PINA

With 'Super Rugby Pacific' confirmed to kick off in February, the race is on for Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua to sign up their inaugural playing squads. The Drua also have to decide where they will be based next season, with Fiji's ongoing Covid-19 problems ruling out plans to play on home soil. Flying Fijians prop Haereiti Hetet said the...

The decision on the venue for the Fijian Drua’s home matches for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific will be decided soon. The Drua will join the Australian and New Zealand Super Rugby sides in a new 12-team competition next year, but this will be dependent on when its unconditional license will be granted. Fiji Rugby Union chief executive John O’Connor says...

With one million species at risk of extinction, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called for greater leadership and political will to end the biodiversity crisis. In remarks to a high-level virtual meeting to develop a new global framework to address biodiversity loss, he underlined the need for commitment, ambition and credibility. “The future of humanity depends on our collective efforts”,...

Tuna fishing in the region Tuna is extremely valuable to Pacific Island countries. In recent years, the annual catch of tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean has been approximately 2.6 million metric tonnes per year, worth almost US$5 billion. This catch represents over 50 percent of all the tuna landings in the world. Surprisingly, the amount of...

Before the pandemic, many Pacific Island countries grappled with low numbers of students completing secondary education. Now experts in the region are concerned that the closure of schools to contain the spread of COVID-19, and the economic downturn, will lead to even more students dropping out of education early. It’s an issue that has consequences for the region’s future development, given...

Nearly two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, its global socioeconomic “headwinds” have blown many countries far off course from the aims of the 2030 Agenda. But fierce as those winds may be, they are “a whisper” next to the intensifying crisis brought by changing climate. Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama made these remarks in his official opening address...

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, Monday called on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to foster the power of innovation and digitalisation to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (no hunger) and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities). Qu spoke at the opening...

Fiji has recorded 184 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths reported Monday, increasing the total number of cases in the island nation to 46,141 and 487 deaths since the outbreak in April. Permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said 133 cases are from the Western division, 40 cases are from the Central division in Vitilevu, Fiji's main island...

Tonga’s Health State of Emergency has been renewed for another month to prevent the spread of COVID-19, starting from 8:00pm Monday until 8:00pm 27 September. This is the 18th month it has been in force, including a curfew. The Health State of Emergency was first declared by the Prime Minister, Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa on 12 March2, 2020 under the Emergency Management...

All provincial health authorities and private hospitals in Papua New Guinea have been warned of the use of Propofol Injection IP 10 Milligrams (mg) per Milliliter (mL) vial (1 per cent W/V). This is according to a circular number 50 of 2021 that was issued on 17 August by Health Secretary, Dr Osborne Liko following the seven serious and fatal...