PINA

The Fijian Drua are adamant they can improve their set pieces for the remainder of the Super Rugby Pacific season. Coach Mick Byrne said he is happy with how the players handled the set pieces, particularly the scrums in the 20-10 win over the Crusaders last week at Churchill Park. “Every week brings its own challenges and subtleties around the set...

Just three matches into their existence, Penina Pasifika is fast becoming one of rugby’s great success stories. Supported by the Australian Government’s PacificAus Sports programme, Penina Pasifika has sprouted from the seed of an idea into full bloom. Little was known about the side comprised of amateur players from Tonga and Samoa when they travelled to Ballymore last month for the...

A three-day technical workshop is underway in Apia, Samoa from 11 - 13 March in preparation for the Fourth International Conference on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS4). The conference is scheduled to take place in Antigua and Barbuda from 27 - 30 May, 2024, with the overarching theme of ‘Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity’. The Chief Executive Officer of Samoa’s...

Climate disasters and gender violence are amongst the biggest threats causing poverty in the Pacific, and worsening gender inequality, says the Pacific Islands Forum. In a PIF statement at CSW 68 in New York today, Tonga's Minister for Internal Affairs Lord Vaea noted while the region has made some progress on gender equality, more needs to be done. He pointed to...

The UN Secretary-General on Monday highlighted the urgent need to defend women's rights which are under threat, citing a reversal in hard-won progress, increasing violence against women and a growing digital gender divide. Addressing the opening of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the pivotal forum dedicated to promoting and safeguarding the rights of women and girls worldwide,...

East Sepik Governor and alternative Prime Minister Allan Bird says he is not desperate to become Papua New Guinea prime minister. “But someone needs to step up and seriously address the issues which are destroying our country. Those problems will not fix themselves. “Since my nomination, I have been advised by a Deputy Police Commissioner that my life is under threat...

The renewal of close U.S ties with Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands will contribute to greater regional security, island leaders said after President Joe Biden signed a government funding bill into law that included US$7.1 billion for the three Pacific allies. Biden’s signature on Saturday following the passage of the US$460 billion bill through Congress last week averted a...

Fiji's Ministry of Health has recorded 415 new cases of HIV Aids, from January to December, for the year 2023. This is compared to 245 cases reported for the same period in 2022. This was highlighted by the Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Atonio Lalabalavu, while responding to the President’s Speech at the Opening of Parliament, last Monday. Dr Lalabalavu...

Tongan Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni has met King Tupou VI in Niuafo'ou as the two sides worked on ironing out differences that had surfaced in early February. While there has been no official update from either the Prime Minister's Office or the Royal Palace Office in Nuku'alofa, RNZ Pacific has confirmed that the meeting took place last Wednesday. Accompanying Hu'akavameiliku...

The Australian government has committed AUD$20 million (K50 million) towards the Climate FIRST program which will assist PNG to access climate change funding of US$400 million (K1.5 billion) by 2028. The Climate Finance Initiative for Resilience and a Sustainable Transition programme launched Monday falls under the PNG-Australia partnership and will see the endorsement of climate finance proposals towards securing funding...