PINA

Fiji has reported 721 new positive COVID-19 cases and six deaths Thursday. Ministry of Health and Medical Services permanent secretary Dr James Fong said the first COVID-19 death is an 80-year-old woman from Vatuwaqa. Dr Fong said a ministry response team attended to her at home and, assessing that she was severely ill, transferred her to the FEMAT field hospital. He said...

The global death toll due to COVID-19 officially passed four million late on Wednesday, marking yet another “grim milestone” and underlining the urgent need for the world to put a Global Vaccine Plan in place to get the pandemic under control, said the UN chief in a statement. “Many of us know this loss directly and feel its pain”, said...

Pacific Island Leaders and the United Kingdom convened a High Level Climate Dialogue Thursday to discuss the priorities ahead of COP26 to be held in Glasgow in November this year. The meeting led by the Secretary of State and COP26 President Alok Sharma provided an opportunity to update Pacific Leaders on the progress of key issues, and hearing first hand...

Pressure is growing on rich countries to set out exactly how they will deliver a promised US$100 billion a year in funding to help poorer nations tackle climate change, with the UN chief and Britain on Thursday calling for a clear plan. At a summit hosted by Bangladesh, finance ministers from a group of developing economies particularly vulnerable to climate...

A call from a Pacific island neighbour to phase out coal power is one of 55 recommendations the Morrison government has rejected ahead of a UN session focusing on Australia’s human rights record. Australia rebuffed the Marshall Islands’ request to phase out coal-fired power in order to limit global heating to 1.5C, as the climate crisis is increasingly framed as...

by Sunil Kumar The daily rate of new COVID-19 infections in Fiji now exceeds 500 (as of 6 July 2021), much higher than India’s peak daily infection rate on a per million population basis. If people start dying at the same rate as in India at the peak of the second wave, it will be a disaster for the...

By Nacanieli Tuilevuka Most national airlines in the Pacific including Fiji Airways have run out of money. Association of the South Pacific Airlines (ASPA) chief executive George Faktaufon said the closures of borders due to the coronavirus have had a huge impact on the national airlines in the Pacific. Faktaufon said this has caused million-dollar of losses to national airlines in...

Tailevu halfback Simione Kuruvoli has a huge role to play for the Flying Fijians as Head Coach Vern Cotter named his 23-member run-on team for the first test match against the All Blacks in Dunedin on Saturday. Kuruvoli who has been part of the Flying Fijians since last year gets an opportunity to start after experienced halfback Frank Lomani together...

Samoa Supreme Court’s decision whether to enforce its orders of 28 June 2021 after the Attorney General and others did not comply to convene Parliament after seven days, will be delivered by the end of business today. This was the ruling by Justice Vui Clarence Nelson in a special hearing this afternoon. The Attorney General has filed an appeal and stay...

After five months status quo, the FLNKS candidate Louis Mapou, a member of UNI-Palika has been elected President of the Government of New Caledonia. “It is an honour and a heavy responsibility”, he told local media after his election in Noumea. He was elected as head of the 11-member multi-party government by 6-4 votes, defeating outgoing President Thierry Santa (with one...