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STI cases on the rise

2 September 2024

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Tahiti sailors win 2024 Regatta in Raro

Sailors from Tahiti edged over Rarotonga, proving to be very competitive taking out first place in both the Lasers and the Optimist classes, winning the 2024 sailing challenge overall trophy.

Local

Former PM Puna first Cook Islander elected to East-West Center Board

Former Cook Islands prime minister and secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Henry Puna, has been confirmed as the first Cook Islander appointed to the East-West Center Board of Governors based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

'Bird flipping' idiots should be banished

APIA – A couple of guys described as “dumbasses” have earned the wrath of Samoans in Samoa and all over the world for giving the television cameras ‘the bird’ on Saturday night during the Rumble in Paradise boxing event.

Regional

Swift action needed at Bauerfield

PORT VILA – The World Bank is ready to come to Vanuatu’s assistance for a swift rehabilitation of the country’s main airport runway.

Regional

No relief as people starve to death

PORT MORESBY – Poor logistical planning has been blamed for relief supplies not reaching starving people in drought-affected parts of Papua New Guinea. An estimated 800,000 people are in need of food in mainly remote areas. The PNG government says it has started providing relief aid but frontline workers say much of it is stuck in provincial warehouses, with no budget to distribute the supplies. “The dry spell is still on and, some people are starving because of shortage of food, it started last year and is still worse today,” said villager Solokai Fataiyai, speaking to Radio New Zealand’s Dateline Pacific from Mougulu Station deep in the jungle of Papua New Guineas Western Province. He says it has now been more than six months since the drought began and his people are losing hope of ever getting help from the government. “They are promising to assist us but at the moment we have not received any assistance, almost from last year middle of the year. At the moment we have got 15 people already have passed away because of hunger.” According to a specialist in Papua New Guinea agriculture and food, Fataiya’s situation is shared by hundreds of thousands not because there is no aid but because local authorities lack the resources to get aid to those in need. Mike Bourke who has just returned to Australia says this stems from a combination of drought-related factors including reduced nutrition and an increased disease burden with people having to work twice as hard to find food. “Adults are dying who don’t normally die, people in their 20s and 30s – and there is clearly an increase in death rate amongst very small children. “We don’t have really hard data, we don’t have lots of good demographic data but the evidence coming in is credible. “It may not be tens of thousands of people over all but for the groups and communities involved it is a huge tragedy.” Dr Bourke has been compiling reports and analysis to try and assist authorities to be more strategic in the distribution of the aid. Workers on the frontline of the drought crisis are pleading with the national government to allow international donor partners and humanitarian organisations to take part in ongoing efforts to provide relief to drought affected communities. The drought relief director for the Church Partnership Programme, Mathew Kanua, says international partners could help. “They do this thing all over the world, they can come and help and plan the logistics and transport together with the government and budget these things and invite the participation of the private sector and we can move this along very quickly. But the government has not clearly stated what role these people play and if any.” - RNZI

Regional

Tourist boats set on fire, competitors suspected

NGERMID – The owner of the three tourist boats burned two weeks ago at in Palau has offered a $2500 reward to anyone who provides information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.

Regional

Nothing clear about 2019 Games funding

PORT MORSEBY – Tonga has announced that Papua New Guinea will give US$35 million to the Pacific kingdom to help prepare for the 2019 Pacific Games, according to a brief out of Nuku‘alofa reported in the Post-Courier newspaper.

Regional

PNG football faces fine and suspension

PORT MORESBY – The world soccer body, FIFA, has opened a disciplinary case against the Papua New Guinea Football Association whose women’s team failed to travel to New Zealand for the Olympic qualifying playoff scheduled on Tuesday.

Regional

PNG completes most asylum claims

PORT MORESBY – Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Minister says the government has completed processing the cases of 97 per cent of the asylum seekers at the Manus Island detention centre.

Regional

Pacific's first female leader

MAJURO – The Marshall Islands parliament has elected a new president, Dr Hilda Heine, the first female political leader of any independent Pacific island nation.

Regional

Bribery claims in Vanuatu elections

PORT VILA – An anti-corruption group in Vanuatu said it is collecting evidence and written testimonies of alleged bribery during last week’s snap election.

Regional

Police chief 'not interested' in debate

SUVA – Fiji’s Acting Police Commissioner says he won’t enter into a public debate with the recently resigned Assistant Commissioner of Police Henry Brown.

Regional

Percentage of Maori and Pasifika doctors on the rise

WELLINGTON – The number of doctors in New Zealand is increasing, according to the Medical Council of New Zealand’s annual stock take.

Regional

Fundraisers to help fire hit market vendors

APIA – Two campaigns have been launched to help stall holders recover from a a devastating fire in Samoa which saw the country’s main flea market destroyed last week.

Regional

PNG's sports minister 'totally embarrassed'

PORT MORESBY – The Papua New Guinea Sports Minister says it’s a total embarrassment the women’s football team was forced to withdraw from the Olympic playoff against New Zealand over visa issues.

Regional

Some airlines continue Port Vila flights

PORT VILA – Despite the suspension of flights by Air New Zealand and Qantas, Solomon Airlines has announced it will continue to fly in and out of the international airport at Port Vila as normal.

Regional

Barriers for women in Nauru elections

YAREN – An aspiring female candidate in Nauru says cultural barriers are holding women back from being involved in politics in the country.

Regional

Zika travel warnings queried

APIA – The Ministry of Health in Samoa is questioning travel warnings issued to pregnant women in New Zealand and the United States over the mosquito-borne zika virus.

Regional

Doctor challenges gagging act

CANBERRA – One of Australia’s leading doctors has challenged the country’s prime minister to prosecute him for speaking out about what he calls “torture-like conditions” in offshore detention centres.

Regional

Briefs

TOURIST VICTIMS IGNORED TREKKING RULES

Regional

Weapons for peacekeeping

SUVA – Arms and military equipment that arrived in Suva in a shipment from Russia last Thursday are for Fiji’s peacekeepers, the Fiji Sun has reported.

Regional

Fears over Fiji's use of Russian arms

SUVA – A security analyst says there is concern a Russian shipment of military equipment to Fiji will be used for more than peace keeping abroad.

Regional

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