PINA

Moana Pasifika have been dealt a tough introduction to Super Rugby Pacific life after being beaten 61-7 by the Chiefs in their first pre-season clash of the year at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland Friday night. It was just their second-ever fixture after their one-off defeat to the Maori All Blacks in December 2020. Lotu Inisi scored Moana's only try which...

Tuvalu's Foreign Minister Simon Kofe has been nominated for the Nobel peace prize. Kofe made headlines at last year's COP 26 summit, when he gave a speech while standing knee-deep in the ocean to highlight rising sea levels due to climate change. He was nominated by Norwegian politician Guri Melby, who announced it in a twitter post. The Foreign Minister told the...

Vanuatu's Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced that the quarantine duration will be reduced to 10 days, as part of some revisions to border entry requirement. This has now been changed back to the World Health Organisation’s recommended 14-day period. Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Chairman of the Health Emergency Advisory Committee, Henry Vira, confirmed the...

Tonga’s health minister Dr Saia Piukala says people should learn to live with Covid-19 in the community as the first of the latest cases is deemed recovered. Tonga recorded its first community cases on Tuesday after two frontline workers at the wharf tested positive for the virus. Three more people, including two children, tested positive on Wednesday – all of them...

Investigations are being conducted into the source of a Covid-19 outbreak in Tonga, according to the prime minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni. The virus is suspected to have been transmitted from one of a number of merchant ships that had delivered aid to Tonga over the last two weeks. Tonga went into lockodown at 6pm on Wednesday after two port workers tested...

There are a total of 190 positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Solomon Islands Thursday. The Minister of Health and Medical services Dr Culwick Togamana gave the updated figure during his daily situation report on the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. He said of the 190 positive cases, 167 cases are in Honiara, with Makira province registering its first two positive case,...

Papua New Guinea Deputy Prime Minister and Member for Bulolo Sam Basil has been appointed as Acting Prime Minister for the next 14 days. Prime Minister James Marape made the announcement before departing for China Thursday. Marape is accompanied by Commerce Minister William Sam, Petroleum Minister Kerenga Kua and Fisheries Minister Dr Lino Tom and other relevant government officials. Prime Minister James...

By Catherine Wilson Corruption continues to have a crippling effect on the lives of many people in southwest Pacific Island countries, exacerbating hardship and inequality and eroding human and national development. Islanders speak of the mismanagement of public funds and assets by political elites at the national level, but also by organisations and individuals in communities, the loss of resource...

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is deeply concerned about the impact of the Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano eruption, and tsunami, on the people of the Kingdom of Tonga. In response, the Director General, Kosi Latu, has assured that SPREP is standing by and ready to work with the Government of Tonga and partners...

Moana Pasifika Head Coach Aaron Mauger has named three formidable lineups for Friday’s pre-season ‘Ofa Atu Tonga’ fundraising match against the Gallagher Chiefs. The game will be played in three 30-minute blocks, allowing the coaches to test the full depth of their squad. This is an historic occasion for Moana Pasifika being the first time the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific squad...