PINA

Samoa's caretaker government has said the country's athletes will not be competing at the Tokyo Olympics. However, the team has not been officially notified of any withdrawal. A meeting is scheduled this afternoon to discuss the team's involvement in the Games. The caretaker Cabinet decided on Wednesday to prevent Team Samoa from travelling to Japan due to Covid-19. The caretaker Minister of Communications,...

Tonga has named 13 debutants as part of an inexperienced side to face the All Blacks at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday. With most of Tonga's first-choice squad based overseas in Europe, coach Toutai Kefu has been forced to look within New Zealand for players to put together his matchday 23. Nine debutants make up the starting XV, with prop Duke...

Tokyo Olympics-bound Samoan weightlifter Iuniarra Sipaia has spoken for the first time on New Zealand’s transgender weightlifting rival Laurel Hubbard, saying she is sad that the Kiwi continues to compete in the women’s division. Hubbard will compete in the 87+ kilogram category and is again on a collision course with Sipaia, who will compete in her first Olympics in Tokyo...

By Maraia Vula Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Henry Puna, has called for an economic vision to deliver real results, in response to the huge challenges the region faces as a result of COVID-19. Puna made his remarks as he extended his warm welcome to the 2021 cohort of regional journalists reporting on a crucial series of Pacific economic and...

By Nacanieli Tuilevuka Many countries in the Pacific are struggling to pay off their loans during this coronavirus pandemic. The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) coordinator Maureen Penjueli said during this coronavirus pandemic many countries are taking more loans to help keep them afloat. Penjueli while speaking during the coronavirus economic recovery workshop said countries like Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa and...

The Asian Development Bank has generally endorsed a new five-year strategy aimed at building resilience against economic shocks, delivering sustainable services, and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth in the 12 smallest Pacific island countries (PIC-12) as they rebound from the immediate shock of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The Pacific Approach, 2021–2025 serves as the country partnership strategy for the...

Samoa's caretaker prime minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, is risking jail time as he continues to defy a court order to convene Parliament. The judiciary is warning anyone who stands in the way of its ruling could face criminal penalties. Tuila'epa's announcement last night also included a warning to the judiciary that it was over-reaching its powers by seeking to limit his...

The Covid-19 Amendment Act, designed to protect the country against the virus through border restrictions and combatting misinformation, was extended for another six months during Cook Islands Parliament last week. Addressing the Bill to extend the Act, Prime Minister Mark Brown said it was necessary because the “deadly virus is still swarming around the world”. Brown referred to the Cook Islands...

By Giulio Fabris Home to some 11,000 inhabitants, Tuvalu consists of three islands and six low-lying atolls scattered across the middle of the Pacific Ocean. With a total land area of only about 26 square kilometers, it is the fourth-smallest country in the world. The nation’s highest point above sea level is around four meters, while on average it...

Fiji has reported 274 positive cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and Fijians should expect the next wave of the virus to arrive in four to five days from now, permanent secretary for Health and Medical Services Dr James Fong has warned. He said virus moves in waves and the next wave to come, they expect it will be the most severe...