Hospital staff in Niue isolate; Pacific Islands Forum summit communiqué released; another New Caledonia independence figure rejects Paris talks; and more.
Foou Hospital in Niue Photo: Supplied/ Dr Penny McAllum
Hospital staff in Niue isolating, border cases stand at 29
Niue Foou Hospital has been identified as a location of interest due to connections with Covid-19 infections.
The government of Niue said some close contacts identified at the hospital were staff members.
They were stood down from work and were self-isolating.
The number of Covid-19 cases recorded at the border since March stood at 29 on Tuesday. There were two new cases, making a total of six active cases.
The hospital remained open.
The self-isolating staff would be be regularly tested and could return to work after medical clearance.
Pacific Islands Forum summit communiqué released
The Pacific Islands Forum has released the official Leaders' Meeting communiqué today.
The outcomes statement was endorsed by 16 Pacific countries, except Kiribati, which quit the forum summit, and the Marshall Islands.
The Marshall Islands did not attend the annual meeting due to a domestic political impasse which prevented it from participating at the forum summit.
The country leaders and representatives who attended the summit in Suva declared that the region was facing a climate emergency.
US donates Covid-19 vaccines to Kiribati
The United States has donated nearly 20,000 Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to Kiribati.
The virus has been rapidly spreading within the small island nation's community.
This shipment was second tranche of a total of 53,820 Pfizer doses promised by the US and donated through the World Health Organisation's COVAX programme.
New Caledonia's Palika Party rejects French plan for Paris talks
New Caledonia's pro-independence Palika party has joined the Caledonian Union in rejecting talks that have been announced by France's interior ministry, and are to be held in Paris in September.
The ministry called a meeting of the signatories to the 1998 Noumea Accord as France plans to draw up a new statute for New Caledonia, following last December's referendum that saw a majority of voters opt to remain French.
Palika spokesman Charles Washetine said the French state had abandoned any notion of impartiality and wanted to impose such talks amid pressure from the political right.
The head of the Caledonian Union Daniel Goa said his side would not go to Paris, describing the proposed talks as a sham and adding that if any talks were to go ahead, they would have to be held in New Caledonia and about ways to give the territory its sovereignty.
He also said any talks would be bilateral ones between his side and Paris, meaning that they would not involve New Caledonia's anti-independence parties.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin had earlier announced a visit to Noumea before the end of next week, but the trip was reportedly cancelled until after the September talks.
The anti-independence camp welcomed Darmanin's proposed talks to conclude the process set out in the Noumea Accord.
US embassy planned for Tonga will ease travel hurdles
Plans to establish a US embassy in Tonga have come as a relief to many Tongans who travel to the US.
A US embassy in Tonga meant travellers would no longer be required to submit visa applications to the US embassy in Fiji.
Retired Tongan MP Lord Fusitu'a said the move would bring huge relief to families wanting to visit relatives in the US - home to more than 70,000 members of the Tongan diaspora.