PINA

More than 100 passengers - including elderly and young children - were forced to sit and sleep on the ground of a cold corridor at Auckland International Airport after being refused entry to a departure lounge with seats just metres away. Those affected had just arrived on a flight from Samoa in the early hours of Sunday morning, which touched...

Solomon Islands says consultation between Pacific nations could be improved, ahead of a foreign affairs bilateral meeting in New Zealand. The Solomons' Foreign Affairs Minister Jeremiah Manele will sit down with his Aotearoa counterpart Nanaia Mahuta in Wellington today. Pacific Security expert Anna Powles said Mahuta would be looking to solidify bilateral relations between the two nations after intense geopolitical scrutiny...

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, has had a very productive engagement at the U.S President Joe Biden Summit with Pacific Island Leaders last week in Washington DC. “Day one begun with a working lunch for all Pacific Island Leaders hosted by the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken. The lunch was followed by a leaders meeting discussing opportunities to enhance...

The Solomon Islands may not shed its least-developed country status by the 2024 target after suffering economic setbacks, Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele said Monday. More than 40 countries are classified by the UN as least developed due to having income per head as low as US$1,000 and problems such as high infant mortality and chronic economic vulnerability. “Our economic growth is...

-Australian deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, has visited Nauru on his way from Hawaii where he had met with Japan’s defence minister and the U.S defence secretary. Marles, who is also defence minister, said he had met with Nauru’s newly elected president, Russ Kun. “President Kun and I discussed emerging priorities, challenges, and our common goals for a stable, sovereign, and...

Fiji Kava (FIJ) has executed an agreement to acquire ready-to-drink kava brand Leilo in the United States. The company will acquire 100 percent of Leilo stock in a share swap transaction, which will give it access to Leilo’s more than 700 doors of retail distribution in North America and Amazon.com. FIJ said the purchase will further its foothold as the global...

By Kate Clayton Henrietta McNeill Last week, immediately following the conclusion of the U.S-Pacific Summit, Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretary General Henry Puna tweeted a photo of himself and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama wearing Aviator style sunglasses. Puna captioned the image, “A strong commitment is forged. In honour of this historic inaugural US-Pacific Summit, we decided to wear...

Titans forward David Fifita is expected to pull on a Tonga jersey for the first time in next weekend's World Cup warm-up match against France after arriving in England with the Pacific nation's squad. Fifita is one of 21 NRL stars in the 24-man Mate Ma'a Tonga squad, which includes NSW Origin representatives Daniel Tupou and Siosifa Talakai, as well...

-Prolific South Sydney try scorer Alex Johnston and Melbourne backs Justin Olam and Xavier Coates headline an experienced Papua New Guinea squad for upcoming World Cup. Johnston, the back-to-back Ken Irvine Medallist as the NRL's leading tryscorer, and Olam and Coates will be joined by a host of familiar faces, including Rhyse Martin, Lachlan Lam, Nene Macdonald, Watson Boas and...

The 12 competing teams, match officials and the global rugby family were officially welcomed to Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand on Monday in a ceremony hosted at SkyCity Theatre in Auckland. Dame Cindy Kiro, Governor-General of New Zealand, officially welcomed the tournament participants to Auckland, with just five days to go until the long awaited and highly anticipated...