Search for two people in New Caledonia abandoned
Police in New Caledonia have abandoned the search for two people swept away in a controlled release of water from a dam near Yate on Saturday.
The body of a 22-year-old woman was found but another woman of the same age and an eight-year-old child remain missing.
They were near a swimming hole inside an exclusion zone when they were caught up in the massive discharge of water.
The power company said the zone was checked before the water discharge.
There has been a public notice since 1996, banning access to the area below the dam.
SLN strikes deal with government
New Caledonia's SLN nickel company says it has struck a deal with the government, allowing it to export an additional two million tons of low-grade ore a year.
The company, which is the biggest private sector employer, has been pushing for an increase in the sale of such ore because it is not suitable for processing at its smelter in Noumea.
According to a statement from SLN, the company will in turn invest $US280 million.
It said this arrangement will maintain the 1,000 jobs at the plant and will create an additional 200 jobs mainly in the Northern Province.
It said these are in addition to the 360 jobs created since 2019.
In recent years, SLN kept incurring huge losses and risked insolvency because of lower nickel prices, but in recent months they rebounded sharply amid rising demand and low inventories.
Nickel accounts for almost 90 percent of New Caledonia's exports.
Bill to repeal controversial tax in Samoa to be discussed in Parliament
A bill to repeal Samoa's 2017 income tax amendment act requiring church ministers to pay income taxes on donations by church members, will be discussed in Parliament today.
The bill has been in parliamentary committee stages with the Bills Committee since it was tabled late last year.
Samoa's parliament Photo: RNZ Pacific /Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia
The amendment by the FAST party government follows an election promise that is credited with securing the vote of members of the Congregational Christian Church, and a pivotal part of the upset change of government.
A consultative meeting between the new government and all church denominations in Samoa last November confirmed they were all in favor of dumping the tax introduced by the former HRPP government.
The CCCS church ministers were the only ones who had boycotted the tax resulting in some ministers being taken to court.
Church ministers and the Head of State were the only people exempt from paying income taxes before the tax amendment.
Tonga expects three repatriation flights
Three repatriation flights are scheduled to arrive to Tonga today.
Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku confirmed that the flights from Australia, New Zealand and Fiji will arrive with more than 200 Tongan nationals.
All people arriving will be quarantined at the Tanoa Hotel in Nuku'alofa for 15 days.
UNICEF to support Solomon Islands in its Covid-19 fight
UNICEF is helping the Solomon Islands fight Covid-19 with vaccines and life-saving medical supplies.
The humanitarian aid group has delivered more than 209,420 doses of vaccines to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services through the COVAX Facility.
UNICEF Pacific Representative, Jonathan Veitch, said they hope to increase the vaccination rate, to protect about 720,000 people, including fifty per cent of who are children.
He said all provinces have been provided with rapid antigen test kits and other accessories for lab testing, as well as medicines, personal protective equipment as well as infection prevention and control supplies.
French keen for US to open a consulate in Tahiti
French Polynesia has suggested that the United States open a consulate in Papeete.
The proposal was made by the French Polynesian vice president Jean-Christophe Bouissou during the weekend regional videoconference with the US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Pacific Islands Forum leaders.
Mr Bouissou said this would strengthen links and the partnership with the US, which is a key source of visitors to French Polynesia
The US has an honorary consular agency in Punaauia in Tahiti which can deal with passport applications but has no authority to issue visas.
Last year, Australia opened a consulate in French Polynesia as Canberra continued to open more diplomatic missions in the Pacific.
China also has a consulate in Tahiti.
The film 'Oceans Apart - Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby' wins top prize at film festival in French Polynesia
A film about challenges facing Pacific rugby players has won the top prize as the 19th Pacific Documentary Film Festival in French Polynesia.
The film 'Oceans Apart - Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby' was produced by Tusitala Films of Britain and directed by Callum Drummond and Axel Haudiquet.
According to the jury, it was universally rated as the winning entry, which is being rewarded with a $US5,000 prize sponsored by France TV.
The documentary traces the plight of Pacific rugby players, featuring the efforts of Samoa's Dan Leo, who founded the support group Pacific Rugby Players Welfare.
Other films to win prizes include The Bowraville Murders by Australia's Allan Clark and The Island in Me, shot in the Cook Islands by Gemma Cubero Del Bario of Spain.