PINA

Fiji has reported 431 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths related to COVID-19 Thursday. Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said these new cases are from the Central and Western Divisions. "Today we reported 3 new COVID-19 deaths. The first death was a 74 yr old male who was brought to FEMAT in acute respiratory distress. The second death was...

Seventy-five years after the U.S military began using the Marshall Islands as a nuclear testing ground, a new generation fired-up by climate activism is demanding justice. When the Able atomic bomb was detonated at Bikini Atoll on 01 July, 1946, Alson Kelen's family were among those forced from their palm-fringed ancestral homes. For decades, complaints were muted. Many accepted at face...

Kiribati president Taneti Maamau says 56 I-Kiribati nationals have contracted Covid-19 in Fiji. President Maamau made the statement in his address to the nation on Radio Kiribati. Of the 46 – 19 of them are in quarantine at Town House and 27 are students who are currently in home-isolation. President Maamau said some will be closely monitored because of their existing health...

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...