Tonga

The ‘I Am Digital’ social media online safety campaign will run for five weeks from 1st February, in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga, and feature educational materials in English, Fijian iTaukei, Fiji Hindi, Samoan, Tok Pisin and Tongan. Music producer Jawsh 685, singer Mia Kami, children’s TV show presenter Lei, comic artist and pro-wrestler Michel Mulipola, and artist and magazine founder Aysha Nanai-Leifi are amongst the well-known names backing the campaign to educate and empower Pacific Island teenagers and young people to have safer and more positive online experiences.

Oliver is the creator of Pacific Island Food Revolution, a televised contest in which people compete to create the best dish with ingredients from countries such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

He said the show aimed to encourage Pacific Island people to eat healthier, more traditional foods and to spice up the tourism industry by getting island restaurants offering tasty local dishes.

Many imported foods that have become popular among Pacific Island people are highly processed and contain large amounts of fat, sugar and salt.

Cyclone Yasa is currently a Category One storm with at least 65 kilometre an hour winds but was expected to strengthen to a Category Four system with more than 160 kilometre winds by Wednesday.

Sakeasi Waibuta from Fiji's Met Service said the storm was gathering intensity in the waters between Fiji and Vanuatu.

He said it bore a remarkable resemblance to April's deadly Cyclone Harold.

The Fiji, Samoa and Tonga combined team will play the Māori All Blacks in Hamilton next month.

Moana Pasifika is one of the preferred partners to join Super Rugby in 2022.

The inaugural squad includes nine players with Test experience and another three who have played international sevens.

One-test All Black Josh Ioane will lead the backline that also includes Super Rugby players Leicester Fainga'anuku from Tasman and the Hurricanes winger Salesi Rayasi, who has been one oif the star players for Auckland this season.

At the conclusion of the OCO Heads Annual Conference on October 20, themed “Working together to build a safer Blue Pacific”, leaders of Customs administrations in the region stated the loss in revenue collection for their governments due to the closure of borders as their biggest cost of COVID-19.

However, in addition to generating revenue for their governments, Customs administrations are increasingly being presented with other challenges such as the rise of illicit drugs, contraband goods and having to crew quarantine centers.

The Samoan and Tongan New Zealanders are all square at two wins a piece from their previous four meetings as amateurs, and they have plenty to fight for.

Junior Fa is all set for what's been billed as the 'Fight of the Century', but there's one person who will be missing from his corner - his dad and secondary trainer, Uaine Fa - who passed away due to cancer last year.

A Tongan-born amateur boxer in his youth and the biggest influence in Junior's career, Uaine Fa was the man resposible for his son's boxing career.

New Zealand Rugby League announced yesterday the Kiwi Ferns would face Fetū Samoa at Mount Smart Stadium on 7 November as part of the team's 25th anniversary year, with the Tonga and Niue women's teams squaring off in the curtain-raiser.

The Kiwi Ferns won the corresponding fixture 46-8 in June last year and the head of Rugby League Samoa's New Zealand chapter, Geoff Muliaga Brown, says discussions about a possible rematch have been happening ever since.

"The Kiwi Ferns are building on what was done last year but also they're trying to develop for the World Cup," he said.

According to Stuff.nz the team is backed by All Black legend Bryan Williams, as well as the former Attorney Generals of both Samoa and Tonga. The group that wants to represent all of the Pacific nations, and are proposing to work closely with Counties-Manukau rugby union, who are based in south Auckland.

Tonga defeated Papua New Guinea in March to set up a showdown against the Manusina for a berth in the final World Cup repechage tournament.

The match was meant to take place in Apia in April but was postponed indefinitely because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With global borders still shut, the teams were discussing the prospect of playing the game in Auckland in November, with both squads to be selected from players already based in New Zealand.

Samoa assistant coach, Cynthia Ta'ala-Timaloa, said it was probably their best option.

The countries include Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Cook Islands, and Niue.

Commenting on the delivery, Abdulla Al Subousi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE to Australia, said, "Today’s aid shipment to Pacific island countries reflects the UAE’s continued efforts to support and stand by these countries to contain the spread of COVID-19 by providing critical medical supplies and protection to strengthen the efforts of healthcare personnel."