PINA

Competing at the Olympics is a milestone, but finishing in the top five is the icing on the cake. Papua New Guinea lifter and three-time Olympian, Morea Baru, expressed this sentiment after his impressive performance at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Baru finished fifth in the Men's 61kg Weightlifting event at South Paris Arena 6, ahead of competitors from Georgia and...

The Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) faces significant financial challenges that threaten its operations, said Secretary-General Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti at the 117th Session of the OACPS Council of Ministers last month. “Our temporary headquarters prevents us from holding in-person sessions, and our dire financial situation doesn't allow us to hire conference facilities,” Chikoti said. Chikoti emphasised three...

COVID-19 infections are surging worldwide - including at the Olympics - and are unlikely to decline anytime soon, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Tuesday. The UN health agency is also concerned that more severe variants of the coronavirus may soon be on the horizon. “COVID-19 is still very much with us,” and circulating in all countries, Dr Maria Van...

The EU Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, has reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to the region during this week's Pacific ACP (PACP) official meeting. She emphasised the Samoa Agreement’s Pacific Protocol, detailing the institutional framework being established to enhance cooperation. “We are working on setting up a Pacific-EU Council of Ministers and a Joint Committee. Once we finalise the details,...

President of India Droupadi Murmu has conveyed the Indian government’s philosophy regarding the Pacific region to Fiji’s leadership. This stance was relayed by Shri Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary East of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, during a press briefing Tuesday. Mazumdar, who is traveling with President Murmu, emphasised that India respects the sovereignty of the Pacific region. In response to questions...

In co-hosting the Indo-Pacific Environmental Security Forum (IPESF 24), Fiji and the United States demonstrate their shared commitment to addressing sustainable development challenges. This was shared by the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and Immigration, Mason Smith while officially welcoming participants at the IPESF24 that is currently underway at the Inter-Continental Resort in Natadola Tuesday. “It also shows our shared commitment...

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has condemned the reported killing of New Zealand helicopter pilot Glen Malcolm Conning in Alama, Mimika Regency “If true, I condemn this killing in the strongest possible terms,” said President Wenda. “We mourn Conning's death and do not want any more bloodshed on West Papuan land.” The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) denied...

By Brittany Nawaqatabu Today marks the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 and the 39th anniversary of the Treaty of Rarotonga opening for signatures in 1985, as the world and region remember the horrors of nuclear weapons and stand in solidarity, there is still work to be done. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has stated that...

A day etched into Tahitian history thanks to the will and drive of 22-year-old, Kauli Vaast. No longer just a local hero – but as of now, an Olympic surfing champion. The hometown boy carried the dreams of the French Polynesian people on his shoulders, and he carried their love and his skillset into the final, where he proved he...

The national rugby team of Samoa has pulled out of its Northern Hemisphere tour due to "significant financial challenges" and to "avoid embarrassment of being the first small union to go bankrupt". In a letter, dated 11 July 2024, seen by RNZ Pacific, Lakapi Samoa board chair, Tu'ilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, wrote to World Rugby's chairman Sir Bill Beaumont that the...