PINA

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...

Tongan business experts say up to 50 per cent of the country’s tourism and hospitality sector might not return after the recent volcano eruption, tsunami and Covid-19 lockdown. At least 35 tourism and hospitality businesses were either partially or totally destroyed by the tsunami and eruption on 15 January, according to Tourism Tonga. This included a number of businesses in the...

The Tongatapu end of the Tonga Cable was being spliced this afternoon, and service is expected to come online by late Tuesday, 38 days after a large section was blown to bits by a volcanic eruption on 15 January. “We need another 24 hours to connect the Tonga end,” James Panuve, CEO of Tonga Cable Ltd said. The cable ship Reliance...

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have launched a project to improve the diet of school-aged children, with support from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). In many countries, school meals represent a significant portion of children's daily diets, and it is vital that these directly contribute...

Moana Pasifika’s Round 2 DHL Super Rugby Pacific match against the Gallagher Chiefs has been postponed due to player welfare concerns New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced. The first cohort of Moana Pasifika players and staff emerged from their Queenstown hotel Monday after nearly 10 days of isolation following positive COVID-19 cases in the group. The DHL Super Rugby Pacific Medical...

The Fijian Drua made history by becoming the first all Pacific team to take part in the elite Super Rugby Pacific competition last weekend. Despite losing 40-10 to the New South Wales Waratahs, the Drua’s appearance in Paramatta was decades in the making. Fiji Broadcasting Corporation’s News Editor Indra Singh said it was a dream come true for a Fijian team...

Nineteen journalists from Papua New Guinea’s leading television media company, EMTV, have been suspended following a walk-off protest by staff. The staff walked off the job last week in support of their head of news and current affairs, Sincha Dimara, who was suspended earlier in February for “insubordination” which according to reports consisted of running stories about the arrest of...

The Controller of the National Pandemic Response David Manning has clarified that Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape was cleared to return to work since Wednesday, 16 February. He said Marape was cleared after he completed 14-day isolation and seven days of being asymptomatic. “After the review of the PM’s result in conjunction with the national clinical and isolation guideline,...

Chinese investment, workers and diplomatic tentacles are surging across the Pacific region. The United States and its friends – including New Zealand – are rushing to keep that growth in check. National Correspondent Lucy Cramer explains the players and their tactics in the first of a new five-part series, Pawns of the Pacific. When Digicel, a telecommunications company that operates in...

By National Correspondent Lucy Craymer Small Pacific nations are accruing ever greater amounts of debt to China. The U.S and its friends – including New Zealand – are anxious about what might happen if it can’t be repaid. Drive from the airport to Nuku'alofa, Tonga and on the side of the road, you’ll see a ‘China Aid’ sign erected outside a...