PINA

The Mascot for the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands has been revealed. The winning design was officially unveiled on Thursday 12th May, 2022 after the Sol2023 Games Organizing Committee (GOC) Board endorsed the winning entry after an expert panel of judges selected the winner from a total of over 19 entries received from local artists in the country. The...

Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika will put pride on the line and are promising a “cultural experience” when Super Rugby breaks new ground on Saturday with the first clash of two Pacific island sides. The powerful islanders, with their flair and unorthodox style, have always been an integral part of teams in the southern hemisphere club championship. But this year for...

Stanley Tepend is the newly appointed PNG Kumuls head coach. Assisting him as a coaching mentor will be former NRL Sharks head coach and current St George Illawarra Dragons pathway coach Shane Flanagan. PNG RFL CEO Stanley Hondina says both coaches have met all the coaching requirements and both will mentor the team (PNG Kumuls) for the 25 June mid-season Test...

A police crackdown in Vanuatu that has seen people arrested for allegedly posting comments on social media speculating politicians were responsible for the country’s current Covid outbreak has raised serious concerns about freedom of speech in the Pacific country. At least four people from two separate islands have been arrested as part of a major investigation by Vanuatu’s Serious Crime...

Papua New Guinea will witness 6.2 million voters taking the polling booths from Saturday, 09 July. Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai said the updated Common Roll ready and would be available at all Electoral Commission offices across the country. “While we would like to see the Common Roll to be available online, due to the time constraints all voters can check their...

Removing derelict vessels from Fiji’s three main ports at Suva, Lautoka and Levuka will cost FJD$59 million (US$26.7 million), according to Minister of Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. Responding to a question from the Opposition, Sayed-Khaiyum said, “A lot of these ships have local owners and they have sort of sunk them and disappeared. So these companies do not even exist.” There are...

The latest report from the world’s most authoritative source of climate science demands a substantial global reduction in fossil fuel use, improved energy efficiency, and use of alternative fuels, to limit global warming. The message reverberated during a webinar where Pacific countries and partners delved into the main findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III...

Papua New Guinea deputy Prime Minister and Member for Bulolo Open, Samuel Basil has passed away from a freak car accident at Wau-Bulolo Highway Wednesday night. This was confirmed by the Police Commissioner David Manning. “It is confirmed that Samuel Basil the Deputy Prime Minister, and parliamentary member for Bulolo has succumbed to injuries he sustained in a vehicle collision along...

Beijing’s growing co-operation with the South Pacific is not a threat to Australia’s security, China’s local ambassador says, amid regional alarm a security pact with the Solomon Islands could pave the way for a military base. In a further conciliatory sign from Ambassador Xiao Qian, he said common interests between Australia and China should outweigh differences that had fractured diplomatic...

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister says she wouldn't be surprised by reports her Chinese counterpart is planning a formal trip to the Solomon Islands and has expressed her own interest in travelling the Pacific. Australian media are reporting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi could travel to the Solomons as early as next week, less than a month after China said...