PINA

Cook Islands has earned a direct entry into the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament in Qatar in March after Tonga pulled out following the large volcanic eruption and tsunami which struck the island nation on 15 January. The national team was scheduled to play Tonga in the qualifiers match for a place in the group stage of the competition...

Current and former WHO staff are seeking an investigation and decision from WHO's executive board, raising fundamental questions over the leadership of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) director, Dr Takeshi Kasai. They claim his leadership style has impacted the work culture of the regional office so much that it has affected COVID-19 delivery to the...

Humanitarian aid to Tonga is ramping up after the airport was cleared of ash, making it safe for planes to land, the Red Cross said on Wednesday, days after a volcanic eruption and tsunami devastated the South Pacific archipelago. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that with the extra supplies, its staff and volunteers...

Authorities in Tonga are working with local telecommunications companies to expand network capacity in the kingdom following a volcanic eruption and tsunami. Three people were killed in the disaster which has impacted tens of thousands in Tonga. Water, food and shelter are still the priority in the recovery with at least 150 people from the most affected outer islands relocated to...

Tongans on the ground are doing what they can to help one another in the wake of the volcano disaster. Director of Tonga's Women and Children's Crisis Centre Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki said the country has avoided a “bigger chaos” by keeping COVID-19 at bay so far. “We're taking precautions because we have very limited health resources,” she said. “We could have had a...

The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional US$2.5 million in humanitarian assistance to support people affected by volcanic eruptions and tsunami waves in Tonga. On 15 January, Tonga’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano began erupting. A strong second eruption triggered tsunami waves that reached Tonga and many other Pacific Island countries. The eruptions...

Marian Tukuafu couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the damage a huge tsunami wreaked on her once-pristine beachfront resort on Tonga's main island. “It's like a bomb hit this place, it's like a war zone,” Tukuafu told Pacific Beat. She managed to evacuate Vakaloa Beach Resort on the western coast of Tongatapu moments before the tsunami hit on 15 January. While...

The global rugby family is uniting to support those affected by the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami that hit Tonga. With homes damaged or destroyed by the initial blast and ensuing tsunami and fresh drinking water, agricultural production and public services disrupted by layers of volcanic ash and salt water dumped on the Pacific Island nation, rugby’s major stakeholders have...

Papua New Guinea Hunters coach Matthew Church has named his final 26-man squad. This means four players from the 30-man pre-season training squad will be released while the selected players will depart on Friday for the Gold Coast, where they will be based in the Runaway Bay. This pre-season, the ninth of the South Pacific Brewery-sponsored club, has seen the highest...

Uncertainty surrounds Australia's latest aid mission to Tonga, after almost two dozen personnel on a navy ship carrying humanitarian supplies to the country tested positive to COVID-19. Australia and several other countries are sending crucial supplies to Tonga in the wake of last week's huge volcanic eruption and tsunami, but the Pacific Island nation is determined to remain COVID-free and...