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Results for Pacific Islands

Thursday 24 August 2023
RNZAF

Whenuapai, New Zealand
The Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) newest aircraft has been involved in a significant multinational fisheries surveillance operation for the Pacific’s Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). The Operation Island Chief covered 18.2 million square kilometres of Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) member nations’ exclusive economic zones and high seas.
Sunday 20 August 2023

San Francisco CA, USA
Over 70,000 Tongans living in the United States will now have access to Tongan passport printing services in California. Crown Prince Tupouto‘a ‘Ulukalala launched the new Tongan passport printing services at the Tonga Consulate General in San Francisco on Friday 10 August and said the development recognized the important contribution the diaspora make to the Tongan economy.
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Friday 18 August 2023
SIDS meeting's closing ceremony

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The Regional Preparatory Meeting of the Pacific SIDS came to conclusion this evening, 18 August, at Fa’onelua Convention Center, in a closing ceremony hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu.
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Thursday 17 August 2023
SIDS

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga is hosting the Regional Preparatory Meeting of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS), that opened yesterday at Fa’onelua Convention Center, yesterday, 16 August. About 70 international delgates are gathered to prepare for the 4th International Conference on SIDS, to be held in May next year.
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Wednesday 16 August 2023

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Trafficking in Persons, a crime where victims are exploited in various forms of slavery, is coming under a new scrutiny in Tonga. Ever since Tonga prosecuted its first Trafficking in Persons (TIP) case over a decade ago, there have been no further cases of TIP because there were no new trafficking investigations and victims were not identified, says Police Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Staff, Pelenatita Vaisuai. That situation is about to change. Interview by Katalina Siasau.
Tuesday 8 August 2023

Suva, Fiji
Despite uncertainty about the outlook for inflation and interest rates in major economies and trading partners, developing Pacific economies are expected to grow in 2023 and 2024 due to a recovery in tourism, post-disaster rebuilding, and infrastructure construction, a World Bank report released today says. Fiji is expected to continue leading the Pacific's recovery from the pandemic. Robust growth is also projected for Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu, and Federated States of Micronesia. While in Tonga most households receive remittances from abroad.
Wednesday 26 July 2023
Secretary Blinken

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
On a first visit to Tonga by a US cabinet member, today, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, took a few quiet minutes to lay a wreath at the seafront Cenotaph in Nuku'alofa, before he met with the Tongan Prime Minister and other officials at St George Government Building across the road. The War Memorial honours the Tongan fallen in two World Wars. In WWII there were more American troops stationed in Tongatapu than Tongans. During the morning, Secretary Blinken spoke about US perceptions of today's superpower rivalry in Tonga and the Pacific region, when he was answering questions at a media briefing.
Monday 24 July 2023
DEP

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Monitoring of land use through Earth observations and satellite imagery data, will help governments in the Pacific Islands better manage their limited resources. Tonga is hosting the first technical workshop on “Digital Earth Pacific Land Cover Assessment Skills Transfer” (DEP LCAST), organised by the SPC, commencing today, 24 July 2023 at the Tanoa Dateline Hotel in Nuku'alofa.
Friday 21 July 2023

Washington D.C., U.S.A
U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Tonga, New Zealand, and Australia, July 24-29, the State Department announced last night. Secretary Blinken is the first Secretary of State to visit Tonga, and this is his third trip to a Pacific Island country, and his 12th trip to the Indo-Pacific region. In Tonga he will dedicate the new U.S. Embassy “and advance key discussions with our Tongan partners.”
Thursday 20 July 2023
Tonga Princess

NSW, Australia
A delegation from Kolomotu'a in Tonga, led by Princess Angelika Latūfuipeka, visited its sister city, Gunnedah in Australia last week one-year since the start of their sister relationship.
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Wednesday 19 July 2023
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Registration for the 2023 Pacific Access Category ballot, which opens on 1 August ,will enable people from Pacific Islands, including Tonga the chance to obtain resident visas in New Zealand.
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Tuesday 18 July 2023

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Seventeen hundred years before the dawn of the Viking Age in Europe, the first Polynesians crossed the western flank of the Polynesian triangle to settle in Tonga. Thus began the final chapter in the human settlement of the globe. A newly released book, ‘The Birth of Polynesia: An Archaeological Journey Through the Kingdom of Tonga’, documents this story. The author David V. Burley, is currently visiting Tonga.
Saturday 15 July 2023
El Nina alert

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
An El Niño alert for Tonga was issued by the Meteorology Department, on 14 July, as forecasts show there is a 70% chance of El Niño forming this year. The likely impacts on Tonga will include cooler nights, less rainfall over the next 6-12 months, and more tropical cyclones in the next cyclone season from 1 November 2023 to 30 April 2024.
Friday 14 July 2023

Washington D.C., U.S.A
As critical talks on deeply-contested deep-sea mining continue in Jamaica this week, scientists fear the impacts of mining the seabed on the marine environment and wider climate, says the National Geographic Society Pristine Seas programme in a statement today.
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Wednesday 12 July 2023

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Chinese diplomats in the Pacific are critical of a decision by the Japanese government to dispose of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant accident by discharging it into the sea. They rejected the conclusions of a report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 4 July.
Wednesday 12 July 2023

Suva, Fiji
Civil society groups in the Pacific Islands have collectively expressed concern that Japan is proceeding with its plan to discharge over a million tonnes of ALPS treated radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean, starting this year.
Tuesday 11 July 2023

Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A program that aims to improve digital governance and empower citizens in the Pacific region, was launched by the United Nations Development Programme in Nuku’alofa, Tonga on 6 July.
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Tuesday 11 July 2023

Majuro, Marshall Islands
The annual Forum Fisheries Committee Ministerial 20 (FFCMIN20) and the Regional Fisheries Ministers Meeting 4 (RFMM4) was held in Majuro, Marshall Islands, from 3-6 July. It focused on areas to improve the management and development of the tuna fisheries resources and the fisheries waters of its members.
Wednesday 28 June 2023
ship

Wellington, New Zealand
A group of Pacific states known as 6-PAC, is leading the call for the shipping industry to align itself with the 1.5 degrees climate target, 28 June.
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Wednesday 28 June 2023
mangroves

Manila, Philippines
An $8 million grant to the Government of Kiribati was disbursed by the Asian Development Bank to help fund drought relief efforts.

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