PINA

French Polynesia's president Edouard Fritch says the vaccination law will be amended as opposition to any form of compulsion continues. Following weeks of protests against the law making Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory, some unions consider strike action. Fritch said changes may be discussed as soon as this week and would be aimed to clarify the importance of the vaccination. Last week, President Fritch...

A leading anti-independence politician in New Caledonia Sonia Backes has rejected calls for the referendum on independence from France to be postponed, saying it should be held as planned. Pro-independence politicians have asked Paris to postpone the vote, which is due on 12 December, until next year because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Kanak population. About 10,000...

Richie Berrington crunched a fabulous 70 and Josh Davey took four wickets as Scotland moved to the brink of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super 12 with a 17-run win against Papua New Guinea. Berrington arrived at the crease with Scotland on 26 for two and struck nine boundaries in a 49-ball knock that set them on the path...

Women’s rugby fans showed their excitement for Rugby World Cup 2021, playing in New Zealand in 2022 as the unique Mastercard RWC 2021 tournament pass offering sold out in just minutes. In response to the huge demand for tickets, New Zealand Rugby have confirmed that RWC 2021 Opening Match Day Passes will go on sale on Monday, 01 November at...

Palau is sending a delegation headed by President Surangel Whipps Jr to Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 climate conference. Palau will be one of the few countries in the Pacific attending the face-to-face summit amid the coronavirus pandemic that complicates the journey for most of the delegates from the region. Xavier Matsutaro, Climate Change Office coordinator said that in order to...

The highly infectious and deadlier Covid-19 Delta variant infection is surging fast – up 94 cases from 97 on 26 September to 191 on Sunday (three weeks). In Madang, 49 new Delta cases were reported on Sunday. And National Pandemic Controller David Manning said the Government would push for a higher vaccination rate as it had set a target to have...

Australia’s decision not to boost its 2030 emissions reduction target will disappoint key allies that have called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to do more ahead of next month’s United Nations climate summit in Glasgow. Morrison told Parliament on Monday he would stick with the target that he took to the 2019 election, which was set by former prime minister...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama Monday, a press statement from 10 Downing Street stated. The two leaders discussed the upcoming COP26 Summit, particularly around the need to hit the US$100billion target for international climate finance. “The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of promoting the voice of Fiji and other countries vulnerable to climate change,” it...

The overall COVID-19 death rate graphs for Central and Western divisions in Vitilevu, Fiji's main island indicate a declining trend. This, according to Ministry of Health and Medical Services permanent secretary Dr James Fong. “The differences between the Central and Western are similar to the incidence of the daily cases and are likely a reflection of vaccination levels, COVID mitigation measures,...

Complacency and vaccine hesitancy at all levels of society have left PNG wide open to delta infection. The country needs outside help – and very quickly. Jonathan Pryke and Brendan Crabb A little later than expected perhaps but the delta strain of COVID-19 is now ripping through Papua New Guinea, threatening to overwhelm its fragile health system. Hospitals in Port...