As the Pacific island countries (PICs) prepare for another Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) next week, it is timely to ask how they are faring. Much of the regional picture does not look too good. According to preliminary census findings, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) lost 30% of its population in the last intercensal period (2011-2021), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands lost 20%. Many other island populations have either been static or have declined outside of Melanesia over the same period. COVID-19 will have caused some to leave, but could the stagnation in population growth…
Author: Newsdesk
The Hunga volcano eruption in January 2022 had a severe impact on marine ecosystems in Tonga, as revealed by a recent research expedition led by Roxanne Beinart, a marine microbial ecologist from the University of Rhode Island. Beinart’s team was initially in the Lau Basin to study deep-sea hydrothermal vents but discovered the seafloor blanketed in volcanic ash. “It was like a snow-covered landscape,” Beinart described. The thick ash deposits, reaching up to 1.5 meters deep, decimated local marine life, particularly vulnerable species such as snails and mussels. The ashfall from the eruption, one of the most powerful ever recorded,…
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony is facing intense criticism, particularly from Christians around the world, for a performance many view as a parody of the Last Supper. Even Elon Musk, owner of Tesla and SpaceX, was unamused. The four-hour event on Friday night featured athletes parading down the river Seine, but one act stood out for the wrong reasons. During the ceremony, broadcast cameras focused on a table of drag queens, one wearing a crown in front of DJ equipment, in a scene reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s mural of Jesus and his 12 disciples. The controversy escalated when the…
The 2024 Paris Olympics began on Friday with the athlete procession, the lighting of the Olympic torch, and a unique performance by drag queens replicating “The Last Supper.” It was an unique and historic opening ceremony in Paris, as athletes from around the world traveled on boats down the Seine River. Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched as 6,800 athletes, wearing plastic ponchos, kept spirits high while traveling down the Seine in a flotilla of 85 boats. This marked the first time the opening ceremony was held outside a stadium, and despite the rainy evening, the spirit and enthusiasm of…
Tragedy has struck Team Samoa at the Paris Olympics with the death of national boxing coach Lionel Elika Fatupaito on the opening day of the the Olympics, Friday, July 26. Fatupaito’s death is suspected to be from a heart attack. Luafalealo Paige Talalelei, President of the Samoa Association of Sports and National Olympics Committee, confirmed the news. The International Olympic Committee said in a statement that the coach died of natural causes. Fatupaito, renowned as one of Samoa’s greatest boxing coaches, was in Paris to coach boxer Tupuola Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali. His passing is a significant loss to the team and…
The Vava’u Environmental Protection Association (VEPA) and the Tall Ship Bark Europa, led by Laurent for the Ocean Clean Up, joined forces today for a citizen science beach clean-up at Keitahi Beach at the village of Toula in Vava’u. This event focused on collecting data on plastics and waste, crucial for understanding and addressing local pollution issues. Despite global concerns about ocean plastics, the majority of waste collected were from items thrown into the ocean by locals. This highlights the need for continued community action and awareness. The clean-up also acknowledged the hard work of the Guttenbeil family in keeping…
The residents of Vava’u and Ha’apai will continue experiencing phone and internet outages caused by the damaged submarine fibre-optic cable because the repair ship, en route from Singapore, is reportedly stuck in Fiji, according to Tonga Cable Ltd CEO Semisi Panuve. The unnamed ship, which the Government had promised to arrive in Tonga this week, is stopping to refuel and restock in Fiji, delaying its departure by at least a week according to CEO Panuve. It’s almost a month now since the outages on the affected islands. A week ago, Government reversed its ban on Starlink’s operation in Tonga giving…
Tonga’s efforts to fight against invasive species in the outer islands continues its momentum with the Regional Invasive Project (GEF 6 RIP). This week, the first batch of pigs was removed from Kelefesia island, preparing for rat eradication. Last month, consultations on Nomuka received full community support to begin wiping out the rodents from the islands of Tonumea and Kelefesia. Invasive species pose a serious threat to Tonga’s rich biodiversity. The GEF 6 RIP project aims to safeguard Tonga’s native species and build climate resilience by managing invasive species effectively. The project, sponsored by the Global Environmental Facility, runs in…
The Hinemoana II, a waka hourua (double-hulled canoe), has announced Joelene Busby as the first female Māori captain to join its all-female crew. Busby joins Aunofo Havea, the first female Tongan captain, and Fani Bruun, the first female Samoan captain, highlighting Pacific women’s leadership in ocean exploration. Busby brings over 20 years of experience and follows in the footsteps of her great-grandfather, Sir Hector Busby. “Our shared values encompass broader themes of ocean conservation and cultural heritage preservation,” Busby says. Busby is also the founder of Tokanui Trust, dedicated to teaching traditional Māori knowledge. The Hinemoana II voyage aims to…
Facebook temporarily blocked posts from In-Depth Solomons, an independent news outlet in the Solomon Islands, after incorrectly labeling its content as spam. Over 80 posts, including stories and photos, were hidden by the platform, which also prohibited sharing links from the outlet’s website, indepthsolomons.com.sb, citing violations of community standards. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), of which In-Depth Solomons is a member, suggested that critics opposing independent media may have coordinated a campaign to silence the outlet. Editor Ofani Eremae stated, “We firmly believe we have been targeted for the journalism we are doing here in the Solomon…