PINA

Papua New Guinea Parliament Speaker Job Pomat has proposed to defer the 2022 National General Elections by one year, stating that the PNG Electoral Commission(PNGEC) is not ready. He said at the Parliament State Function Room last Thursday during the PNGEC briefing with the MPs that he was prepared, as the Speaker of the House, for any amendments to defer...

Samoa District Court Judge Alalatoa Rosela Papalii reluctantly granted another adjournment in the hearing of Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataafa’s private prosecution trial. She granted the adjournment but also noted that it would be the final adjournment. Mata'afa is charged with one count of bribery from the FAST party campaign rally in the lead up to the April general election and...

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and traveling restrictions and challenges, the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) has altered its November tour plan for the Flying Fijians who are set to face Spain, Wales and Georgia next month in Europe. FRU Chief Executive Officer John O’Connor said taking in consideration the challenges associated with COVID-19 including travel and quarantine restrictions, Fiji Rugby...

Moana Pasifika have pulled off another major signing, adding former Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu to their squad ahead of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season. Kepu played 110 games for the Wallabies, making his debut in 2008, becoming the first prop to bring up the century for Australia. He would also go on to play 141 games for the Waratahs, helping...

Moana Pasifika have continued their spending spree in the lead-up to their debut Super Rugby Pacific campaign by announcing the signings of three Manu Samoa internationals. Nine-test midfielder Henry Taefu and two-test utility backs Neria Foma’i and Tomasi Alosio have all signed for the new expansion franchise ahead of the 2022 season. Taefu provides the most experience of the trio after...

The Oceania Football Confederation is proud to announce the launch of its new online learning platform OFC Learn, which will revolutionise the way people learn across Oceania and in other regions around the world. Funded by UEFA Assist - UEFA's programme to support other Confederations and their Member Associations - OFC Learn aims to create a community of learners. OFC Learn...

The head of the Pacific Islands Forum says New Zealand's climate aid boost augurs well heading into COP26, and is pushing all developed countries to meet climate funding commitments made in Paris in 2015. New Zealand announced today that it is committing NZ$1.3 billion(US$920,000) over four years to support countries most vulnerable to climate change. Over half of the money...

When it comes to surviving disaster, the United Nations’ Pacific Resident Coordinator of Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu Sanaka Samarasinha says everyone must step up and be counted. “State institutions have a particular role to play,” he said. “For instance, pre-positioning supplies before a disaster to make sure you are...

The Covid-19 death toll continues to rise around Papua New Guinea,with the biggest hospital recording 35 in three weeks, officials say. Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said the deaths at the hospital were from Sept 27 in the Covid-19 wards and in the emergency department. At the Mt Hagen Hospital, the 30 people who had...

By Lotte Schou-Zibell, Regional Director of the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office in Australia. The risk of "de-risking" – the process of international banks disassociating from financial partners, such as small remittance providers and local banks – is that it could push people out of the financial system completely. In the Pacific, where many countries are just...