A local business sign in Port Vila reads “Stay strong and carry on Vanuatu”. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Moses Cakau
Vanuatu - recovery
The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) is offering post-earthquake mental health support to Vanuatu through an Australia-funded initiative.
PMA said this initiative will focus on extensive community outreach and psycho-education activities.
The organisations chief executive Debbie Sorenson said the emotional and psychological toll of disasters is often just as profound as the physical damage.
She said their approach prioritises working alongside local leaders, healthcare providers, and frontline responders, ensuring that mental health services are embedded within the community.
Northern Mariana Islands - avian flu
The Northern Marianas' Department of Land and Natural Resources has set up a hotline for the avian influenza response.
The department said early detection of the disease is key to protecting flocks, food security, and public health.
Residents and poultry owners are urged to call the hotline if they observe changes such as sudden death in poultry or wild birds, respiratory signs, or unusual behavior, including tremors, head or neck tilting, and circling.
Solomon Islands - mining
The Solomon Islands Leader of Opposition Matthew Wale has condemned the illegal mining operation taking place along the Mbalasuna River.
Wale questioned how a company can operate without a valid prospecting license, mining lease, or mandatory development consent, and continue to do so over two months.
He said this reflects a dangerous pattern that has previously been seen in the logging sector.
Wale said immediate steps must be taken to shut down this illegal operation, and repeated his call for a moratorium on mining activities until fair and just legal safeguards are enacted through the new Minerals Bill.
Northern Mariana Islands - humanities programs
The Northern Marianas Humanities Council has lost its grants, putting several programs at risk.
Council executive director Leo Pangelinan said the loss of funding will severely diminish their ability to continue serving the Commonwealth.
Programs run by the council include support for literacy, local authorship, and scholarship, and projects that document, preserve, and promote CNMI history.
Pangelinan has called for support from the public, such as contacting elected officials and making a cash donation.
