Author: TMC Palau
A possible leadership challenge within The People’s Alliance has been brushed aside by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. He says it does not matter. Rabuka was responding to questions about former Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica’s return to Cabinet and whether he could become a future party leader. He says Kamikamica was a natural contender because […] Source link
Last week, 29 women parliamentarians from 14 Pacific jurisdictions traded their own legislatures for New Zealand’s Parliament in wintry Wellington.The women changing Pacific politicsPacific WavesThey were in the capital to take part in the Tuākana, Tēina, Whenua, Talanoa Wānanga, a three-day programme focused on leadership development, networking and sharing ideas, with the overall theme of encouraging more women to take on leadership roles in parliaments and governments across the Pacific.The gathering comes as Pacific nations continue to grapple with the barriers preventing more women from entering politics. Ignoring New Zealand and Australia, women make up just 7.7 percent of MPs…
[Photo: FILE] Lower fuel prices and cheaper airfares pushed consumer prices down in July. Thus, the cost of food and healthcare continued to rise. Figures from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics show the Consumer Price Index dropped by 1.1 per cent compared to June. Transport costs recorded the biggest fall, dropping by 6.6 per cent due to lower fuel prices and airfares. Housing costs also fell by 1.4 per cent.Article continues after advertisement However, food prices increased by 0.5 per cent, with higher costs for items such as bread, cereals, fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables. Healthcare costs also went up…
Five Pacific Islands Forum member states are set to be permanently included in a United States visa bond programme that will require nationals from those countries to post up to US$20,000 to be able to travel to America as a temporary visitor.This is after the US State Department confirmed it will make permanent its ‘Visa Bond Pilot Program’, as first reported by Reuters news agency over the weekend.The Trump administration’s visa bond programme, which includes 50-odd nations mostly from Africa, was initiated in late August 2025, to crack down on illegal visa overstayers in the US.Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga,…
[Source: Reuters] “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” brought in a blockbuster $927 million in worldwide ticket sales, including $355 million in the United States and Canada, to deliver the second most lucrative opening weekend of all time for a film, both domestically and globally. The movie, which marks actor Tom Holland’s fourth outing as the web-slinging superhero, depicts Peter Parker fighting crime in a world that has forgotten he is Spider-Man. Zendaya co-stars as MJ, the love of Parker’s life. Audiences returned for a film that was grounded in Parker’s struggles with loneliness and his pursuit of human connection. “‘Spider-Man: Brand…
[Source: Reuters] Iran said on Monday there were no talks under way with the United States and no plans for any meetings, contradicting U.S. President Donald Trump who had cited talks he said would take place that afternoon as justification for calling off attacks. Over the weekend Trump repeated a pattern that has emerged throughout the past five months: announcing plans for “massive attacks” on Iran, only to cancel them at the last minute. “Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “Now what we’re doing is talking…
[Source: Reuters] The union representing flight attendants at Canada’s WestJet reached a tentative deal with the country’s second-largest carrier on Monday, ending a strike that had resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations and marking another win for cabin crew seeking better wage structures. The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 4,400 flight attendants at the carrier, sought pay for its members from the time they check in until they clock out, instead of mostly just for time when their aircraft is in motion. WestJet did not disclose details of the tentative agreement, which will now be presented to cabin…
Tonga’s parliament has accepted the official resignation of two MPs who were found guilty by the Nuku’alofa Magistrates’ Court last month on bribery charges during the 2025 general elections.Speaker Lord Vaea said Semisi Sika (Tongatapu 2) and Lata ʻi Faingataʻa Tangimana (Niua 17) had resigned from their seats and their ministerial positions last Friday.Sika was the infrastructure and tourism minister, while Tangimana was finance minister.The decision means that there will be by-elections held for both constituencies.Tonga’s Supervisor of Elections Samiuela Vao said his office will now work on the two by-elections as per the Tonga Constitution.The Tongan Electoral Commission (Komisoni…
The delivery came just days before the opening ceremony of the Pacific Mini Games, a 10-day international event that is expected to bring thousands of athletes and spectators to the islands of Palau. The All-Terrain First Aid Kit, packed with trauma supplies, bandages, and antiseptics for on-site emergencies, were provided to Belau National Hospital and will be placed at medical stations throughout the sports venues.Distributed throughout the islands, these kits enable rapid response time for medical assistance and reinforce an already robust medical structure for the Games. Beyond the Pacific Mini Games, the first aid kits will reduce hospital reliance…
USP has introduced a Bachelor’s program in Artificial Intelligence.[PHOTO:SUPPLIED] As the Pacific moves towards a more digital future, experts say strengthening digital literacy will be critical to ensuring communities can fully benefit from emerging technologies. While connectivity and digital services continue to expand, Vodafone Fiji says building trust and confidence in digital technologies remains a key challenge. Speaking during Telecom Fiji’s Pacific Fibre Conference, Vodafone Fiji Chief Technology Officer, Vikash Prasad, highlighted that digital growth must go hand in hand with digital literacy. He says some people continue to rely on traditional methods, such as visiting banks for transactions, due…