The Vanuatu Supreme Court building in Port Vila. Photo: RNZI / Jamie Tahana
Vanuatu convicts four Bangladeshis for trafficking and slavery
Vanuatu's Supreme Court has convicted four Bangladeshis for what's understood to be the biggest human trafficking and slavery case in Vanuatu and the region.
The four men have been found guilty of a range of charges including trafficking, slavery, money laundering and assault.
A 485-page verdict details how 102 Bangladeshis were deceived into going to Vanuatu for work several years ago as well as the abusive treatment they received in inadequate living conditions.
Two of the convicted men were proprietors of the Mr Price home and furniture store in Port Vila.
The victims worked long hours with little breaks, often under threat of punishment - lured to Vanuatu by the four men and their agents in Bangladesh.
They were denied freedom of movement, through coercion, threat of violence and sometimes physical assault.
Social media confusing Bougainvilleans about Covid, says NGO
The director of Bougainville's Women's Development Agency says social media is confusing people about Covid-19.
The autonomous Bougainville region went into lockdown on Monday for 14 days after a surge in covid cases, including a number of deaths.
Accordsing to Helen Hakena, people are angry they cannot attend church services; there are stories circulating of dozens with Covid in Buka hospital, and many people are claiming they are being misled.
She said some people were more scared of the vaccine than the virus, adding that there was a lot of misinformation through social media, and that the government needed to act.
"Like I know why this lockdown is on, but the people in the villages need to be informed well. They need correct information from the authorities. Social media is not assisting people in making good decisions."
CNMI posts 9 more Covid cases; 7 from local spread
The Northern Marianas has recorded nine new positive cases of Covid-19, taking the total number to 360 since the territory recorded its first case in March 28, 2020.
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation and the Covid-19 Task Force said the individuals were identified and confirmed through travel testing and contact tracing at the weekend. The individuals have been isolated and are being actively monitored.
Since three students were found positive in late October, breaking the CNMI's run of pver half a year without any new cases, there have been 69 new cases, of which 53 were identified via contact tracing. 10 were identified via community testing, and six were identified via travel testing.
Meanwhile, the CHCC said contact tracing and investigation appeared to show that clusters of new community cases of Covid were concentrated in households with children who were still ineligible to receive a vaccine.
To this end, Governor Ralph Torres wants the Healthcare Corp to expedite the vaccination process for children under this category now that they have started giving Pfizer-BioNTech shots to children in the 5 to 11 age group.
Positive case in American Samoa now in isolation
The new positive Covid-19 case in American Samoa is now in isolation.
The recent case, the 5th recorded at the Terroitory's border, was a passenger on the November 1 Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu.
The person was the only one who tested positive among the 262 passengers on the flight, all are in quarantine.
The Director of Health Motusa Tuileama Nua confirmed the traveller tested positive on day three after arrival.
As with the first four positive coronavirus cases, the person was fully vaccinated and is asymptomatic.
Fortescue focus on green energy and hydrogen in PNG
The Australian company, Fortescue Future Industries, is to do feasibility studies for green energy and hydrogen projects in Papua New Guinea.
Business Advantage PNG reports a deal has been signed with the PNG Government for feasibility studies on up to seven hydropower projects and 11 geothermal energy projects.
Fortescue says the aim is to generate renewable electricity to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia.
This, it says, would create a significant new domestic energy and export industry for PNG.
PNG's Prime Minister James Marape says this will help with his government's initiative to promote green energy by 2030 and transition into a carbon neutral country by 2050.