PINA

Moana Pasifika have claimed their maiden Australian scalp with a shock 32-22 Super Rugby Pacific win over the Brumbies in Auckland. The competition newcomers and cellar dwellers overcame the early dismissal of inspirational captain Sekope Kepu to power to just their second win of the season at Mt Smart Stadium. The deflating defeat, following the Chiefs' 35-34 win over Fijian Drua...

The Chiefs have clung to a rapidly diminishing lead to beat the Fijian Drua 35-24 in a thrilling match which allowed them to clinch a home quarter-final in Super Rugby Pacific. The last match of the Drua's inaugural season in Super Rugby was played in front of a packed house at Churchill Park in Lautoka, Fiji's second city. Every inch...

Fiji will join the U.S-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework just days before China’s foreign minister lands in the country, giving the Biden administration a victory in its competition with Beijing over influence in the Pacific. Jake Sullivan, U.S national security adviser, welcomed the move by Fiji to become the first Pacific Island nation and 14th member of IPEF, a trade initiative...

New Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is lobbying Pacific Island nations not to sign up to a sweeping multilateral security, economic and cyber pact with China, warning regional disunity threatened stability and prosperity, Delivering her first major speech during a trip to Fiji just days after being sworn in, Senator Wong pledged the new government would listen to the needs...

New Zealand and its allies have failed to listen to “alarm bells” about China’s growing influence, and allowed a “vacuum” to develop in the Pacific, New Zealand’s former foreign minister Winston Peters has said. His comments come amid news that China hopes 10 Pacific countries will sign a wide-ranging draft deal covering security, trade and investment. The agreement would dramatically...

Fiji's Court of Appeal has dismissed Millemarin Investment Limited’s appeal to stop U.S authorities from seizing the Russian superyacht the Amadea. The vessel was taken into custody by local law enforcement when in berthed at the Lautoka Wharf last month. The Appeal Court has ruled that the decision made by the High Court is affirmed and the Amadea is to be...

Australia has announced that they will allow seasonal workers to bring their families with them to Australia and create a new pathway to 3,000 members of the Pacific family getting resident permanency per year. In a major announcement, new Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaking in Suva Thursday at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat stated that for generations Pacific islanders...

Papua New Guinea has recorded a preliminary total of 2,351 candidates at close of nomination Thursday for the 2022 National General Election, Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai announced. Out of these 2351 candidates recorded nationwide, 86 of them are women, the highest recorded in Morobe Province with a total of 14. Sinai announced at close of nomination in Port Moresby that there...

The State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, will visit Fiji from Saturday 28 May to Tuesday 31 May. This will be State Councillor Wang’s second visit to Fiji, the first was in 2018. During his official visit to Fiji and the region this week, State Councillor Wang will be accompanied by a...

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has warned Pacific leaders a region-wide security and trade deal with Beijing could sacrifice their independence, lead to unsustainable debt levels and endanger the region. Wong spoke in Suva after new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese blamed the former Coalition government for China’s rising influence in the Pacific, arguing Australia had “dropped the ball” by neglecting...