Tonga charters flight to evacuate Tongans from Israel to London
Thirty Tongan nationals have been safely evacuated from Israel, including some from New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, on a 61 passengers flight to London, chartered by the Tongan Government. The flight departed at 1:38pm
Fiji Airways says Israel charter was a commercial decision
Fiji Airways says its decision to operate a charter flight to Israel was based on purely commercial considerations. Amidst the chaos of the Israeli-Hamas conflict, Fiji Airways safely retrieved more than 200 Fijians
Youth at the heart of building resilience
Advocating for the availability of financial aid from the government has become one of the key strategies for Pacific youth working towards community resilience. Sotiana Sorovakatini of the Bua Urban Youth Group said
Tonga bow out with World Cup win over Romania
Solomone Kata scored two tries as Tonga gave retiring coach Toutai Kefu a winning send-off with a seven-try 45-24 victory over Romania as the two canon-fodder teams of the Group of Death served up a cracker after
De-banking having a ‘severe impact’ on Pacific Islanders
The region’s economic ministers say the expiry of correspondent banking relationships (CBR) is having a severe impact on the lives of Pacific Islanders, including seasonal workers, micro, small, and medium
Addressing the Pacific housing crisis
The authors of recent housing ecosystem assessments conducted in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga say that improving access to habitable, affordable and secure housing requires more widespread training in construction skills
Here be humpbacks
Mixing business with a spot of leisure is something many of us have routinely done on work trips. From indulging in lavish beach time to celebrating a closed deal, to a quiet walk in the woods after an exhausting
SPBD businesswomen lauded at annual awards
The Vodafone Arena in Suva last week was full-packed with radiant businesswomen celebrating their efforts at the 12th annual South Pacific Business Development awards. SPBD Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Greg
Springboks beat feisty Tonga 49-18 as they await knockout fate
Defending champions South Africa scored seven tries and moved a step closer to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a bruising 49-18 victory over impressive Tonga in their Pool B clash on Sunday. Many of the 60,387
WHO: Pacific islands facing a bumpy road toward the ‘Healthy Islands’ vision
Pacific island states and territories may have emerged from the worst days of the Covid-19 pandemic, but they must also brace for other disease outbreaks and climate-related disasters in the future, according to the
WHO Western Pacific candidates vow to rebuild staff trust
Candidates vying for the regional director position at the World Health Organisation Western Pacific regional office fielded member states’ questions in a unique online public forum meant to gauge their priorities and
Rugby World Cup wrap
Fiji’s President and Minister for Youth and Sports have congratulated the Fiji Water Flying Fijians despite their devastating loss to Wales at the Rugby World Cup in France this week. President Ratu Wiliame Maivalili
Opinion: What happens now that MEPC80 is behind us?
Next year the delegates of the 6PAC Plus will be back in London to determine the basket of measures that will accompany the newly adopted strategy to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of international shipping. The
USP graduates share their aspirations
Years of hard work came to fruition last week after more than 1000 students received their certificates at the University of the South Pacific graduation ceremony in Suva, with 65% of them women. “As you step out of
Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool B squads: Tonga include four former capped All Blacks
Tonga’s squad for Rugby World Cup 2023 includes some big names and also some notable exclusions with the inclusion of four former capped All Blacks and a Wallaby. Captain Sonatane Takulua and hooker Paula Ngauamo
Crown Prince launches Tongan passport printing in U.S.
Over 70,000 Tongans living in the United States will now have access to Tongan passport printing services in California. Crown Prince Tupuoto‘a ‘Ulukalala launched the new Tongan passport printing services at the
Petition for Tongan electoral reform
A petition calling for reform of Tonga’s electoral system so that the Prime Minister may be chosen by a popular vote (and not by the Members of Parliament in the House) has engaged the House this week. On Monday
Tonga and Solomon Islands make bid for WHO Regional Director post
Tonga and Solomon Islands have nominated medical experts for the position of World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific. Tonga has nominated Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, and Solomon Islands has
Flying Fijians win Pacific Nations Cup
The Fiji Water Flying Fijians claimed their third consecutive Pacific Nations Cup, beating Japan 35 – 12 at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Japan last night. In doing so Fiji is also taking home the Lipovitan
Fiji, Tonga progress at Netball World Cup
The Fiji Pearls today suffered a heavy defeat of 28-89 against the England Roses in their fifth Netball World Cup match in Cape Town, South Africa. The Pearls missed out on numerous opportunities as their opponents came
PNG, Fiji, Tonga participate in large-scale military exercise in Australia
This year’s military exercise in Australia marked the first-time participation from countries as far away as Germany and by South Pacific countries including Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga. For the next week,
Results: Pacific teams at the Netball World Cup
The Tonga Tala finished strong to edge the Fiji Pearls on the first day of the Netball World Cup opener in Cape Town, South Africa Friday night 56 – 51. It is Tonga’s first Netball World Cup appearance, so
U.S.-China competition: Blinken heading to NZ, Tonga, Australia
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit the Pacific this week – his third foray to the region – to discuss security co-operation with New Zealand and Australia. The State Department said Blinken