Here's what is happening in news from around the Pacific today, Thursday 10 December.
The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat and the People's Republic of China (PRC) Embassy in Vanuatu commenced discussion on possible partnership arrangements. Photo: Facebook
Melanesian Spearhead Group talks partnership with China
The Melanesian Spearhead Group's (MSG) Secretariat has begun talks with China on possible partnership arrangements.
A meeting was held at the Chinese Embassy in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila where the MSG secretariat is also located.
A new multi-lateral approach is being heralded by the MSG secretariat, representing the group's five full members Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, PNG and New Caledonia's Kanaks.
MSG Secretariat acting director general George Hoa'au met with Chinese officials and said China is willing to be part of the development aspirations of the MSG.
Solomon Islands last year cut long-running diplomatic ties with Taiwan to switch to China.
Hoa'au said now that all MSG members recognised the "One China Policy," the Secretariat is looking to upscale bilateral relations to a multilateral approach in areas of mutual interests at sub-regional level, including climate change.
Four more deaths from Covid-19 in French Polynesia
French Polynesia has recorded four more Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the territory's death toll since the beginning of the pandemic to 90.
While the death toll has risen in recent days, the number of new infections has seen a decline. In the last 24 hours, 79 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded.
There are 59 people in hospital for covid-related symptoms with 25 of them in intensive care. A total of 15,411 people have been infected since testing began in March.
All but 62 of these cases were detected after the borders were reopened in July and mandatory quarantine requirements were abolished in an effort to boost tourism and reignite the economy.
Giant beer bottle installation removed in Vanuatu
Vanuatu Brewing Limited has removed a giant Tusker beer bottle situated in a main intersection in the capital Port Vila.
The removal stems from a request by the Chairman of the Vanuatu Christian Council, Pastor Allan Nafuki, to the Port Vila City Council Lord Mayor, Eric Puyo Festa.
He urged the City Council to replace the giant beer bottle with another item that portrays Vanuatu as a Christian nation.
According to Vanuatu's Daily Post, Vanuatu Brewing Limited dismantled the bottle yesterday, but it remains to be seen whether a new installation will be mounted.
More Covid-19 cases in Guam, but CAR score stays low
Thirteen new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Guam out of 627 tests performed the previous day.
The Joint Information Centre in Guam said four cases were identified through contact tracing, while one case reported recent travel and was identified in quarantine.
To date, there have been a total of 7039 confirmed cases of the virus in Guam with 113 deaths, while 594 cases remain in active isolation.
Guam's government has been working to lower its Covid Area Risk (CAR) score, a way of measuring new cases, the effectiveness of testing and the rate of spread.
The CAR score correlates with very low to zero Covid-related hospitalisations and deaths. The government seeks for the CAR score to be less than 5 for several weeks.
Today the Information Centre put the CAR score at 1.5, continuing a pattern of more than a week when it has hovered around 2, showing the rate of community transmission is slowing after a surge across previous months.
Samoa Parliament to decide fate of controversial bills
Samoa's Parliament is set to decide the fate of the three controversial bills related to the Lands and Titles court in their last session of the year next Tuesday.
Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi said the members of a special committee were going through the proposals, which will amend the Constitution, before Parliament's final deliberations and third reading.
The proposed bills aim to separate the administration and management of the Lands and Titles court.
But the legislation has faced strong criticism and opposition from Samoa's Law Society, which has been involved in a public awareness campaign over the past months.
The proposed legislation also prompted the resignation of the former deputy prime minister and long time supporter of the ruling HRPP party, Fiame Naomi Mataafa.
She has recently called on voters not to support their current MPs in next year's general election if they would not oppose the three bills.
Samoa's Deputy Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa Photo: Dominic Godfrey / RNZ Pacific
Remittances may help Samoans at home
The Covid-19 epidemic may be causing economic woes for Samoa but it is getting a shot in the arm with increased remittances from Samoans overseas.
The Samoa Observer newspaper reported the upward trend was disclosed in the Visitor Earnings and Remittances October report issued by the Central Bank of Samoa.
The report registered a 10 percent monthly rise for October 2020 boosting yearly remittances by $ST14.2million.
''Despite the hugely adverse impacts of Covid-19 on Samoa's main source markets of overseas money, the monthly increase mainly came from increased receipts from New Zealand ($ST6.6m), Australia ($ST5.9m), American Samoa ($ST2.4m) and others ($ST1.8m),'' the report said.
It also said that by recipient, the largest increase came from 'Family and Households', up by $16.6m for the month.
Meanwhile, the nation's tourism industry continued to suffer from the pandemic impacts, with the sector's price index falling by 20.8 percent on a yearly basis due to reductions in sub-indices including accommodation, meals and drinks, family obligations and the miscellaneous sub-indices.
