PINA

The Australian Federal Agriculture Minister has taken a swipe at labour-hire companies that leave foreign workers with just $100 (US$74) in weekly wages. David Littleproud said it was not appropriate the workers be left with such little take-home pay after their employer made deductions for things like accommodation, transport and visas. “There is a small cohort in agriculture, as there is...

The solutions to restore the health of the ocean – which provides us with oxygen, food and livelihoods – are out there, and in 100 days they will be in the spotlight in Lisbon, Portugal, at the second UN Oceans Conference. Billions of humans, animals and plants rely on a healthy ocean, but rising carbon emissions are making it more...

Samoa’s total number of active COVID-19 cases has increased to 196 with the government confirming 192 cases in Upolu and four cases in Savai’i. The Government Press Secretariat’s community transmission update, which was distributed to the local media Monday , advised that health authorities have identified 85 new community cases by 2pm Sunday. The new community cases when added to the...

With many neighbouring Pacific island countries getting Covid and the government reducing quarantine time for inbound travelers, the Marshall Islands Ministry of Health and Human Services is revamping its Covid procedures to be ready in case a border case leads to community transmission. By closing its border in early March 2020, the Marshall Islands has remained one of the last...

Rain pelts down as the monthly city markets opens its doors in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Market sellers worry about the weather chasing potential shoppers away but organiser, Sylvia Pascoe is unfazed. She gets onto social media to encourage her thousands of followers to stave off the rainy day blues by coming to the markets for...

Household contacts may be able to work in the future by taking daily Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) prior to going to work, says Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown. Prime Minister Brown said he was finding out from Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health (TMO) if it could work. As well as the RAT before work, he said positive cases in...

New Zealand Minister of Defence Peeni Henare will depart Monday for bilateral visits to Fiji and Australia to meet with counterparts to reaffirm our commitment to regional security in the Pacific and discuss ways to strengthen defence cooperation with partners. While in Fiji, Minister Henare will meet with Minister of Defence Inia Seruiratu, in the first face-to-face meeting of this...

The solutions to restore the health of the ocean – which provides us with oxygen, food and livelihoods – are out there, and in 100 days they will be in the spotlight in Lisbon, Portugal, at the second UN Oceans Conference. Billions of humans, animals and plants rely on a healthy ocean, but rising carbon emissions are making it more...

Netball Australia will host the first PacificAus Sports Netball Series in Sydney this month to consolidate international netball relationships. Their ambition is to provide the highest level of competition for the national teams of Netball Australia’s PacificAus Sports partners, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. Singapore has been invited to participate in the series as part of Netball Australia's...

Vanuatu have pulled out of Oceania's qualification tournament for the World Cup finals in Qatar due to a majority of their players and staff testing positive for Covid-19, the country's football federation (VFF) said. In addition, the Cooks Islands' second game has been postponed due to covid positive cases in their squad. Vanuatu's first match of the tournament against Tahiti was...