Lord Fusitu'a proposes Bitcoin as legal tender in Tonga
A bill to make Bitcoin a legal tender in Tonga has been proposed by Tongan noble Lord Fusitu'a.
The Lord suggests that the use of cryptocurrency would benefit Tonga by significantly reducing the costs associated with transferring remittance payments.
Noble representative,Lord Fusitu'a Photo: RNZ Pacific/Koro Vaka'uta
According to Lord Fusitu'a up to 30 percent of remittances are lost to transfer and currency exchange fees charged by intermediaries. This amounts to over US$70 million.
"30 percent is game changing because that's a third of your wage, that's the difference between your kids going to school with breakfeast or without breakfeast. So the US$70 million, that 30 percent that used to go to Western Union, is now in our people's pockets, Fusitu'a said.
His proposed bill will go to Tonga's parliament to be tabled for discussion in September or October this year.
CNMI will receives funding boost for critical infrastructure
The CNMI will receive $4.6 million in funding from the United States Federal Government to pay for critical infrastructure needs and a total of US$24 million in a five-year period.
In a funding packing the CNMI, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico will receive US$219 million in infrastructure funds in the 2022 fiscal year.
This funding comes under the Biden Administration's US$1.14-billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to repair and rebuild roads and bridges across the U.S. including its territories.
Fiji Drua and Melbourne Rebels game moved to the Sunshine Coast
The Fiji Drua's Super Rugby Pacific game against the Melbourne Rebels on Friday night has been moved to the Sunshine Coast.
The Drua were to play their third game in the competition at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium but heavy rain flooded dressing rooms and other parts of the Stadium.
Drua, who were to host the match, made a decision to move the game to Sunshine Coast Stadium in Kawana.
The Stadium's capacity is a boutique 11,000 capacity, those fans who had purchased tickets to Suncorp were being offered full refunds.
Moana Pasifika look forward to Crusaders game
Moana Pasifika are set to kick off their Super Rugby debut against the Crusaders this Friday at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
The team has yet to play a game in the competition, after they missed the first two rounds when several players tested positive for Covid-19.
Both players and management spent ten days in self-isolation at a Queenstown hotel.
Moana Pasifika halfback Ereatara Enari said the last two weeks have been a challenging time for the team as they recover from physical inactivity.
"It's been a big process of making sure our bodies are healthy, coming out of isolation, weaning ourselves back into training so that we are game ready by Friday, but really looking forward to our Friday game."
Samoan man joins "Say No To Russian Vodka" on social media
A circus ringmaster in Samoa, Tupa'i Bruno Loyale, has called for a nationwide ban on drinking Russian vodka and he wants other Pacific islands to join the campaign as a protest against Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Recent protest campaigns on Facebook against the Russian invasion, from around the world, have included videos of people emptying bottles of Russian vodka.
The Samoa Observer reports Tupa'i started his campaign on Facebook this week when he posted a flyer titled "Say No To Russian Vodka".
Tupa'i - who owns Magic Circus of Samoa - is asking vodka drinkers to check the bottle before buying as a simple way to show support for the people of Ukraine.
Samoa's Nafanua II remains in dry dock in Australia
Questions have been raised in Australia over the fate of the damaged multi-million dollar patrol boat, Nafanua II which is now in dry dock in Cairns.
The patrol boat remains "high and dry" at Portsmith shipyard allegedly "amid an international stalemate about who is going to pick up a multi-million-dollar repair bill."
An Australia Defence spokesman is quoted by the Samoa Observer saying that Samoan authorities had been provided with an assessment of the damage but he did not say if the Australian taxpayers would pay the bill.
Samoa Minister of Police, Faualo Harry Schuster, told the Samoa Observer that government was still awaiting a report from Australia on the Nafanua II maintenance status.
The Nafanua II was donated by the Australian Government in 2019 through the $2 billion Pacific Maritime Security Program after being built in Western Australia.
Air France increases flights between Paris and Tahiti
Air France is increasing the number of flights between Paris and French Polynesia from three to five a week.
The carrier's head in Tahiti said the past two years have shown the need to be reactive to the global environment, especially the Covid-19 pandemic.
The increased frequency is also aimed at helping the territory's economic recovery with tourism in particular badly hit by the pandemic.
Before the outbreak, the airline had an occupancy of above 90 percent despite other airlines, such as French Bee and United Airlines, entering the Tahiti market.
The US briefly suspended flights from Europe, which prompted Air France to reroute its Tahiti-bound flights via Canada.
Air France has meanwhile suspended flights from Paris to Tokyo because of the war in Ukraine, thereby cutting its airlink to New Caledonia.
Aircalin provides the connection between Tokyo and Noumea, which is being maintained.