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Tepaeru Herrmann, reflected on discussions between Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, and President of the RMI, Dr Hilda Heine, during the 2024 Pacific...

Samoa Speaker of Parliament Papalii Lio Masipau once again rejected a proposed motion from the cabinet to remove him and his deputy Auapaau Mulipola Aloitafua. Growing tension in parliament in the past week saw the Prime Minister and cabinet continuously flagging conflict of interest from the Speaker and his deputy in wearing two hats when convenient; as party members and...