PINA

A smaller eruption in Tonga’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcano may have primed it for the massive explosion that happened in January this year, revealed a new study. The smaller eruption may have sunk the volcano’s main vent under the surface of the ocean, priming it for the massive explosion a day later, triggering a tsunami and sending plumes of...

The Solomon Islands on Thursday said it had inked a wide-ranging security pact with Beijing, an agreement Western allies fear will pave the way for the first Chinese military foothold in the South Pacific. “Officials of Solomon Islands and the People's Republic of China have initialled elements of a bilateral Security Cooperation Framework between the two countries today," said a...

One of the ADF's most senior officers has warned that if China manages to station warships in Solomon Islands it would “change the calculus” for Australia's military, forcing a change to Defence operations. Concern is growing that Honiara and Beijing will soon sign a new security pact allowing Chinese personnel and equipment to be stationed in the Pacific nation, which...

Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape and Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo discussed ways to further deepen the bilateral trade ties during the former’s visit to Indonesia on Thursday. Both countries set their sights on increasing the current bilateral trade volume, which managed to book a strong growth despite the pandemic. According to Jokowi, Indonesia-Papua New Guinea (PNG) trade...

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday urged private investors businesses, cities, states and regions, to do more to cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Guterres’s comments came as he unveiled a plan to develop stronger standards for “net-zero” pledges by partners below the national government level, in the fight against climate change. “Despite growing pledges of climate action, global emissions are at...

ANZ has announced it would strengthen its focus on building a world-class digital bank in its core Pacific markets (excluding PNG) of Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Kiribati, as well as Timor-Leste, following a decision to exit U.S community banking in American Samoa and Guam. ANZ Regional Executive Pacific, Tessa Price, said: “In our core Pacific...

The danger is geopolitical competition being appropriated by local actors on both sides of local political tensions. By Tarcisius Kabutaulaka News of an impending security agreement between Solomon Islands and China has alarmed Western nations concerned about China’s assertive influence in the region. But the reaction has underscored the risk that geopolitical competition itself could undermine the sovereignty of Pacific...

The Fijian Drua have had two setbacks ahead of Friday’s Super Rugby Pacific match against the Waratahs, with flooding forcing them to evacuate their Australian training base and then head coach Mick Byrne testing positive for Covid-19. The Drua had to shift this week from Lennox Head in northern New South Wales state to the Gold Coast for the seventh...

Drua winger Vinaya Habosi defied doctors’ orders and a blood infection that nearly killed him to become one of the breakout stars of Super Rugby Pacific. At just 22, Habosi’s speed and tough playing style has him topping the competition for defenders beaten, and in the top four for clean breaks and carry metres. He’s scored two tries for the...

Moana Pasifika have named their team to play the rematch against the Blues on Saturday. Round 7 of DHL Super Rugby Pacific sees the two Auckland-based teams play each other twice in the space of four days. With the short turnaround, Head Coach Aaron Mauger has named a very different side to the team who went down on Tuesday 32-19. Sekope...