Author: TMC Palau

Controversial, profanity-laden remarks made by the head of the Fijian Teachers Association (FTA) while defending Indigenous chiefs and threatening to “roast” critics in earth ovens have sparked a major political storm.On Monday, FTA general-secretary Paula Manumanunitoga made a Facebook post weighing in on the constitutional reform debate currently dominating the country.It comes as Fijians prepare to mark their 56th Independence Anniversary on Saturday.Manumanunitoga specifically challenged those who he believed questioned the place and role of iTaukei chiefs in the governance of Fiji.”Saying they do not have a place in the administration of this country, didn’t anyone tell you how and…

The Fiji Football Association (Fiji FA) is warning local players to stop using drugs if they want to have a career in the sport.The warning comes after more than 20 players competing at the Fiji FA’s annual Inter District Championship (IDC) this week tested positive for drug use following random testing after matches.According to FIFA’s anti-doping regulations, which are aligned with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, all member associations must enforce these rules, and players can face severe bans if they violate them.Fiji FA chief executive Mohammed Yusuf told RNZ Pacific that drug use has become a national…

Tonga newest parliamentarians were elected in two by-elections held on Thursday, with voters opting to elect family members of two former Cabinet ministers who were unseated over electoral offences.The by-elections were called to fill the seats previously held by Semisi Sika (Tongatapu 2), former Minister for Infrastructure and Tourism, and Lataifaingata’a Tangimana (Ongo Niua 17), former Minister for Finance.Both former MPs were unseated after being found guilty of bribery during the 2025 general election by the Nuku’alofa Magistrate Court. As a result, they had to resign from parliament.Voters in both constituencies selected close family members of Sika and Tangimana’s to…

UAE President Receives Invitation from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Attend GCC–EU Summit His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, received a written message from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, inviting His Highness to attend the Second GCC–EU Summit, which will be hosted by the Kingdom this October. View Details Source link

Exactly one hundred years after its premiere at the Palau de la Música Catalana, Manuel de Falla’s Concerto for Harpsichord and Five Instruments returns to the very hall where it was first performed. Benjamin Alard, well known to Palau audiences and one of today’s leading keyboard specialists, heads an exceptional ensemble featuring Miguel Colom, Fernando Arias, Álvaro Octavio, Ángel Luis Sánchez and Pablo Barragán. A unique opportunity to rediscover a landmark of twentieth-century Spanish music on the very stage where it was first heard. The concert also marks the 150th anniversary of Manuel de Falla’s birth and creates a dialogue…

Three Fiji police officers will appear in court on Friday after being charged with the alleged murder of one of their own earlier this year.Fiji’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) confirmed on Thursday that it had sanctioned charges against the three men in relation to the death of Constable Peniasi Racagi.Racagi’s body was discovered floating at sea off a beach in Lami town, located approximately 15 minutes west of the capital Suva.Racagi, 24, was based at the Lami Police Station.The Fiji Police Force confirmed elements of foul play following a post-mortem and a homicide investigation was launched.”The…

As heightened interest in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting in Palau last month subsides, it is worth reflecting on what the meeting tells us about Pacific regionalism, and what it doesn’t. First, Leaders Week is a poor measure of the health of regionalism. Second, and more seriously, the space in which Pacific countries can disagree, debate and decide on their own terms is narrowing. Much of last month’s reporting predictably placed considerable weight on the geopolitical posturing surrounding Leaders Week. Leaders’ absences fuelled speculation about external pressure, while the Taiwan issue sharpened disputes over participation. The statement on…

Small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Papua New Guinea are calling for more support to allow them to grow and promote PNG-made products.PNG’s economy is concentrated at one end on major resource extraction industries, and at the other on economic activity in informal, grassroots markets from which many people earn a small living.But somewhere in the middle are the homegrown SMEs struggling to stay afloat, employ locals and truly build the inclusive economy that the government says the country can have.RNZ Pacific spoke to the owners of three SMEs in PNG to find out what sort of pressures they face…

The Pacific political champion for loss and damage has told a Pacific symposium that the region losses from climate impacts go far beyond money.Tonga’s Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni said non-economic losses and damages from the climate crisis must be recognised in policy and finance.He was speaking at the Pacific Symposium on Loss and Damage, which is part of the pre-COP31 meeting currently being held in Nadi. Pacific leaders and climate experts have gathered to discuss Pacific priorities head of the annual UN climate talks next month.Hu’akavameiliku, who is a former Tonga prime minister, said Pacific losses go well beyond what can…

Chiefs in showdown with PNG’s new rugby league team over identical name The simmering trademark dispute between New Zealand Rugby and Papua New Guinea’s incoming NRL franchise has erupted into a legal battle after NZR filed a High Court injunction to stop the new club from using the Chiefs name.In a statement released on Thursday, NZR said it is seeking both an interim and final injunction which stops the use of the names “PNG Chiefs”, “Chiefs” or any other similar names in New Zealand.The move represents a major escalation in the dispute and threatens to disrupt the PNG club’s plans…