PINA

Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has tested positive for COVID19 and will be home isolated with members of his immediate family for the mandatory health order period. Prime Minister Sovaleni will continue to conduct his duties and responsibilities through technologies, a measure that he has been actively promoting in preparation for, and since the onset of, community transmission of COVID19...

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has received the first of two Guardian-class Patrol Boats, delivered through the Pacific Maritime Security Programme, at a handover ceremony Friday in Henderson, Western Australia. President of the Federated States of Micronesia, President David Panuelo and Assistant Minister for Defence, Andrew Hastie welcomed the handover which speaks to the closeness of the relationship, shared...

Regulations in the Cook Islands are softening, with Prime Minister Mark Brown announcing major changes surrounding travel to the nation. The changes are in response to New Zealand's adjustments to the increasing Omicron infection rate. Rapid Antigen Tests will now be used instead of PCR tests for travellers coming from New Zealand to the Cook Islands. A negative Covid-19 test under supervision...

  By Rosie Julin United Nations member states have tried for years to reach a global agreement that would protect marine life on the high seas—those parts of the world’s oceans that fall beyond the jurisdiction of any individual country. The endeavor is seen as hugely important for protecting the world’s biodiversity and limiting the impact of climate change. While existing...

The Fijiana Drua have backed up their Super W debut with another impressive win, overcoming the Queensland Reds 27-12 at Suncorp Stadium. The newcomers thumped Melbourne last weekend but knew they faced a stiffer task on Saturday when the Reds controlled the early stages and scored first through Ivania Wong. The Drua had just 20 percent of possession in the first...

-The Queensland Reds have avoided one of the great Super Rugby boilovers, surviving an incredible Fijian Drua comeback to win 33-28. The Reds led 28-9 with 18 minutes to play after scoring their fourth unanswered try, before three runaway five-pointers against a tiring defence turned Saturday's game on its head. Five eighth Teti Tela had a chance to put the newcomers...

The Government of the Solomon Islands said it is confident that it can deliver the 2023 Pacific Games on time, despite the challenges that have came due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes after presentations to the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and the Caucus last Wednesday (09 March) by the National Hosting Authority (NHA). The Games Organising Committee, the...

The findings of the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) point to a “bleak future” for the Pacific, where people who have the least to contribute to the causes of climate change, live in fear of “catastrophic and extreme weather events.” Samoa’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, offered the reflection when he...

The Indo-Pacific region remains the priority theatre for the Defense Department, and China remains the pacing challenge for the U.S military, Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific Affairs, said. The United States is a Pacific power and works with allies and partners throughout the Indo-Pacific to uphold the free and open regional order, he told the House Armed...

There's been a rush to vaccination centres in Vanuatu with the whole country now in lockdown as Covid-19 spreads from the main island. Up until this week it had managed to keep the virus out of the country with strict border controls over the past two years. The outbreak started late last week with a hotel quarantine breach, the health...