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Samoa - Archbishop
The leader of the Catholic Church in Samoa, Archbishop Alapati Mata'eliga, has died in Auckland, New Zealand. He was 70.
"Let us join in prayer and love with our brothers and sisters in Samoa as they mourn the loss of their spiritual leader. We the Bishops, Priests, deacons and Catechists and people of the Diocese of Samoa Pago Pago offer our heartfelt prayers and Sympathy to Samoa," said Bishop Peter Brown of the Diocese of Samoa - Pago Pago.
Archbishop Alapati is believed to the youngest Samoan seminarian to be ordained a priest. He was 24 when he was ordained in 1977.
He served in American Samoa at Fagatogo, Laulii and Holy Family, Fatuoaiga. He was a vocal church leader and a constant critic of the former Human Rights Protection Party Government and its leader Tuilaepa Sailele Tuilaepa Sailele.
WHO - Fijian doctor
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has dismissed Dr Temo Waqanivalu, a senior official accused of three separate instances of sexual misconduct over five years.
"Dr Temo Waqanivalu has been dismissed from WHO following findings of sexual misconduct against him and [the] corresponding disciplinary process," the WHO told the Financial Times.
The WHO has said it is working to improve the organisational culture at the health body and make it easier for staff to report instances of misconduct.
The newspaper reported this month that Waqanivalu, a Fijian physician who most recently served as a unit head at WHO headquarters in Geneva, was being investigated for a third allegation of sexual misconduct regarding a junior employee in her mid-20s.
The incident is alleged to have happened at a private networking event in 2017.
New Caledonia - shark cull
The authorities in New Caledonia's capital Noumea have culled a further 26 sharks in their campaign to improve safety along the city beaches.
Swimming beaches in the Noumea area have been closed for the rest of the year because of a spate of shark attacks, including the fatal mauling of a tourist.
The closure stunned the tourism industry, with its leaders pointing out that the restrictions only apply to the city beaches and not the rest of New Caledonia.
The government of the Southern Province is working on measures to compensate businesses for some of their losses.
New Caledonia - military
A large-scale two-week regional military exercise has been launched in New Caledonia.
The Southern Cross exercise brings together a 3000-strong force of mainly French participants, but also members of the militaries of New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Tonga.
A total of 19 nations have sent soldiers, maritime assets and aircraft to Noumea or participate in this exercise, run by France.
This year, the forces will practice providing humanitarian assistance and relief to civilians after a natural disaster.
To this end, the exercise will include members of NGOs, such as the Red Cross, which usually assist after major events, such as cyclones, a tsunami or volcanic eruption.
New Caledonia - nickel
The president of New Caledonia's Northern Province has accused the SLN nickel company of manipulation after it announced the suspension of operations at its mining site in Poum last week.
Paul Neaoutyine said it was wrong to claim that SLN was uncertain about whether it would be granted authorisation to keep mining.
He said instead, SLN violated the mining code and carried out explorations without getting approval.
Neaoutyine said the actions of SLN are a worry for the many employees and threaten the sustainability of the drinking water supply in Poum.
He said SLN should assume its responsibilities for the 300 people at the complex.
The mayor of Poum has written to the government, alarmed at the suspension and fearing the closure of the site, which she says would be catastrophic.
Cook Islands - commissioner
The Cook Islands has appointed Kairangi Samuela as the new High Commissioner to New Zealand.
Ms Samuela was a senior staffer at the Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration team before her appointment..
A Ministry spokesperson says Ms Samuela had led the modernisation of the Cook Islands Immigration laws.
The former high commissioner, Elizabeth Wright-Koteka, completed her tenure in December 2022.
