PINA

The Fijian Drua, Super Rugby Pacific’s newest club, have unveiled another six additions to their roster for the 2022 competition. New additions include promising former Fijian and New Zealand age-group prop and rising Northland (NPC) star Kaliopasi Uluilakepa, former NRC Drua centre Apisalome Vota, 2016 Rio Olympics Fiji 7s gold medallist Kitione Taliga, Fiji U20 lock Isoa Nasilasila, Nadroga flanker...

Palau now accepts travelers who have been vaccinated with Taiwan-made COVID-19 vaccine Medigen in addition to those already approved by US FDA and WHO. The Taiwan homegrown vaccine was given an emergency use authorization by Taiwan regulators in mid-July and rolled out on August 23rd. Palau’s Ministry of Health and Human Service Directive 32-21 states for travelers, “Vaccine received must be...

The UN World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday unveiled an US$8 billion pathway out of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a bid to make vaccines accessible to everyone, everywhere. The Global COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy aims to inoculate 40 percent of people in all countries by the end of the year, and 70 percent by the middle of 2022. WHO had previously pressed...

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board has approved 13 new projects for mitigation and adaptation action, allocating USD 1.2 billion in GCF resources for climate action – a record amount for a single Board meeting. The new projects bring the total size of the GCF portfolio to USD$ 10 billion, representing USD$ 37.2 billion in assets, including co-financing. Recognising the...

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, the President of the Marshall Islands David Kabua and the Prime Minister of Samoa Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa exchanged views with the European Union executive Vice-President in a virtual public conference. Representatives from the governments of Timor-Leste, Papua-New Guinea and Bhutan also contributed to the discussion. The aim of the conference between the EU and Indo-Pacific states...

Covid’s Delta strain is overwhelming Papua New Guinea’s fragile health system, forcing the closure of Port Moresby’s only public ­hospital to non-critical care and sparking emergency oxygen deliveries to the remote highlands. Port Moresby General Hospital – where only 10 per cent of nurses are vaccinated – issued a bulletin this week announcing a “scaling down of services”, including the...

Fiji has recorded 58 new cases of COVID-19 and two new deaths Thursday increasing the total number of cases to 51,316 and 647 deaths since the outbreak in April. Permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said there have been 24 new recoveries to report since the last update, which means that there are now 2,895 active cases. “There have been...

Cook Islands deputy Prime Minister Robert Tapaitau has been revealed as the government member facing conspiracy to defraud charge. Prime Minister Mark Brown has been advised that Cook Islands Police has concluded their investigation into allegations concerning the former Secretary of Infrastructure Cook Islands and the former Director of the National Environment Service. Deputy Prime Minister Robert Tapaitau advised the Prime...

The Pacific’s collective voice, calling on world leaders to urgently implement the Paris Agreement, will have new-found mana at the UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow, with the announcement of five Political Climate Change Champions. The champions, who will advocate for Pacific priorities and influence decision-making in calling for urgent climate action now, were announced during a High Level virtual launch event. They...

A new President of the Republic of Fiji will be appointed on Friday, 22 October 2021. This was confirmed in an advisory by Civic Education & Media Unit of the Parliament of Fiji that the Business Committee in its meeting Wednesday, 06 October, 2021, unanimously agreed for Parliament to reassemble at 10am to appoint the new President. The advisory further reads...