PINA

Fiji and Indonesia convened a bilateral meeting to deepen cooperation for accelerated economic recovery through the global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis. A meeting was held between Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi, as she visits the country this week. Prime Minister Bainimarama welcomed Minister Marsudi to...

By Sanjeshni Kumar In seven to eight years, the Pacific will no longer be able to rely on the ocean for food security or as a source of livelihood as it does today because of plastic pollution. Experts say that by 2030, up to 53 million metric tonnes of plastic pollution will annually affect the livelihoods of approximately 25,000 Pacific islands...

-All 40 international team captains lined up in front of majestic Table Mountain in Cape Town on Wednesday as excitement reaches fever pitch ahead of the highly anticipated Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022, which takes place from 9-11 September at Cape Town Stadium. With an anticipated record-breaking crowd of more than 150,000 fans set to create an unforgettable atmosphere in...

Former rugby international and sports broadcaster Willie Los'e has died at the age of 55. Los'e - who died in South Africa where he was due to commentate the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament - played for the New Zealand under-21 side and later captained Tonga at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, playing all three pool games. In a statement, his...

Some Pacific Island nations are bristling at the label “Indo-Pacific,” a term that is increasingly being used by larger powers – including New Zealand – but which, they say, reduces them to a security bloc rather than a grouping of countries with different views and needs. From Australia to Japan and New Zealand to the United States, the term “Indo-Pacific”...

New Zealand will invest $30 million (US$18 million) over five years to improve access to contraceptives and reproductive health services in the Pacific, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced. The funding will help address adolescent pregnancy rates, maternal mortality, and sexual and gender-based violence, she said during her four-day visit to Papua New Guinea. “Aotearoa New Zealand already works closely...

French Polynesia has voted a draft opinion for a temporary ban on seabed mining projects. The territory's Council for the Economy, Social, Environment and Culture had 43 members vote for the proposal, while two abstained. The council acts as a consultant in advising and recommending during the enacting of legislation's from the French Polynesian government. This is after the president of the...

Solomon Islands Opposition leader Matthew Wale has questioned the Prime Minister as to why he is rushing the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2022 to extend Parliament and for whose interest. The Prime Minister announced in Parliament last week that the Bill would not go through the Bills and Legislations Committee (BLC) and expected to be debated and voted in Parliamentary tomorrow. But...

Australia’s reinvigorated Pacific presence has taken another step forward, with the Navy activating a specialist deep-water relief and logistics vessel for deployment to the region ahead of the annual cyclone season. Australian Defence Vessel Reliant, a 102-metre-long ship with a large cargo deck, crane and helipad, is being sent into the region for up to 300 days in anticipation of...

-Tonga Police responded to a shooting incident at a residence at Ha‘ateiho that claimed the life of a seven-year-old boy last Friday. The seven-year-old male deceased was playing with his 4-year-old brother in their family vehicle where they had found a .22 rifle. When the 4-year-old got hold of the gun, he fired four shots at his seven-year-old brother, which...