Tahiti - disaster decree
The French Polynesian Government has adopted a natural disaster decree after extensive flooding in the Tahiti village of Teahupo'o.
The flooding early this week caused cars to be swept out to sea.
A spokesperson for French Polynesia's Council of Ministers said the "exceptional meteorological phenomenon" caused extensive damage to properties, homes and public works.
Department of Solidarity, Family and Equality had identified 48 families in need of care with an additional 29 families not suffering major damage to their accommodation but in need of domestic appliances to be replaced.
Papua New Guinea - comments
PNG's Prime Minister James Marape has cautioned his citizens from making "unnecessary comments" ahead of the visit by world leaders to Port Moresby later this month.
US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are headlining the attendance list for the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation on 22 May.
EMTV reported Marape has appealed to Papua New Guineans on "both mainstream and social media to refrain from commenting on the high-level visits, especially on issues they have little awareness of, such as "global geopolitics".
Marape said such visits are not easy to put together, as PNG is not the only country in the Indo-Pacific region that they could have chosen to visit" at this time.
Fiji - immigration law
A former Fiji leader says the coalition government's plans to review the immigration law to allow for visa exemptions for indigenous Fijians officially registered as native landowners is "discriminatory".
Fiji's Home Affairs and Immigration Ministry and the Attorney-General's Office have been holding consultations to review the 2003 Immigration Act.
If the Act is amended, then those iTaukei registered under the Vola ni Kawa Bula - commonly known as the V-K-B - will be able to enter the country and reside in Fiji without having to obtain a permit or a visa.
But former PM Mahendra Chaudhry told fijivillage.com he does not agree with the proposed amendments.
He said the changes should not be confined to one ethnic group, but rather should be made in respect of all the races.
Cook Islands - vaping
There are increased calls to restrict or ban access to e-cigarettes or 'vaping products' in the Cook Islands.
Cook Islands secretary of health Bob Williams told Cook Islands News that the Public Health Bill was in progress and would go to Parliament next month.
Williams says that the regulation of e-cigarettes would be a priority once the Bill becomes law.
He said during focus group consultations there was strong opposition to e-cigarettes but a decision will be made once the Bill is enacted.
According to Cook Islands News, the move comes as the Australian government moves to ban "recreational vaping".
Calls to restrict or ban access to e-cigarettes or 'vaping products' in the Cook Islands. Photo: AFP/ ANP MAG - Koen van Weel
Northern Marianas - power grid
The Commonwealth Health Centre in the Northern Marianas avoided disconnection from the power grid after a breakthrough was announced in negotiations.
The Health Centre owed the Utilities Corporation $US53.6 million in overdue accounts as of the end of March.
The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation was supposed to disconnect the health centre's power at 6pm on Thursday local time.
But the Utilities Corporation acting executive director Betty Terlaje said a preliminary agreement finally was agreed upon after nearly two weeks of back-and-forth.
Terlaje said both sides have been diligently negotiating and progress was made last night.
American Samoa - measles
American Samoa's epidemiologist Scott Anesi says the number of probable measles cases has increased from 53 to 54.
The number of laboratory-confirmed cases remains at two.
Anesi said over 1600 vaccines have been administered since the first case was confirmed late last month.
He said, so far, 47 tests have returned negative results after nasopharyngeal testing and he is expecting blood test results for those same people to return from overseas shortly.
Samoa - travel
Samoa's Ministry of Health has updated its travel advice due to what it calls the 'imminent spread' of measles to the country.
It says as of Thursday, all travellers from American Samoa are required to be vaccinated with at least a single dose of a measles-containing vaccine before entering Samoa, even if this was given the day before.
Babies under six months old and pregnant women are exempt.
Failure to provide a legitimate vaccination certificate can result in being denied entry into Samoa.
All passengers are required to wear face masks at all times and are strongly encouraged to take precautionary and preventative measures within the first seven days of arrival.
Passengers must submit to a nasal pharyngeal swab for PCR testing upon request by health officials at the airport.
Papua New Guinea - PNG Power
There is a call in Papua New Guinea for reform at the country's troubled electricity utility, PNG Power.
PNG Power has been in financial strife for years, but this week, independent power producers threatened to stop providing the utility with power to distribute because of debts they say amount to $US142 million.
Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Rio Fiocco said many smaller centres are going without power right through daylight hours, while in the capital it is the state of the infrastructure that is causing the most problems.
He said huge reforms were needed because PNG Power is broken.
"PNG Power as a state owned badly needs reform," he said.
"The various donor countries - our bilateral partners are all very keen to assist particularly in the provision of green energy, hydropower and also mainly solar power, but you have got the fundamental problem that the network is broken."
