Fiji govt changes to the country's electoral laws
Fiji's opposition MPs are angry about the governments plans to make changes to the country's electoral laws before the 2022 elections.
The Fijian parliament is sitting for its last session this week and Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has introduced two bills to amend legislation that will increase the powers of the supervisor of elections.
Leader of the National Federation Party Biman Prasad Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
The bills are being fast-tracked through parliament standing order 51 and will be debated on Thursday.
National Federation Party leader Biman Prasad said the history of draconian electoral laws is well known in Fiji.
"This is a government that has continued to empower the Supervisor of Elections. The Supervisor of Elections is almost like a God now.
So many powers have been given to the Supervisor of Elections and a lot of the decisions that the Supervisor of Election makes cannot be even challenged in a court of law."
"Where in a democracy, are you going to have that? Prasad questions.
Tonga extends state of emergency
Tonga's Government has extended a state of emergency in the Kingdom by one month.
Tonga has been in a state of emergency since the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Volcano on January 15.
Current regulations include a night-time curfew and restricted areas.
The public has been banned from entering five settlements including four small islands.
Two new Covid cases on Niue
There are two new cases of Covid-19 in Niue taking the total number of active cases to ten.
All ten are border-linked Cases.
The Niue Broadcasting Corporation reports one is a student at Niue High School and another is a teacher at Niue Primary School.
In a statement, the High School has asked all students to study from home and not to come to school.
The country has not recorded community transmission so far in the pandemic.
70 cases have been recorded since March 2022 and 60 cases have recovered from the virus.
99.4 percent of the eligible population has been vaccinated with 93 percent having received a booster shot.
New covid cases in Yap State
Yap State, one of the four Federated States of Micronesia, has confirmed 197 new cases of covid-19.
Officials at Yap State Government say the youngest case was nine months old and the oldest was 83 and fully vaccinated. The latest numbers make up a third of the state's overall total of 599 cases.
In Micronesia, the states of Yap, Pohnpei, and Kosrae have no limitations on the number of disembarking passengers on any given flight, but those aged five and over must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The State of Chuuk remains Covid-free and will fully open on November 1, but all flights prior has a maximum of 66 passengers per flight, and those arriving can expect state-mandated quarantine.
Maritime Biodiversity Treaty yet to be finalised is disappointing says Puna
The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Henry Puna, said it's particularly disappointing that the world is yet to finalise a Maritime Biodiversity Treaty.
Negotiations conducted in recent days at the United Nations 5th Intergovernmental Conference to draft a treaty on biological diversity beyond national jurisdictions or BBNJ, failed to reach an agreement.
Puna said the Blue Pacific has long lobbied for a legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, on the conservation and sustainable use of BBNJ.
He said there is little doubt that this region, and the world, need this new treaty.
Puna agreed with a comment from the Samoan delegation that a treaty would "contribute to the health, productivity, and resilience of our Ocean, rooted in inter and intra generational equity."
He has urged all nations "of the UN family to come to the next session, in good faith and every intention of concluding this conference."
Puna said this planet has one shared ocean and the links between life below water and all life on this planet have already been demonstrated by the IPCC reports.
Final submissions to be heard on defamation case in Samoa
Final submissions are to be heard for a criminal libel case against a Sydney-based Samoan radio broadcaster.
Tiumalumatua Maifea Fetu has pleaded not guilty to one count of criminal libel for defaming the Government, led by the FAST Party.
Fetu is alleged to have called leaders of the party arrogant and liars on a live radio program he hosts in Australia.
FAST said the alleged comments tarnished their reputation and will affect the next election.
The Samoa Observer reports that District Court Judge Mata'utia Raymond Schuster told the court there is a case to answer and called for final submissions, which will be heard on Wednesday local time.
Sex workers in Samoa need more policy protection
A new study has found that Samoan sex workers need more policy protection, but it is a fine line without exposing them to legal risk.
A review of sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence, commissioned by the United Nations Population Fund, outlines extremely limited provisions for sex workers.
Sex work is illegal in Samoa and this has significant impacts on workers' sexual and reproductive health, and their access to a safe working environment.
There are about 400 female sex workers in Samoa.
Two people die in a car crash in Tonga
A New Zealand citizen has died in a car crash in Tonga, local police confirm.
The 16-year-old boy, who has not been named, died after the vehicle he was in, collided with another vehicle, on the island of Vava'u.
The boy's 22-year-old cousin also died in the collision.
Police say the boy's cousin, the driver, had been speeding and lost control of the vehicle.