Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Tonga - funding
Australia's Foreign Minister has announced a US$32 million package aimed at boosting Tonga's health infrastructure and economic resilience.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has stopped in Tonga as part of her Pacific trip this week.
PMN reported the funding, spanning four years, includes the next phase of the Tonga-Australia Support Platform and the Health Sector Support Program, designed explicitly around Tonga's national priorities.
An additional US$3.5 million in budget support aims to strengthen Tonga's healthcare system and assist with budgetary pressures.
Papua New Guinea - fights
Tribal fighting in the North Waigani market of Papua New Guinea's capital has claimed four lives this week.
The National newspaper reported the men were killed after vendors' tables and tents at the market had been burnt down.
Metropolitan police superintendent, Silva Sika, said it's thought an Enga man, a security guard, was stabbed with a screwdriver on Sunday night.
He believed the man was set upon by a group of men from Goilala in Central Province.
Three other bodies were found on Tuesday, and police believe this was in response to the death of the Wabag man.
Papua New Guinea - power
Power supply to Mt Hagen and five other urban centres in the Papua New Guinea Highlands has been down for a month.
The National reports the supply issues have been blamed on a faulty transmission line connecting Kundiawa to Kudjip.
The newspaper reported that businesses have been relying on generators, while residents have mostly gone without, meaning great difficulties in cooking, laundry, children's studies and security.
Palau - Taiwan visit
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr has made a state visit to Taiwan this week.
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung expressed his country's appreciation for Palau's consistent support on the international stage.
He said he expected Taiwan and Palau to continue their close cooperation.
Pac News reported President Whipps called the 26-year relationship a partnership built on shared values and mutual respect.
Whipps also acknowledged Taiwan's contributions to Palau's development.
President Whipps said he hoped the two nations would continue to use public-private partnerships to engage in close cooperation on sustainable tourism, green energy, smart medicine and healthcare, education and training, and food security.
Fiji - chiefs
Fiji has re-opened the Great Council of Chiefs complex after it burned down in 2019.
Dr Eci Nabalarua, a scholar at the University of the South Pacific, said the reopening was like the phoenix rising from the ashes.
"It's really the restoration of a very important institutional link of Fijian traditional governance and also marks the commitment to preserving cultural traditions and heritage."
The ABC reported the Council's revival has sparked debate about tradition, identity, and national unity.
Guam - statehood
Guam's legislature is set to debate a non-binding resolution to pursue United States statehood.
ABC reported this follows a proposal put forward by Senator Parker Williamson earlier this year.
The territory is listed by the United Nations (UN) for decolonisation and last year became an associate member of the Pacific Islands Forum.
The territory's decolonisation committee said any move must be determined by the people.
