PINA

The pro-Taiwan leader of the Pacific islands nation of Tuvalu, Kausea Natano, has lost his seat according to partial election results. The vote is being closely watched by Taiwan, China and the United States, amid speculation the micronation could be poised to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing. Tuvalu, with a population of about 11,200 spread across nine islands, is one of...

Thirteen people charged in relation to the seizure of more than four tons of methamphetamine in Nadi worth more than $2billion (US$1 billion) will be produced at the Nadi Magistrates Court today. The accused persons face charges of unlawful importation of illicit drugs, unlawful possession of illicit drugs, possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime relating to the...

The reinstatement of Fiji's ousted minister for education Aseri Radrodro may take six months, a year or the end of the four-year Coalition Government term, says Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. In an interview with the Fiji Times, Rabuka said there was no time frame as he reiterated that he does not tolerate nor condone such behaviour from Cabinet Ministers in...

The independent senator David Pocock says the Australian government is failing to listen to its “Pacific family” and must stop approving new fossil fuel projects that fuel “an existential threat for those nations”. In a new podcast to be released on Monday, the ACT senator also described the “really sobering” experiencing of entering parliament and “seeing the influence of the...

NZ fisheries Minister Shane Jones' close links to the fishing industry are under scrutiny once again, after New Zealand diplomats made an abrupt about-turn on a deep-sea conservation measure. The inter-government body in charge of regulating high-seas fishing in the South Pacific, SPRFMO, convenes its annual meeting on Monday in Manta, Ecuador. At last year’s gathering, the Cook Islands, backed by...

Te Poutoko is one of seven new research centres at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. Co-directors Sir Collin Tukuitonga, Professor Judith McCool, and Dr Roannie Ng Shiu invited individuals to join the council that could offer guidance around delivering solutions for the Pacific regions most pressing challenges. These include non-communicable diseases (cancer, diabetes etc.) the health impact of...

Argentina won the third event of the HSBC SVNS 2024, beating Australia in Perth (Boorloo) in front of the biggest rugby audience in Western Australia’s capital since the Wallabies drew with the Springboks in the Tri Nations Series in 2017. The sell-out crowd at HBF Park, hosting a SVNS event for the first time, were treated to near-perfect weather conditions...

Tuvalu is gearing up for its national election today. Tuvaluans will cast their votes to fill the 16-member parliament when polls open from 8am till 4.00pm Friday, local time. Elections are held every four years on tiny island nation with a population of over 11,000 people. There are no political parties in Tuvalu, which means that all candidates run as independents, and...

Reports questioning Taiwan-Tuvalu ties are nothing but rumors, Ambassador to Tuvalu Andrew Lin said Thursday, adding that the Pacific Island nation would continue to maintain strong, steady ties with Taiwan after Tuvalu’s elections today. In an article last Friday by the Weekend Australian, Tuvaluan Ambassador to Taiwan Bikenibeu Paeniu was cited as saying that “sources from Tuvalu” said it could...

Papua New Guinea will be hosting Pope Francis in late August. Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands general secretary Father Victor Roche confirmed the Pope's visit with RNZ Pacific on Thursday. Papua New Guinea has approximately two million Catholics - about 20 percent of the nation. The Pope is visiting two cities in PNG over three to four...