(file image) Photo: RNZI / Koro Vaka'uta
Tuvalu - language
Tuvalu Language Week has started in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This year's theme is 'Uphold your language and dialect for it is your identity'.
According to the 2018 Census, 48 percent of Tuvaluans living in New Zealand can speak Te 'Gana Tuvalu.
Resources, including language guides, event schedules, and cultural content, will be available on the Ministry for Pacific Peoples' website.
Papau New Guinea - independence
New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea is considering seeking independence.
In the wake of Bougainville receiving autonomy, New Ireland has sought a similar status, but deputy governor, Sammy Missen, says these requests have been ignored by the national government.
EMTV reports him saying countless submissions have been sent to the National Executive Council but these have drawn no response.
He says the time for talking is over, and the people of New Ireland need to rise up and protect their own interests, instead of being exploited by the national government.
Papua New Guinea - crimes
The Papua New Guinea Government is looking at changes to combat the rise in transnational crimes.
The Post-Courier reports transnational crimes include money laundering, trafficking of drugs, people, guns and ammunition, cybercrime, organised crimes and gangs, and corruption.
Prime Minister James Marape said drug peddlers will now be dealt with more seriously, and the government is considering life imprisonment for those convicted of serious drug-related crimes.
He said they will expand prison capacities to accommodate drug convicts.
Fiji/New Zealand - climate
New Zealand's Climate Change Minister Simon Watts is travelling to Fiji on Monday to attend a Ministerial Meeting with Pacific Island countries.
He said attending the talanoa will reinforce New Zealand's commitment to supporting climate resilience in the Pacific.
Watts said the meeting will bring together Climate Change Ministers from across the Pacific to discuss joint climate priorities in preparation for COP29 later this year.
Australia's bid to co-host COP31 in partnership with the Pacific in 2026 is also on the agenda.
Fiji - passports
The Fiji Immigration Department is looking to procure another passport printer to assist with the current backlog, after a nationwide blackout last month had caused issues with their current printer.
The department said demand for new passports continues to increase.
They currently aim to print 400 passports daily, which delayed the issuance of passports for some applicants.
Fiji - system
Fiji's government says more than 170,000 Fijians will benefit from newly installed Flood Early Warning Systems.
The network includes four rainfall stations, seven water level stations, and six warning posts.
The government said these will significantly enhance Fiji's capacity to predict floods and execute timely evacuations, reducing the devastating impact of natural disasters on local communities.
These were implemented by the Government of Korea through the National Disaster Risk Management Institute, in partnership with Dongbu Engineering, Todo Communications and Fiji's Natural Disaster Management Office.
Pacific - youth
Pacific Ministers for Youth have called for more resources for youth development, in their first meeting in more than a decade.
The 4th Pacific Ministers for Youth Meeting was held in Nadi earlier this month, hosted by the Fiji government in partnership with the Pacific Youth Council as co-chair and the Pacific Community as Secretariat.
The meeting gathered representatives from 21 Pacific Island countries and territories.
Ministers approved the development of a new 10-year Pacific Youth Development Pathway, and committed to equitable and inclusive youth development initiatives, particularly considering gender, persons with disability, and youth in all their diversities.
