PINA

The third Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) will be held in Papua New Guinea on 22 May – but the full membership of the Pacific Islands Forum has not been invited. New Caledonia and French Polynesia have been full Forum members since 2016. However both French Pacific dependencies have not been invited to the regional summit in the PNG...

Fiji’s Speaker of Parliament Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu says that the 24 Members of the FijiFirst Party (In Suspension) will not be part of Parliament proceeding or its Committees as long as they remained suspended. In a statement released Thursday, the Office of the Speaker of Parliament said his office has received correspondence from the Acting Registrar of Political Parties, informing...

Six Pacific countries are at a high risk of debt distress in part due to government spending to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, the World Bank said in a report on Thursday. The report, titled Raising Pasifika, said fiscal consolidation was needed in Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu because...

The efficient functioning of the maritime industry is critical to human livelihoods in a country like Fiji. Some within the sector like to use the phrase ‘no shipping, no shopping’, with almost 95 percent of goods entering the country coming via its seaports. The country’s reliance on the industry was never more evident than during the COVID-19 period, when the...

Of the 16 teams set to compete at the HSBC London Sevens this weekend, four know this could be their last experience of life at the top table for at least 12 months. Following 10 intense tournaments, Canada, Kenya and Uruguay have got one final chance to secure their place on the 12-team line-up for the new-look men’s HSBC World...

Fijian Drua Head Coach Mick Byrne has named his squad for the round 13 crunch match against NSW Waratahs this Saturday, in what will be the side’s final away game in the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific. The major highlight is the first ever inclusion of Flying Fijians prop Mesake Doge in the matchday 23 for the Drua. Doge returns to competitive...

Five teams will compete for the inaugural OFC Women's Champions League title in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (1-10 June) The withdrawal of New Zealand representative Eastern Suburbs AFC has seen the format change from two pools of three teams to a round robin. The five competing teams are Hekari United FC, Labasa Women FC, Kiwi FC, Koloale FC and AS...

The 2023 Pacific Games Organising Committee (GOC) in Solomon Islands has announced that the Media Accreditation process for the Sol2023 Pacific Games is now open. GOC invites all media (organisations and individuals) seeking accreditation to email Media@sol2023.com.sb for access to the online registration process. Media personnel travelling with Government representatives, Pacific Games Authorities, National and International Sports Federations will also need to...

Global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fuelled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Niño weather pattern, according to a new update issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Wednesday. There is a 66 percent likelihood that the annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027, will be...

Two Pacific nations considered by Washington as crucial in its competition with China for influence in the region have agreed 20-year extensions of funding arrangements as part of security and defence treaties. The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) signed off on a nearly-final Compact of Free Association on Monday with U.S Presidential Envoy Joseph Yun, followed by Palau on Wednesday. Both...