PNG's Police Commissioner calls for calm
Papua New Guinea Commissioner of Police David Manning has called for calm following the discovery of a missing senior constable's body.
Commissioner Manning addressed media over the weekend after senior officers visited Senior Constable Nelson Kalimda's family to inform them of his death.
David Manning Photo: PNG PM Media
He appealed for calm and to put off any response or protest, as nothing would be achieved by more violence.
He directed all uniformed personnel to show restraint and let the law take its course.
Commissioner Manning said investigations are being led by some of the most capable officers in the Police Force to bring swift justice upon those involved in the death.
Police have made two arrests so far and there are four other persons of interest that are the subject of an ongoing search.
Registration of voters for Fiji's 2022 General Election closes
Registration of voters for Fiji's 2022 General Election closed at 6pm on Monday, and interest has been high.
Mai TV reports Supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem saying the snap voter registration drive had yielded 11,980 engagements by the Fijian Elections Office.
Out of these, there were 1,219 new registrations and 10,761 who had upgraded their Voter Cards.
Provisional updated voter numbers are expected to be released shortly.
Meanwhile, Saneem said they have an alternative plan should adverse weather disrupt polling, as cyclone season has started.
Fiji Met projects two to three cyclones are likely to pass through Fiji's exclusive economic zone in the November to April season, with one to two likely to reach the severe category.
Cook Islands PM leads delegation to COP27
The Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown is leading a delegation to Egypt this week for the United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP27.
This COP meeting is to focus on the implementation of the Paris Agreement, which is seeking to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The agreement includes support for the Green Climate Fund, a fund set up to help countries like the Cook Islands build resilience against climate change.
Brown said while the pandemic prevented the Cooks from attending last year it is important for its voice to be heard.
Fijian activist calls for united front at COP27
A Fijian activist and political advisor for Diverse Voices and Action is calling for assertiveness at this month's COP27 climate talks.
Islands Business reports Noelene Nabulivou was speaking during the Pacific Climate Justice Summit.
Nabulivou told representatives to be ready to stand their ground, and be still and unmoving against the tide, 'even if that tide is really loud and is really working against us'.
She said sometimes a united voice means that you can also genuinely, assertively be angry.
This year's summit brought together key actors from grassroot communities to development partners to exchange ideas that will once again amplify the needs of the Pacific.
We've done it many times, and we can do it at COP27, she said
French Polynesia: Covid-19 patient in intensive care
A Covid-19 patient in French Polynesia is in intensive care as the territory reports 23 active cases.
The pandemic's latest wave faded away two months ago, with six new infections being recorded in the past three days.
Two people with the virus are in hospital.
Just under 82 percent of people 12 years of age and older are vaccinated with at least two jabs.
World Bank says Solomon Islands needs to undergo fiscal reforms
Solomon Islands has been warned by the World Bank that its debt levels will become "unsustainable" if it does not undergo fiscal reforms.
The World Bank has issued the warning amid financial concerns surrounding the Solomon Islands, a country set to stage the Pacific Games for the first-time next year.
Inside the Games reports several countries have already stepped in to support Solomon Islands' efforts to host the Pacific Games next year, with significant support coming from China and Australia in particular.
But the nation's economic situation continues to look bleak, with fears public debt could reach 35 per cent of gross domestic product by 2026, unless action is taken.
According to a report by Reuters, the World Bank has urged Solomon Islands to make changes to its tax system and ensure public spending is more effective to avoid plunging deeper into the financial mire.
The guidance from the World Bank was welcomed by McKinnie Detana, undersecretary for the Minister of Finance and Trade in Solomon Islands.
He said they know they can expect a decline in logging revenues and identifying ways to diversify the country's income is a key focus of this Government.
Intern doctors take strike action at public hospital in Noumea
Some of New Caledonia's intern doctors in the emergency care sector are on strike over proposed social security reforms in France.
The latest five-day action began on Friday and follows a stoppage two weeks earlier.
Interns at the public hospital in Noumea say they object to the proposed addition of a fourth year to the bonded service, which would extend a doctor's training period to ten years.
They say the change is not about improving medical services but about saving money because they would be doing a doctor's job while being kept on an intern's pay.
The interns say stress is high among them, with figures in France showing every 18 days a medical intern commits suicide.
Concern in French Polynesia over shipping services
There is concern in French Polynesia shipping services will become costlier and slower over global efforts to decarbonise the industry.
From 2025, the size of cargo vessels travelling between Europe and Tahiti will have to be increased to comply with regulations by the International Maritime Organisation aimed at reducing emissions.
About 40 percent of French Polynesia's imports will be affected because for the larger container ships, the passage into the port of Papeete is not deep enough.
A$US50 million debt won't allow the port company to get more funds before 2027 to dig a larger passage, raising the specter of an end to the direct link to Europe.
As an alternative, freight could be shipped from Europe to Australia and New Zealand and then transferred onto smaller vessels to enter Papeete port.
While this adds to the shipping costs, it is expected to increase transport times from about 30 days to 50.
Locals on remote CNMI islands get the opportunity to vote
The Northern Marianas will be spending an estimated $US20,000 so eight voters in the remote Northern Islands can have their say in the general election.
Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Kayla Igitol said they will get four votes from Alamagan and four from Agrihan.
The election team will charter a boat to reach the islands.
She said spending thousands of dollars to get fewer than 10 votes from the Northern Islands has never been an issue because "there is no price tag on democracy."
Dates set for Oceania continental senior championships
The Oceania Weightlifting Federation Congress has set the dates for the next two continental senior championships, which feature in the qualifying programme for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The 2023 Oceania Championships will run concurrently with the Pacific Games in Solomon Islands next November and December, and the 2024 Championships will be a few months later in Auckland at the end of February.
Meanwhile, Della Shaw Elder of Fiji was elected unopposed as the female vice-president on the Congress, a role which is required under the Constitution.
Marcus Stephen, the president, and Paul Coffa, secretary general, have been re-elected unopposed.
Simon Kent of New Zealand is the other new vice president.