Cook Islands Prime Minister and Pacific Islands Forum chair Mark Brown, right, met with Saudi Arabia Minister for Tourism and Saudi Fund for Development chair Ahmed Al Khateeb and his delegation in Rarotonga on 10 November. Photo: Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Immigration
Pacific/Saudi Arabia - funding
Saudi Arabia has announced a US$50 million to kick-start the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF).
This was confirmed by Pacific Islands Forum chair and Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown after their meeting with forum dialogue partners on the sidelines of the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Cook Islands.
The difficulty of accessing global climate finance led to the creation of the facility.
The design of the PRF was influenced by two compelling issues: the need to address the extreme vulnerability of Pacific peoples caught in the climate emergency, and the burden of debt distress faced by Forum members.
In the Forum leaders' communiqué, Pacific leaders reaffirmed their support for the facility, recognising it as a Pacific-led, member-owned, and managed community resilience financing facility.
Tonga - fire
Two iconic buildings in central Nuku'alofa in Tonga were burnt to the ground on Sunday morning.
Tonga Fire and Emergency Services said there were no causalities when the Teta Tours and Loni Theatre buildings caught fire.
The buildings, on Wellington Road, have been landmarks in the area for over 60 years.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing and the Tonga Fire and Emergency Services has asked members of the public for information.
They have also warned that arson is a serious offence that maybe subject to imprisonment.
Tonga - anti-corruption
Tonga's judicial appointments and discipline panel is now calling for expressions of interest for the position of Tonga's Anti-Corruption Commissioner.
The panel is advertising the position, with applications to close at 12pm on 30 November.
To be eligible, applicants must hold or have held a high judicial office or have been qualified to practise as legal counsel in the Kingdom or in a Commonwealth country for at least 15 years and must have relevant experience.
The Anti-Corruption Commissioner has been in the pipeline in the last 15 years with Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku confirming last year that his government was serious about getting the position filled.
Cook Islands - brawl
Two nightclub staff members have been hospitalised with serious injuries in Rarotonga following a bar brawl.
The police service reported five men needed medical attention, two with stab wounds following the fight on 8 November.
A group of six males visiting from Australia were arrested and are facing a range of assault charges.
The group were in Rarotonga for a wedding and granted bail on last Friday, hours before the ceremony.
A seventh local man involved in the fight has been remanded in custody for his own safety.
The defendants will appear in court on Thursday.
Pacific - IUU
A multinational fisheries operation targeting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing identified 74 fishing vessels in the Pacific ocean.
Three of the boats identified were of interest for potential breaches of fishing regulations and reported to the Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
The international cooperation used aircraft, ships to cover 21.3 million sq/km of the exclusive economic zones of 15 Pacific Island member states and the adjacent high seas pockets.
The FFA-coordinated operation included New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States, Niue and Vanuatu.
Pacific/NZ - ship
A ship that provides medical services to remote Pacific islands has been struck with a NZ$300,000 bill after a problem was found with its tailshaft.
Youth with a Mission ship, YWAM Koha, which has two dental clinics on board, needs to be dry docked and repaired.
YWAM ships managing director Marty Emmett said the organisation can pay $100,000 but needed $200,000 in donations to cover the rest.
He said more than 5000 people living in isolated islands in Fiji have benefited from the ship in the past two years.