PINA

The United States said on Friday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federated States of Micronesia, reflecting a shared understanding on future U.S assistance to the Pacific island country that Washington is anxious to keep out of China's orbit. The State Department announcement means Washington has now signed MoUs on future assistance with three key Pacific island...

Israel and Fiji have reasserted commitment to advance cooperation on issues of mutual priorities, such as UN peacekeeping operations, economic prosperity and sustainable development. Israel's support was conveyed Friday, to the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Honourable Sitiveni Rabuka at a courtesy call by the non-resident Ambassador of Israel to Fiji, Roi Rosenblit. Prime Minister Rabuka welcomed Ambassador Rosenblit...

Former Vanuatu Prime Minister Barak Sope has called for Indonesia's removal from the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). Despite being an associated member, Sope believes that Indonesia should not be a part of the Melanesian organisation. His statement comes in response to the MSG's decision to hire Indonesian consultants, stating the MSG Secretariat's Staff Regulations allow for the recruitment of individuals outside...

Twenty-two fishermen and one fisheries observer narrowly escaped with only the clothes they were wearing when a purse seine vessel sank off the coast of the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro Atoll Friday morning. American Captain Jim Santos said the over 200-foot long fishing vessel Yap Seagull began taking on ocean water as it neared Majuro in the early morning...

Samoan league player-turned-NFL star Jordan Mailata has overcome the odds to play in Monday’s Super Bowl, but his rise to the sport’s pinnacle shows kids across the Pacific what’s possible, a Kiwi gridiron pioneer says. Mark Nua, 170kg and 198cm, and the 166kg, 203cm Mailata share a position, offensive tackle, where they are tasked with defending the quarterback from menacing...

One week after the departure of Vern Cotter, Flying Fijians assistant coach Richie Gray is following suit, resigning from his post. The Fiji Rugby Union put out a statement late on Friday to announce Gray’s resignation “with immediate effect”. Cotter and Gray’s departure less than seven months from the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France has left the FRU scrambling for...

In the space of just a few days, the Fijian Drua have lost the services of two of their most impressive players from their inaugural season in Super Rugby Pacific. Vinaya Habosi was already confirmed to be heading to France following the Drua’s upcoming campaign but the powerhouse winger now won’t play any role in the 2023 Super Rugby season. “Vinaya...

Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have signed an agreement to formalise the deployment of Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) members for policing duties there. Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko and his Solomon Islands counterpart, Jeremiah Manele, signed the agreement in Port Moresby on Wednesday. The agreement was formulated in accordance with the international obligations between parties regarding cooperation...

The World Bank is encouraging China to overhaul its lending practices to stop burdening developing countries with crippling loan obligations that critics have dubbed “debt trap diplomacy”. In an interview with The Australian Financial Review, the bank’s president for East Asia and the Pacific, Manuela Ferro, also expressed concern about the “fragmentation” of development assistance amid the geopolitical competition among...

An international law expert believes Japan is passing the risk of its upcoming release of treated nuclear wastewater into the ocean onto Pacific leaders. It follows a meeting in Japan where Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gave his assurance to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) that Japan will not discharge over one million tonnes of wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi...