Fijian police in court, new flights to LA from Tahiti, and clerks unhappy with mainland nomination
Fijian officers charged with serious offences
Fijian police officers continue to feature prominently in the statistics for serious criminal offences in the country.
Data released by Fiji's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions shows 10 policemen were charged for 13 serious crimes by the High Court during July.
The charges range from burglary and theft, to assault causing grievous bodily harm, to multiple cases of careless driving, criminal trespass, breach of domestic violence restraining orders, and disorderly conduct.
Between January and July 2022, 464 people have been charged for serious criminal offences in Fiji - 51 of them or about 11 percent have been police officers.
New route between Tahiti and California
Delta Air Lines has announced the launch of flights from Los Angeles to Tahiti in December, but it is yet to get the approval from the French Polynesian government.
Photo: AFP
The carrier said it would be flying three times a week, thereby becoming the fourth airline to link California with French Polynesia.
Observers say Tahiti's airport already experiences capacity constraints when two or three international flights arrive more or less at the same time.
There's also concern that there may not be enough accommodation in Tahiti to cope with an additional influx of travellers as tourism is booming after the pandemic-induced shutdown two years ago.
Questions are being raised about how Air Tahiti Nui, which is majority-owned by the government, can cope with more competition on the route between Los Angeles and Tahiti.
French Polynesian clerks object to appointment
Clerks to the court in French Polynesia have taken issue with the hiring of someone from mainland France.
The clerks of the courts in Papeete say the position should be filled through a local selection process.
In June, they were told that the wife of high-ranking French military officer would be appointed for a two-year period.
Radio 1 reports that the clerks' union had raised its objections with both the French justice ministry and the French Polynesian government, but had not received a reply.
The clerks have how met a local member of the French National Assembly, Tematai Le Gayic.
Another Assembly member, Moetai Brotherson, said he would will raise the employment question with the French justice minister, Eric Dupont-Moretti.
O'Neill's backing for progressive candidates
Former Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, said his People's National Congress is prepared to back any MP with the vision to lead the country out of its current chaos.
The NBC reports O'Neill having said he is willing to give 100 percent support to someone who can pull the nation together and take it forward from the economic and social chaos, which he blames on the current James Marape government.
He said the poll, now into its last stages, has magnified the levels of violence, hatred, and unfairness in PNG society.
O'Neill said it's time for a leader to step forward who can bring peace and enact clear policies.