Pacific Games Mascot Photo: sol2023.com.sb
Solomon Islands - operation
Solomon Islands police have run an operation to crack down on crime hotspots ahead of the Pacific Games in Honiara.
Police say officers have conducted awareness talks to certain locations at Kukum, Bahai and Honiara Central Market.
Provincial police commander Jimson Robo said two suspects have been arrested during the operation for possession of illegal drugs.
Pacific - COP28
Priorities for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at COP28 have been discussed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Samoa prime minister and Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) chair Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa said a strong plan of action for survival is needed right now.
She said they need much greater mitigation ambition from the international community.
Fiamē also said the loss and damage fund, discussed at COP27, must be operationalised and fit for purpose for SIDS "as communities most vulnerable to climate change".
Northern Marianas - tax
In the Northern Marianas, a number of taxes are set to come in.
The Senate and the House of Representatives have passed the Financial Year 2024 Appropriations Act, which now goes to the desk of the governor.
The Marianas Variety reports the House and the Senate also agreed on "revenue generating" measures.
These include a tobacco tax increase, a sugar sweetened beverage tax, a container tax, a betel nut tax, and a construction tax.
Federated States of Micronesia - diseases
The Chuuk State Department of Health is continuing its mass screening for diseases including tuberculosis (TB).
Screening will continue until Weno Island and major lagoon islands are completed in October.
As of August 12, the health department's TB and Leprosy-Free screening teams had completed screening for more than 9,600 people.
Of these, 136 people were referred for treatment of active TB. 1,800 people were found to have sleeping or latent TB.
More than 6000 of those screened have taken medication to prevent leprosy.
Hawaii - schools
Schools impacted by wildfires in the town of Lahaina will be reopened next month.
The state's governor Josh Green has announced a timeline for the return of intermediate and high school students.
Green said temporary classrooms are being used for the students as permanent buildings are constructed.
"We have to provide our students an education and get them back to school because that's among the most normal things for our kids to do...to go to school, to see they're friends," he said.
Guam - lawsuit
The United States has agreed to pay Guam $US48.9 million for historical costs to clean up and close the Ordot dump.
The Pacific Daily News reports the Guam government had filed a lawsuit, asking the federal court to order the Navy to pay Guam's past and future costs in connection with the dump, which Guam says includes hazardous materials.
A 12-page partial consent decree was approved by a federal judge this week.
The dump was created before World War II, when the US owned and controlled Guam under a naval government.
It was transferred to the local government in 1950, but the military continued to dump waste there until the 1970s, the GovGuam complaint states. The military dumped hazardous chemicals there, including DDT and Agent Orange, according to GovGuam.
The dump was closed in August 2011 because of Clean Water Act violations, and Guam now uses the Layon landfill for its solid waste.