PINA

Based on unofficial results from the Vanuatu snap election, two of five former prime ministers are set for seats in the new Parliament. Along with returned incumbent, Bob Loughman, are Charlot Salwai on Pentecost, and Sato Kilman on Malekula. Loughman got the last seat of the seven on Tanna, while Kilman and Salwai scored the highest votes in their respective constituencies. So...

By Kanni Wignaraja and Tuya Altangerel Each month Mana Kasian receives a pension of about US$500 from the government of Timor-Leste, along with a few other benefits. She spends most of that money in her home city of Liquica, rebuilding local schools and sheltering victims of domestic violence that include women, girls, and boys. As a former freedom fighter, who...

The U.S Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider whether American Samoans have full U.S citizenship at birth, a dispute that would have given the justices the opportunity to repudiate past rulings suffused with racist language that helped determine that those in U.S territories would not have the same rights as other Americans. A group of American Samoans challenging the...

Amazement is the right word to use when describing China's development achievements in the past ten years, Kiribati President and Foreign Minister Taneti Maamau said. The chapter ahead would add color and excitement to the great story of the Chinese people and the country, Maamau said in a recent written interview with Xinhua. Maamau recalled his first trip to China as...

Guam, a United States territory in the Pacific, has announced it wants to join the Pacific Islands Forum, which New Zealand belongs to. But not everyone has welcomed Guam’s plan. Some experts say the move comes amid ongoing concerns over the fragile links between other northern Pacific states and the Forum. At the leaders' summit in Fiji in July, the Marshall Islands,...

South Pacific defence ministers will meet in Tonga on Tuesday, with Australia seeking a closer military relationship with the three island nations that have defence forces to counter China's security push in the region. Australia's defence minister Richard Marles was due to arrive in Tonga on Monday ahead of the South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting this week, held annually to...

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, hosted New Zealand Minister of Defence Peeni Henare in Geelong Monday for the annual Australia–New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting. Australia and New Zealand have a uniquely close relationship. We are bound together by our history and our home in the Blue Pacific. We share values, a common strategic outlook, and...

The Fijian Elections Office(FEO) announces the appointment of Robin Boyd as Deputy Supervisor of Elections (DSoE) for the 2022 General Election. In announcing the appointment of the new DSoE, the Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem said: “Considering that the election can be announced any time, and since Craig had to return for medical attention, it was imperative that the DSoE...

Flying Fijians Head Coach Vern Cotter has selected his 31-member squad to face Scotland, Ireland, and French Barbarians during their Autumn tour test matches next month. Cotter said the selection was based on the performance of the players during the season for their clubs and during the July international window this year. “We have been watching the Northern Hemisphere players playing...

Dr Robin Mitchell has arrived for the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly here, where he is set to be confirmed as the permanent President of the global body. The Fijian official has led ANOC on an interim basis since 2018 and is the only candidate in the Presidential election to succeed Kuwait's Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who...