PINA

The World Rugby Council will consider a proposal this week to change the sport's eligibility rules to make it easier for players to switch their international allegiance, following a three year stand-down. Under the current regulations, once a player has represented one country at international level they cannot turn out for another, unless they utilise an unintended sevens loophole. Former Tonga...

Vodafone Flying Fijians were held 15-all by a tough Georgian side in its final Northern tour test match in Madrid, Spain. The Lelos made a perfect start in the first half and proved too strong for the Flying Fijians in every aspect of the game. Their forwards were on the right track, outplaying the visitors in the majority of the...

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said Canterbury's big-money pursuit of Viliame Kikau made it difficult to keep the Fijian powerhouse beyond next season but he expects him to stay on in 2022. A photo of Kikau in Bulldogs colours next to Phil Gould and Trent Barrett emerged on Friday with the Panthers back-rower posting to Instagram later in the evening citing...

Surprises were the order of the day as the 17 Peoples' Representatives for the new Tonga parliamentary session were announced last night. Tonga has elected an all-male parliament, with nine new faces making up the 17 People's Representative seats. No women were elected. This follows voting around the Kingdom Thursday. Supervisor of Elections Pita Vuki confirmed the official results at the Tonga...

Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has clarified that her government will not change the laws only to satisfy some of the recommendations by the United Nation’s recent Human Rights Report. Some of the fundamental rights central to the UN report included rights to abortion, same sex marriages and euthanasia. These were raised in the Universal Periodic Review of Samoa’s state...

United Nations Resident Coordinator to Fiji Sanaka Samarasinha says it is important to note that there were some successes achieved at the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. Samarasinha's comment comes after some Pacific leaders were upset with the outcomes of the meeting. He said while the spotlight was on the failure of developed nations to completely phase out coal usage, one major...

Voting for nine Tongan nobles’ representatives was held Thursday at the Palace Office in Nuku’alofa. The nine newly elected Nobles Members of Parliament include: *Lord Vaea *Lord Tu'ivakanō *Lord Fohe *Lord Nuku *Lord Tu'iha'angana *Lord Fakafanua *Lord Tu'iafitu *Lord Tu'ilakepa *Lord Fotofili. Members of the public will elect 17 representatives from Tongatapu (10), ‘Eua (1), Ha’apai (2), Vava’u (3) and the two Niua’s (1) after today’s general election. That will make...

By Richard Herr The Pacific Islands Forum states have made a bold claim to be the authentic custodians of the Pacific Ocean’s marine resources and health through the forum’s ‘Blue Pacific’ strategy. In essence, the PIF members have attempted to parlay their vast collective exclusive economic zones into diplomatic and political assets to advance their climate-change and marine-resources agendas more...

The Commonwealth Secretariat is announcing the appointment of a consortium of experts to advise on ocean-climate finance. Generously supported by the United Kingdom, the appointment is a joint venture of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub and the Commonwealth Blue Charter. The consortium will  work with Commonwealth governments, through the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub’s regional and national climate finance advisers,...

The 2022 general election in Papua New Guinea will go ahead as scheduled, starting with a issuing of writs on 28 April, says Prime Minister James Marape. Marape said there would be no deferral. He was responding to questions from Tewai-Siassi MP Kobby Bomareo on the voting system, election funding and the updating of the common roll. “The elections will go ahead...