Olympians advocate for Pacific wrestling potential
Three of Oceania’s five wrestling hopefuls for this month’s Paris Olympics are women. They are torch bearers for a sport whose profile in the Pacific is such that in the 61-year history of the Pacific Games, there
A Pacific basketball star rises
It was not your everyday greeting, even in the American state that produced Michael Jordan and is home to two of the most dominant schools in college basketball. A 57-year-old man still maintaining an athletic build and
Movers and Shakers
Former Nauru President, Baron Waqa has begun his term as the new Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). He succeeds Henry Puna. Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) has appointed Rufino Varea as
Tongan trailblazer Ofa Aki is off to the Olympics
Tonga’s first female athlete to compete in the Olympics boxing competition, Fe’ofa’aki ‘Epenisa, is excited to represent her Pacific heritage in Paris this month. “I just feel honored and proud. I know
Pacific islands are being ‘debanked’. What does it mean – and why are Australia, NZ and the U.S concerned?
The withdrawal of major banks from Pacific islands poses significant socio-economic risks to the region, prompting intervention by Australia, the U.S and New Zealand. The so-called debanking of the Pacific – when
EU rebukes African, Caribbean, Pacific org ‘not aligned with reality’
The European Commission is privately threatening to stop propping up the 79-member Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States amid concerns of financial mismanagement, just months after signing a new 20-year
Rugby sevens match schedule confirmed for Olympic Games Paris 2024
The Paris 2024 Olympic rugby sevens match schedule has been unveiled by World Rugby and Paris 2024 today, with just 16 days to go until the sport has the honour of kicking off the Games on 24 July, two days ahead of the
Opinion: Tapestry of Pacific ambiguities: Political tensions against the backdrop of FestPac celebrations
The focus of the Festival of Pacific Arts, or FestPac, is always culture, and the 13th iteration held in June 2024 in Hawai’i was no different. More than two dozen island nations sent delegations of dancers,
All female Pacific crew set to sail Hinemoana II for research on whales
An all-female Pacific-crewed expedition is to set sail from New Zealand’s North Island for scientific research on whale populations. The Hinemoana II is set to leave the Bay of Plenty in mid-July and arrive in
Pacific export revenue returns to pre-pandemic levels
The Pacific island region’s export industry has recovered its pre-pandemic-level performance, posting a 49 percent revenue increase in 2023, which was twice the growth rate recorded in 2022, according to the 2024
Forum welcomes appointment of Deputy Secretary General, Desna Solofa
The Pacific Islands Forum has announced the appointment of Desna Solofa as the Deputy Secretary General – Governance, effective 24 June 2024. Solofa joins the Forum from the Government of Samoa, where she was the
