PINA

Two weeks ago, Lepani Raiyala lost his partner Maree Stewart to COVID-19. Stewart, a popular radio personality in Fiji, was only 39 when she died in hospital after contracting the virus amid the Pacific nation's deadly outbreak. Raiyala, who also tested positive for coronavirus, was forced to watch Stewart's funeral service “helplessly” via Zoom while isolating at a COVID-care facility in...

Leone Nakarawa has been given more responsibility as he will lead the Flying Fijians against the All Blacks in their final test match on Saturday in Hamilton. Nakarawa replaces Levani Botia for the captaincy role after the hard-hitting center was ruled out due to a knee injury earlier this week. Head Coach Vern Cotter said “Earlier in the week we knew...

The All Blacks team has been named to play Fiji in the third match of the Steinlager Series at FMG Stadium Waikato on Saturday 17 July. The naming sees a return from injury for midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown and loose forward Ardie Savea in what will be their 50th Test matches. Savea will start at openside flanker and Lienert-Brown is in...

A former Comanchero bikie and a missing property magnate owing hundreds of millions of dollars after his businesses collapsed are among Australians granted citizenship through Vanuatu’s controversial citizenship-by-investment scheme. Marco Francis Coffen and Zhou Xiang Huang, both from Australia, appear on a list of people who purchased citizenship from Vanuatu for US$130,000 last year. A Vanuatu passport allows visa-free travel through...

Vanuatu Council of Ministers (COM) has approved for the President to extend the State of Emergency (SoE) for the current coronavirus pandemic under Disaster Risk Management Act No. 23 of 2019. The extension period will begin from 01 August to 31 December this year and shall be extended, subject to advice from the National Disaster Committee. The extension will be applied...

Niue has become one of just a few countries in the world to reach herd immunity against Covid-19 after it vaccinated almost 100 per cent of its eligible population. The Pacific Island nation, which has a population of nearly 2,000 people, reached the milestone within two months. A national celebration was held on Tuesday to mark the vaccination milestone. With Pfizer vaccines...

A new project, Strengthening Hydro-Meteorological Early Warning Systems in the Pacific, has been launched with funding from the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems Initiative (CREWS). It will enhance the effectiveness and inclusiveness of Regional Early Warning Systems (EWS) for local and vulnerable populations in Pacific Islands, improving early warning capabilities of national and regional hydro-meteorological centers and strengthening existing...

Fiji has recorded 634 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths related to COVID Wednesday. Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr James Fong, said the 10 deaths reported over a six-day period from 09 - 14 July. “The first COVID-19 death to report is a 65 year old woman from Naibitu Village who died at home on 9/7/2021. She received her...

A positive case of COVID-19 has been announced in Solomon Islands’ Western Province following testing of ship crew members. The patient is a crew member on an international cargo ship which has been under quarantine outside Gizo since its arrival in Western Province. The patient registered positive after the third and final testing. Chairperson of the Western Province Response Team, Jeffrey Wickham...

The COVID pandemic has taken four million lives, devastated the global economy, pushed a further 124 million people into extreme poverty and continues to inflict profound suffering – dramatically impacting progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN chief said on Tuesday at a key international forum. “Nearly one person in three around the world could not access adequate food...