PINA

The Oceania Rugby Championship has kicked off with the hosts Papua New Guinea defeating Vanuatu 39-13 at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby. It was 19-13 to the Pukpuks at half-time before they pulled away to record a comprehensive victory. The tournament is back for the first time since 2019 due to Covid-19 and will also feature Solomon Islands. PNG...

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) today took delivery of 60 riffles to add to its armoury as the force with the support of Australia has now upped its capability. The 60 Daniel’s Defense MKN were amongst the weapons delivered to the RSIPF under the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Policing Partnership Programme (RAPPP) at Rove headquarters. They also included...

From wave power to coast-protecting mangroves, ocean investments can have a big payoff By Frank Bainimarama Prime Minister of Fiji and a member of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Five years ago, as President of COP23, I called for a global coalition to address the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced: climate change. In the years since, world...

American Samoa Marine and Wildlife Department director, Taotasi Archie Soliai is speaking out about the importance high seas fishing rights for U.S flagged purse seiners that are based in American Samoa and voiced his concerns that reduction of high-seas fishing days will hurt the local economy. Taotasi offered the comments during last week’s two-day meeting in Honolulu of the Permanent...

The appointment of Kiribati's Attorney General Tetiro Semilota as the acting Chief Justice has been called a questionable act by the country's first president, Sir Ieremia Tabai. A current opposition MP, Ieremia said the government has appointed from within its own ranks and picking Semilota as Chief Justice should not have happened. He said Semilota has been compromised by being a...

Fears over democratic decline have intensified in Kiribati after the appointment of the country's attorney-general to the position of acting chief justice. Tetiro Semilota has previously been held in contempt of court and was the Kiribati government's chief legal adviser when it controversially suspended five of the country's senior judges earlier this year. She is expected to be formally welcomed to...

Prime Minister Mark Brown is heading up a Cook Islands delegation to Egypt this week, where leaders from around the world will be gathering for the 27th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). Running from November 6-18 and overseen by Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, COP27 is expected to be attended by more than 90 heads of...

Marshall Islands officials say they are ready to resume talks with the United States this week on renewing a long-standing economic and security deal, provided Washington addresses grievances stemming from the testing of nuclear weapons on the Pacific archipelago more than 70 years ago. The United States detonated 67 nuclear bombs in the Marshall Islands between 1946-58, and the health...

As Fiji enters the 2022/2023 tropical cyclone season, Fiji’s Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem says they have an alternative plan should adverse weather disrupt polling. Fiji Met projects that two to three cyclones are likely to affect Fiji in the November 2022-April 2023 TC window, with two, at the most, expected to be severe, reaching category three or higher. The...

New Zealand Immigration officials are accused of taking a biased approach against Pacific people. 1News can reveal exclusive figures showing Pasifika make up half of all rejected visa applications. The Government is adamant that it's not the case. "Immigration officers will assess individual applications and then make calls based on the evidence in front of them," Immigration Minister Michael Wood said. According to...