American Samoa - RSV
A pediatrician in American Samoa says the number of children getting the respiratory condition, RSV, is dropping.
The increase in RSV cases among children had beeen noticeable since the beginning of June and resulted in daycare centres closing last month.
Dr Chris Aguilera from the LBJ Tropical Medical Center said he was pleased there have been no fatalities from the virus.
"So far, what we can see the trend is coming down. It's still on the island but it's way better comparing the numbers today compared to the past weeks," Dr Aguilera said.
He said he was expecting daycares to reopen soon.
Fiji - nightclubs
The Fijian Parliament voted on Monday to debate a bill that will reduce nightclub opening hours in the country.
Attorney-General Siromi Turaga tabled the Liqour Amendment Bill 2023, which if passed, will see nightclubs closing at 1am local time.
Turaga said the bill must be considered urgently to address and assist the social issues arising out of long hours of nightclub operation.
The bill, introduced the bill under Standing Order 51 and will be debated on Friday, does not have support from the opposition bench.
Group of young, active people at the night club, party dancing in neon lights. Photo: Copyright: lustreart
West Papua - arrest
The Australia West Papua Association has condemned the arrest of ten members of the West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, on Tuesday in Papua.
The KNPB is made up of NGOs and has been campaigning for a self-determination referendum for the Papuan people for the past 15 years.
The Association says the committee members were arrested because they were handing out leaflets about a rally planned for today to show support for West Papua joining the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the MSG.
The activists were detained for eight hours at a Jayapura police station.
The Australian Association's Joe Collins said "yet again we have peaceful activists arrested for simply handing out leaflets about an upcoming rally, which is their right to do under the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights".
West Papua has been pushing for some years to become part of the MSG, and has strong support to do so from some of the member countries, particularly Vanuatu.
Pacific - nulcear
The Pacific Recycling Foundation has condemned Japan's plan to release 1.4 million tonnes of treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean.
The head of the UN Nuclear Agency has told media in Rarotonga today the plan to release the water is safe, and it was not a dump, but a controlled release.
But Pacific Recycling Foundation founder Amitesh Deo said any such action which could have long-lasting negative effects on the ocean, the environment, and people should not go ahead.
He said the Pacific was not a dumping ground.
Pacific - tuna
Seafood industry groups are calling for a pause on deep-sea mining until there is a clear understanding of the impacts it would have on the marine environment.
The announcement comes as the International Seabed Authority meets in Jamaica, where member countries are expected to design and implement deep-sea mining regulations.
The seafood groups - including the Global Tuna Alliance, whose industry partners account for roughly 30 per cent of the global tuna trade - say deep sea mining poses a threat to the oceans and its marine life.
In a letter, the organisations say sediment plumes could impact the health of fish populations, and toxic metals could be consumed by nearby seafood species.
American Samoa - charged
The neighbour of an American Samoa House representative has been arrested, after allegedly threatening to burn down the representative's house and shoot his family.
Further investigation revealed it had been an ongoing matter, where the man would threaten his neighbors from time to time.
He had also allegedly hurled profanities at a 911 dispatcher over the phone, and stated he was going to shoot one of the dispatchers with a gun.
Samoa News reported the defendant had been charged with public peace disturbance, harassment, and resisting arrest.
