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Cook Islands - obesity
A recent study on worldwide trends in underweight and obesity has revealed Cook Islands has the highest recorded childhood obesity rate.
Over 30 percent of children have obesity there.
Secretary for Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health, Bob Williams, said the statistics are concerning.
Williams told Cook Islands News screening done last year for schools on Rarotonga and the Southern Group Islands mirrored the recent statistics.
He said main causes are sugary drinks and processed or unhealthy food.
Vanuatu - vessels
Half of the 12 fishing vessels boarded by Vanuatu ship riders on a 6-day maritime surveillance were found to be in breach of fisheries laws.
The ship riders were working with the US Coast Guard.
The Vanuatu Daily Post reports the violations were noted for penalisation.
Inspector Bianca Simeon of the Vanuatu Police Force's Maritime Wing said onboard inspections were a novel experience, offering insights into the inspection procedures for fishing boats, document reviews, and card checks.
USP - ballots
Members of the Association of University of the South Pacific Staff and USP Staff Union have cast their secret ballots for industrial action at campuses around Fiji on Wednesday.
Association of USP Staff General Secretary, Rosalia Fatiaki said the last triennium salary adjustment was in 2018, and the USP staff are missing out on salary adjustments for 2 trienniums (2019-2021) and (2022-2024).
She told fijivillage.com with the high cost of living, salaries must be adjusted correctly to maintain decent livelihoods.
She said the union also demands that the salaries be backdated to 2019.
A mandate for strike action will only be achieved with over 50 percent of the members voting for strike.
Northern Marianas - workforce
The Northern Marianas Senate president says the territory stands to lose a chunk of its employed workforce if a specific work visa access category is discontinued.
Marianas Variety reports Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero has written to Carmen Cantor from the US Department of the Interior on the subject.
Deleon Guerrero wrote to express her support for the CNMI Department of Labour's application for a research grant.
She said the proposal to gather and analyse data on foreign workforce population will provide tools for addressing the loss of labour force in the business sector, when the CNMI-Only Transitional Worker program ends in December 2029.
If it is not renewed by the US Congress, CNMI employers must hire foreign workers through the other federal visa processes.
Northern Marianas - environment
The Northern Marianas government is raising concerns about plans by the National Marine Fisheries Service's limit activities in some parts of the territory where corals are threated.
The CNMI government said the proposed designation would impact coastal infrastructure projects.
Governer Arnold Palacios also said the cultural and historical ties the CNMI island communities have with the surrounding waters and its resources are undisputable.
He said the coastal infrastructure is to support people's quality of life.
The proposal to save the critical coral habitat will affect the islands' commercial harbour facilities and channels, small boat marinas, shoreline protection structures, and municipal wastewater outfalls.
Palacios said coastal infrastructure is more critical to the island community's well-being then the designation of habitat to save what is a geographically wide-ranging threatened coral species.
Papua New Guinea/ Australia - deported
An alleged Australian child sex offender who breached his bail condition and crossed the border illegally into Papua New Guinea has been deported back to Australia.
The Post-Courier reported western provincial police commander superintendent Gedion Kauke said police in Daru with the assistance of Australian Federal Police arrested the person of interest last month.
The man was detained at the Daru police station.
Kauke said a background check revealed he is accused of being a repeat child sex offender in Brisbane.
He had been released on bail on a condition that he would not leave Australia.
Tonga - scam
A man has been jailed for running a Facebook car scam which brought in more than US$100,000.
Filimone To'aho was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for eight charges of receiving money by false pretences.
The court heard he had repaid just over $11,000 pa'anga, but more than $230,000 remained outstanding.
Matangi Tonga reports Acting Lord Chief Justice Tupou saying the defendant obtained the complainants' trust and money by falsely advertising vehicles, and engaged in making false promises.
The victim impact statements say they experienced anxiety, mental and emotional stress from not receiving the vehicles or re-imbursement of funds paid, and the false promises they were fed by the defendant.
Palau/US - navy
US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro has visited Palau to discuss strengthening the strategic partnership between the two nations.
The Island Times reports he met with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr and US Ambassador Joel Ehrendreich.
Secretary Del Toro said Whipps is a persistent supporter of the US-Palau relationship, which directly supports a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
He said the United States remains committed to Palau's national security.
Del Toro thanked President Whipps for supporting US Navy Seabee and Marine Corps engineering projects in Palau.