PINA

World Rugby has confirmed the withdrawal of Papua New Guinea’s men’s and women’s teams from the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco on 21-23 June. While disappointing for all concerned, the decision was made for reasons including player welfare, due to the teams not securing the necessary travel documentation to meet their pre-tournament arrival deadline. In accordance with the Terms of...

Fijiana XV Head Coach Mosese Rauluni has named his 23-member team to take on Sakura XV in their second match of a two-test series at home. Two significant inclusions have been made into the squad with the return of seasoned forward Ema Adivitaloga and with the debut of Josivini Tuikilakila. Up in the starting line-up, young front rower Loraini Senivutu is...

Fijian Drua wing turn 7s player Selestino Ravutaumada says he is following his heart. Ravutaumada got his first taste of the abbreviated version of the game Tuesday against Australia and was impressive as he added some attacking arsenal to the side. Speaking to the media in Lautoka, the 24 year old said that he loves to play 15s but has always...

By Nic Maclellan In a fast moving and complex situation, both supporters and opponents of independence in New Caledonia are preparing for the outcome of French elections later this month. Islands Business correspondent Nic Maclellan provides this comprehensive, special report on what this means for the conflict in New Caledonia. Within hours of his defeat in recent European Parliament elections, President...

The Permanent representative of Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Jeem Lippwe has deposited his island nation’s instrument of ratification for the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). The instrument...

Preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa are in full swing, with assurances from the Samoa Police Commissioner, Auapa'au Logoitino Filipo, that international officers deployed for the event will not carry firearms. Responding to inquiries, Commissioner Auapa'au emphasised that all participating countries have been informed that their officers will not require arms while in Samoa...

About 200 persons are still to be recovered with 11 bodies retrieved and buried from the 24 May Landslide in Enga’s Mulitaka, according to Enga administrator Sandis Tsaka. Tsaka, who is also the disaster committee coordinator, said the committee was working to restore and rebuild lives of those displaced. Tsaka said that data collection was a challenge due to the remoteness...

Tonga’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tu’ivakano, has signed the Samoa Agreement at the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS)S Secretariat in Brussels, formally presenting the ratification of the new European Union-OACPS Partnership Agreement. On 15 November last year, the EU and its member states signed a comprehensive Partnership Agreement with the members of the...

Fiji's President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere highlighted the concept of Fiji's 'Ocean of Peace' as world leaders seek a peaceful resolution to the war of aggression by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. Speaking at the “Summit on Peace in Ukraine” roundtable on the Human Dimension of the war in Ukraine, President Katonivere highlighted that from Fiji’s perspective, addressing the human dimensions...

Opinion by Sefanaia Nawadra, SPREP DG. Every year on 16 June, we celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty which officially established the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) as an independent intergovernmental organisation, also known as the SPREP Treaty. This year marks 31 years since the Treaty was signed. As we celebrate another SPREP Day, I...