PINA

Ball retention will be crucial for the Fijian Drua as it prepares for its Super Rugby Pacific round two clash against the Brumbies this weekend. Head Coach, Mick Byrne said this was the team’s main weakness last Friday and it is something they need to improve on before facing an experienced Brumbies side. He said the last 20 minutes of the...

PNG Hunters will take to the field for a historic pre-season clash when they face Fiji Kava Kaiviti Silktails this Saturday in the PacificAus Sports Melanesian Bowl. Runaway Bay’s Bycroft Oval will celebrate Melanesian and Indigenous culture, with the game to also provide an opportunity for the rugby league community to raise funds and awareness for Tonga Recovery Appeal. PacificAus Sports...

Australia will print, and pay K10 million (US$2.8 million) for the 12 million ballot papers to be used in the 2022 general election, according to Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai. In addition, India will provide, and pay K5 million (US$1.4 million) for the indelible ink used during polling, he said. Sinai told The National that Australia was supporting the Electoral Commission by...

The New Zealand government has announced $140 million (US$93 million) worth of targeted funding for health providers to support Māori and Pacific communities as they continue to face the impact of the current Omicron outbreak. This is in addition to the Care in the Community boost the Government announced last week to help all families who need to self-isolate as...

Solomon Islands has announced the country’s international borders will open by 01 July 2022. This is for those coming in and leaving the country. “We will make sure that we no longer have as much restrictions as we currently have,” said Secretary to the Prime Minister and Vice-Chairman of Oversight Committee Dr Jimmie Rodgers during an Oversight Committee talk-back show. However, he...

Health teams worldwide need much safer working conditions to combat the “dangerous neglect” they have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN health and labour agencies said on Monday. Approximately 115,500 health workers died from COVID-19 in the first 18 months of the pandemic, linked to a “systemic lack of safeguards”, they noted. In a joint call for action from the...

While all eyes are on the COVID-19 crisis, one of the world's deadliest diseases continues to haunt the Pacific. Tuberculosis, or TB, is a highly-contagious airborne bacterial infection that attacks the lungs. It killed 1.5 million people last year - more than any other infectious disease except for COVID-19 and has been called a ‘silent’ or ‘hidden’ epidemic. Dr Hemant Bogati...

The Fijian Elections Office has completed its operational plan for the Writ period, laying out how the entire process will be run. The plan covers a 50-day period from the day that the Writ of Election is issued by the President, to when the Writ is returned with all the election results. Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem said the plan will...

Coordinator of the Papuan Observatory for Human Rights (POHR) Thomas Syufi said Indonesia’s apathy towards human rights, economic, socio-cultural, environmental, educational, and health issues in Papua had made the international community increasingly suspicious of the Indonesian government over the deteriorating human rights situation in Papua and West Papua provinces. “The United Nation Human Rights Council has repeatedly asked the Indonesian...

Fiji's Ministry of Health has recorded two more COVID-19 deaths and 26 new cases. Since the last update, Fiji has recorded 26 new cases of which 11 new cases were recorded last Saturday, 19 February, three new cases were recorded on Sunday, 20 February 20 and 12 new cases Monday. Of the 26 cases recorded, 13 cases were in the Central...