Pacific tourism workers resilient in adversity
Pacific researchers assessing the wellbeing of tourism-reliant communities in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands amid the COVID-19 pandemic have found these communities are mainly resilient in the face of
PNG ready for polling, coalition govt in the making
Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner Simon Sinai says all election materials for the 2022 General Election have been shipped to the provinces to prepare for polling. He said his office had started sending materials
Pohnpei officials arrested for breaching quarantine rules
Five Pohnpei officials, including the acting governor, were arrested last week after being criminally charged for allegedly bungling the quarantine protocols that resulted in an extended stay of repatriated passengers
International travel to resume in Kiribati this August
All international travel to and from Kiribati will return to normal on August 1st this year, reports Radio Kiribati. Incoming passengers are required to have a valid COVID-19 test 24hrs before departure. The number of
U.S., Marshalls aim for Compact wrap-up by year end
United States and Marshall Islands leaders say they hope to complete negotiations to renew provisions of an economic and security treaty by the end of this year. They completed the first round of talks last week.
Pacific Mini Games Update
A Successful Opening Ceremony The official opening ceremony of the Pacific Mini Games 2022 was a huge success on Friday night with over 3000 spectators attending the opening ceremony at the Oleai Sports Complex in the
Opinion: Australia’s international health funding: commitments and challenges
by Cameron Hill and Huiyuan Liu While commentators have remarked on how little attention Australia’s domestic COVID-19 situation received in the 2022 federal election campaign, discussion of the global pandemic was
World Bank may include ICT in Vanua Levu tourism initiative
The success of boosting tourism demand in Vanua Levu will depend on its ability to manage essential tourism-related services, of which ICT is an important element, said the World Bank as work gets underway to develop
Additional US$20m for Disaster Recovery in Tonga
Five months on from January’s volcanic eruption and COVID-19 outbreaks, an additional US$20 million (approximately TOP46 million) will help strengthen Tonga’s fiscal, disaster and social resilience, the World Bank
Binance wants to make the “Palauan Dream” come true
Palau is hoping its new partnership with the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange company Binance will create the “Palauan Dream” to help curb the brain drain among its young people. Binance
Mate Ma’a Tonga stacked for the Pacific Test Series
Tonga Rugby League coach Kristian Woolf named a 25-man squad to play against the New Zealand Kiwis ahead of the June 25 Test in Auckland. The team will feature the likes of hard running forwards Jason Taumalolo, Addin
Northern Marianas aim high at Pacific Mini Games
Members of the CNMI National Athletics Team will have their work cut out for them with the region’s titans of track and field competing in the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022. CNMI will be hoping to provide
Tonga Parliament passes largest annual budget
Tonga’s Parliament passed the 2022-2023 annual budget this week, reports Tonga Wires. Totalling $764.7 million pa’anga (US$328.36 million), it is the Kingdom’s largest ever annual budget. According to the Tonga
U.S-Marshalls resume long-stalled talks
Nearly three years after the first in-person preliminary discussions were held between the United States and the Marshall Islands for a third funding agreement in the Compact of Free Association treaty, negotiations
5000 Pacific Islanders offered NZ residence visa
Up to 5000 Pacific Islanders will be offered New Zealand residence visas under a government policy aimed at addressing a pandemic shortfall. Over 1700 places a year offered to Pacific Islanders were canned when COVID-19
PNG PM appeals for peaceful election
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has appealed to Papua New Guineans, especially those in Tari-Pori and Hela, to help ensure a peaceful General Election 2022 (GE22). “All have the right to campaign
Air Vanuatu to focus on domestic fleet expansion
Vanuatu’s national carrier Air Vanuatu has decided to cancel its order for Airbus A220s and instead plans to add more regional turboprop aircraft. “Air Vanuatu will not be proceeding with its order for
ACT elects David Pocock as first independent senator
Former Australian rugby union star David Pocock has made history, becoming the first independent senator for a territory. This morning, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) confirmed he had unseated former ACT
Rugby League star Justin Olam re-commits with Storm
Papua New Guinea international Justin Olam has extended his contract with renowned NRL club, theMelbourne Storm. The re-signing is for the next 4 years, keeping him in Melbourne until at least the end of the 2026
Sovereignty talks at Defence Summit in Singapore
Country leaders present at a defence summit in Singapore on Monday have made their stance clear on sovereignty. Inia Seruiratu, Fiji’s Minister for Defence, National Security and Policing highlighted that Fiji values
ANZ lead Fiji women’s rugby encourages positivity.
Recently, women’s rugby in Fiji has been somewhat of a revelation. The Pacific Island country astonished the world by winning an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo last year and then had an unbelievable undefeated run in
We have no choice but to fight for our future
“The threat of nuclear weapons is an existential crisis and we feel the weight that this places on us for our future,” says Bedi Racule. “It can be really hard to face these things, but we have no choice but to
Internet society wary of “splinternet”
An Internet advocacy organisation has warned that any fragmentation of the Internet will undermine decades of successful global Internet connectivity and has called on stakeholders in the Pacific to rally against it.
