Author: TMC Palau

By Pita Ligaiula in Savusavu SAVUSAVU, 25 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Papua New Guinea Media Council President Neville Choi has been elected President of the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA), replacing veteran Tongan journalist Kalafi Moala, who stepped down after serving one term. Choi was elected at the PINA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Savusavu on […]The post Neville Choi takes PINA presidency as Moala steps down appeared first on Island Times News. Source link

Oceania Rugby has cancelled the 2026 Oceania Rugby Sevens Cup planned for Rotorua on 31 October and 1 November.”This is not the outcome anyone wanted, and I’m sorry for the disappointment it causes our players, teams, fans and the Rotorua community,” Puletua said on Friday.”We pursued every option to deliver this tournament. When it became clear we could not secure the funding needed in the time available, the responsible decision was not to proceed.”Our focus now is on looking after the teams, ticket holders and partners affected, and on securing a qualification pathway for our players.”The 2026 Oceania Rugby 7s…

Fiji’s national flag carrier Fiji Airways launched its new direct flight between Nouméa (New Caledonia) and Nadi (Fiji) on Tuesday.The Nadi-Nouméa bi-weekly – every Tuesday and Friday – direct route was initially introduced by Fiji Airways in November 2023.But it had to be suspended due to severe civil unrest which broke out in the French territory in May 2024, resulting in 14 deaths and over €2 billion in economic damages.Several months following the insurrection, Nouméa international airport of La Tontouta was closed down.More than two years later, the resumption of the service aboard Fiji Airways Fiji Link ATR-72-600 aircraft has…

Samoa’s Health Ministry is urging Samoans to use safe sex practices, including using condoms correctly, and to avoid sharing needles as the country rolls out its HIV response following Fiji’s government declaring an HIV emergency.The ministry said it was currently strengthening national HIV preparedness and response planning as part of the country’s public health response.The health response includes enhanced surveillance, laboratory capacity readiness, prevention, treatment and care pathways, community engagement, risk communication and coordination with relevant partners, it said in a statement.”This preparedness work is a precautionary and proactive public health measure. It does not mean that Samoa is experiencing…

The first Samoan person to graduate with a PhD in physics at the University of Auckland has encouraged Pasifika students to remember that they belong and can succeed in academia.Dr Sean Richards, who grew up as fa’a pālagi in Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands, graduated as the first Samoan astrophysicist from the university this week. There have only been two other Samoan doctorate graduates in University of Auckland’s Faculty of Science between 2001 to 2021.Richards described graduating in the field of astrophysics as continuing a path set by “our ancestors” who used the stars to navigate the Pacific Ocean.”Looking…

You might be interested in The invisible daily cocktail that is making us sick BarcelonaFirst contact by the President of the Generalitat with all political forces—except Vox—to put an end to the educational crisis. Salvador Illa held a meeting with the parliamentary groups with the goal of reaching a national education pact following the conflict with teachers, the decline in educational results, and the fiasco in the PISA tests. Some of the proposals that the PSC leader has already put on the table is the return of textbooks to classrooms, the imposition of mandatory readings in high school, and, among…

Pacific maritime safety under scrutiny amid deadly incidentsAs the Pacific Islands region reels from a series of recent maritime tragedies, a regional climatologist says it is imperative that boat operators take extra caution in a time of turbulent weather.There have been dozens of fatalities from incidents at sea in recent months in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu among other Pacific countries.Although an official or confirmed death toll is not yet known for Vanuatu’s MV Matui tragedy from two weeks ago, it is likely that dozens of people died.A common factor in this and other maritime tragedies in the…

The leaders of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands have issued a strong call to action to industrial nations and the international community ot act on the climate crisis.Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Plenary Meeting on Addressing the Existential Threats Posed by Sea-Level Rise, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape demanded industrial nations to stop the “empty promises” and cut their carbon emissions.Papua New Guinea’s prime minister James Marape speaks at the UN General Assembly High-Level Plenary Meeting on Addressing the Existential Threats Posed by Sea-Level Rise, 24 September 2026.PNG PM MediaMarape urged the biggest…

More than 125,000 people are reported to have been displaced in West Papua as armed conflict escalates, but the real number is likely much higher.A recent report from the Human Rights Monitor said military operations and armed violence have been particularly intense in the central highlands of Indonesian-ruled Papua region this year.Indonesian security forces have been in an ongoing fight with small groups of guerilla fighters with the West Papua Liberation Army, or TPNPB, in the mountainous interior of Papua.A senior lecturer and researcher on South East Asian conflicts said it’s the civilians caught in the middle who end up…

The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) is actively seeking development compensation from overseas clubs when local talent transfers internationally, in accordance with World Rugby regulations.FRU chief executive Koli Sewabu told RNZ Pacific that the union is now trying to get what is due to the national union and local associations who helped in the development of local players picked up by overseas clubs.French rugby magazine Midi Olympique reported this week that the FRU is demanding compensation payment from a number of clubs in the French Top 14 and Pro-D2 competition.Sewabu, himself a former Flying Fijian international, said the FRU was just…