Pacific - slavery
The UN Pacific coordinator on Drugs and Crime says the Pacific remains a transit point for human trafficking.
Rebecca Miller attended the Pacific Regional Forum on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants conference in Fiji last week.
Dr Miller said covid-19 has exacerbated the crisis in the Pacific.
She said the Pacific remained a transit point for human trafficking, particularly in the fisheries industry, in which modern slavery was prevalent.
A 2022 US report classes countries based on their efforts to eliminate human trafficking, and in the Pacific, only Australia was granted Tier 1 status.
According to the report, New Zealand, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu were all Tier 2 nations. That means that while they did not meet the minimum standards they were making efforts to get there.
Papua New Guinea, Palau and Tonga failed to meet the standards and continue to have significant human trafficking issues.
PNG - school violence
A reconciliation ceremony was due to be held after the stoning of a Papua New Guinea primary school principal.
The school was suspended after the headteacher reported the incident to the district education manager John Chipet.
Chipet ordered the suspension of all classes until the suspects were caught and handed over to police.
The Post Courier reports the community resolved to assist police arrest the suspects.
Wau police station commander Senior Inspector Peter Yambun said the two suspects were released from police cells after the head teacher withdrew the charges.
He said the suspects were to attend the peace and reconciliation meeting at the school grounds on Thursday to say sorry to all the teachers and the community.
Marianas - cutbacks
Photo: Mark Rabago
Cuts in work hours for Executive Branch employees has begun in the Northern Marianas.
The 72-hour-per-fortnight work schedule is being implemented by the new administration of Governor Arnold Palacios to soften the blow of the previous administration's alleged overspending.
It will take effect until the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
Under the cost-cutting directive, Executive Branch departments, offices, and activities will shut down every other Monday from April 24.
Those affected are employees whose personnel costs were funded in whole or in part by federal American Rescue Plan Act funds or local revenues.
It will not affect emergency workers or those involved in healthcare and public safety.
Tonga - human rights
The state of human rights in Tonga is to be examined by the UN Human Rights Council next week.
Tonga's Foreign Minister Fekitamoeloa 'Utoikamanu will attend the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human RIghts Council's HQ in Geneva.
Serving as rapporteurs for the review are representatives from Benin, the Czech Republic and the Maldives.
Reports from all parties including independent stakeholders will be discussed at the meeting.
Vanuatu - food security
The Department of Biosecurity in Vanuatu will soon buy coconut rhinoceros beetles as part of a new campaign to control its spread for the sake of food security.
The Cash for Beetle campaign will encourage locals to collect adult and larvae beetles in exchange for cash payments.
Armstrong Sam, director of the Department of Biosecurity, emphasised the impact the beetle can have on Vanuatu's economy and food security, saying the pest not only destroys the tropical island scenery, but also affects the livelihoods of farmers and the general public.
Vanuatu's economy is primarily agricultural, as 80 percent of the population is engaged in farm activities that range from subsistence farming to smallholder farming of coconuts and other cash crops.
Cook Islands - cyclones
The Cook Islands government is topping up a local fundraising effort for Vanuatu by $NZ10,000 following the twin cyclone disaster earlier this year.
Locals raised just over $5,000, with the government's contribution that takes the total number of funds to be sent by Cook Islands to Vanuatu for the ongoing relief effort to $15,000.
Prime Minister Mark Brown said his country is a small island state just like Vanuatu and understands how stretched resources get when disaster strikes.