Bougainville MP dies, PNG's Marape criticised for trip, and rugby chief takes blame for record loss
Bougainville President pays tribute to deceased MP
North Bougainville MP William Nakin died at the Port Moresby General Hospital on Tuesday.
Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama said he's saddened the autonomous region has lost another Bougainvilliean leader in the Papua New Guinea parliament.
William Nakin Photo: PNG Government
Toroama said Nakin's death has come at a crucial time for PNG and Bougainville as the whole nation concentrates on the General Election currently underway.
Nakin - a member of the National Alliance party - was the second Bougainville MP in the 10th Parliament to die while in office. The first was Central Bougainville MP Sam Akoitai.
Before entering politics in 2017, Nakin was a businessman and elder of the Catholic church in Bougainville.
"Nakin was guided by his business acumen to deliver services effectively to the people of North Bougainville," Toroama said.
"In the last five years, he contributed immensely to infrastructure development in North Bougainville, prioritising primary healthcare and education as the core of his development programmes."
Nakin's death brings to 10, the number of MPs who have died during this term of Parliament.
Namah rebukes PM for overseas trip during election
Papua New Guinea's opposition leader Belden Namah has criticised the country's caretaker prime minister for attending the Pacific Islands Forum summit when the country is in the midst of an election.
Namah said it was morally wrong for James Marape to take an overseas trip during an election that he says is fast becoming the worst in the country's history.
He said Marape cannot represent PNG when he is only the re-elected MP for Tari-Pori, which was the first seat to be announced in the poll, in which voting is likely to continue through into next week.
New Caledonia has monkeypox case
New Caledonia has recorded its first case of monkeypox.
Territory health authorities said the individual in question consulted a general practitioner for a skin rash and was then referred to the hospital for further examination.
They said contacts of this case have been identified and been given instructions to prevent further transmission of the virus.
They said they had prepared for the introduction of the virus in New Caledonia and given doctors the protocol to deal with it.
Vaccines are expected to arrive soon.
New subvariants found in American Samoa
The number of covid cases continues to increase in American Samoa.
The Department of Health reports there were 344 new cases in the week ending July 10, an increase of 27.
Health officials report that new, more transmissible subvariants BA 4 and BA 5.1 of the omicron variant have been identified among people arriving from Hawai'i and the LBJ hospital reports an increase in covid patients.
The new cases takes the total number in American Samoa to 7,143. Of those, 531 are active.
Theres also been a surge in covid cases in Manu'a.
Fifty-three new cases were recorded in the eastern group of islands, where there is now a total of 76 active cases.
French Polynesia leader unhappy with vote of no confidence
French Polynesia's president Edouard Fritch has taken issue with the territory's three members of the French National Assembly voting for a no confidence motion in the French government.
In a statement, Fritch said he didn't raise the matter when he met the three in Papeete but would like them to overcome political divisions in order to defend the higher interests of French Polynesia.
The motion to oust prime minister Elisabeth Borne was defeated but he said their voting record won't help French Polynesia's dialogue with the French government.
Last month, the three members of the pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira party, Moetai Brotherson, Steeve Chailloux and Tematai Le Gayic, won the territory's three seats in Paris by defeating the three candidates of Mr Fritch's ruling Tapura Huiraatira party.
Naikore scores hat-trick as Fiji wins its second tournament match
Vitalina Naikore scored a hat-trick as Fiji recorded its second win in the Oceania Women's Rugby Championship in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Fijiana defeated Tonga 34-7.
Naikore opened the scoring for the side in the 10th minute for a 5-0 lead.
Tonga hit back after Fijiana winger Kolora Lomani was sinbinned for foul play, seeing captain Mele Hufanga scoring a converted try for a 7-5 lead.
But Fiji hit back with a second try to Naikore just two minutes later seeing the national side lead 10-7 at the break.
Fijiana dominated the second spell with Naikore completing a hat-trick.
PNG rugby head accepts blame for record loss
Papua New Guinea Rugby Union president Paul Siwi has accepted the blame for the national team's 152-nil thrashing by Fiji in their Oceania Rugby Women's Championship opener on Saturday.
The defeat is a world record in international rugby among both men and women.
The clash in Auckland, New Zealand, saw Fijiana score 22 unanswered tries.
Siwi told The National the hammering is an indication that all of PNG's unions need to work harder to improve the standard of the code.
He said it should be noted that the Cassowaries are amateurs who play casual rugby and they played against what was effectively a professional Super Rugby outfit.
PNG's final game is against Tonga at Massey Park, Auckland on Sunday.