Tonga

Eight Pacific Islanders off to meet the Queen

They are among 60 young people from around the Commonwealth to receive a Queen's Young Leaders Award.

The winners aged between 18 and 29 are working to support others, raise awareness and inspire change on a variety of issues including climate change, gender equality and mental health.

Tonga and Fiji run riot in Oceania Junior Rugby Trophy

The Tonga Under 20s thumped Vanuatu 81-0 while hosts Fiji's young squad amassed 63 unanswered points against Papua New Guinea.

The winner of the Oceania event will qualify for next year's second tier Junior World Trophy in Zimbabwe.

Digicel celebrates family this Christmas

Digicel is once again bringing families and the Pacific’s greatest musical talent together with an upbeat new version of their hit song ‘We Are Family’. This new rendition is a cheerful Pacific Christmas music collaboration, available to all Digicel customers across the company’s six Pacific countries. 

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE COVETED 2015 PIPA PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

PIPA has today announced the finalists in the much-anticipated 2015 PIPA Player of The Year competition. They include the talented Nemani Nadolo, Paul Perez, Siale Piutau, Leone Nakarawa, Telusa Veainu and Tim Nainai Williams.        

During the Rugby World Cup (RWC) players from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga voted for the ‘Player’s Player of the Year’ from their respective nations as well as their overall selection for the ‘PIPA Pacific Island Player’s Player of the Year’ award.

Drought-stricken Pacific nations to brace for likely disease

Disaster officials in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga have reported this week that the situation is already bad and they are expecting it to get worse.

Australian agricultural scientist, Mike Bourke says remote areas such as those in Vanuatu's south, worst affected by Cyclone Pam, will need attention, particularly with treatment of disease.

New Zealand beat Tonga 47-9

Tonga were arguably the better side early on, dominating the breakdown and scrum and forcing a host of penalties.

However, Ben Smith and prop Tony Woodcock both scored first-half tries to give the All Blacks breathing space.

Nehe Milner-Skudder scored twice before Sonny Bill Williams, Sam Cane and Ma'a Nonu applied some second-half gloss.

The permutations

UN draws attention to death penalty law in Pacific nations

Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty, but execution has yet to be abolished in Tonga, Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

The death penalty was revived in PNG in 2013, but was put under review in May without being implemented.

Tonga prepare to tackle the All Blacks

Losses to Georgia and Argentina have all but ended the Ikale Tahi's hopes of making the knockout rounds.

A bonus-point victory against the defending champions would keep alive Tonga's faint hopes of reaching the quarter finals.

NZ on brink of U20 World Cup berth as Tonga eye first win

The Junior Football Ferns have scored 59 unanswered goals in big wins against Tonga, New Caledonia and Vanuatu at the Oceania Championship in Nuku'alofa, and have a maximum nine points with one match remaining.

Samoa will move to seven points if they can beat Vanuatu this afternoon, which would set up a final round decider against New Zealand, who have a bye today.

However a draw would leave them four points adrift of the leaders, gifting the title to New Zealand.

MSG chair highlight West Papua issue at UNGA

Sogavare's statement is the second statement from the Pacific that has raised concerns of human rights violations in West Papua, with emphasis for the UN to intervene.

Tongan Prime Minister this week also highlighted humanrights abuses facing people of West Papua.

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister informed  UNGA on the developments at the MSG and the Pacific Islands Forum, including the plea to Indonesia to accept unrestricted access to a possible mission of a fact finding mission to West Papua.