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Pago Pago, American Samoa— The Olympics closed in Paris on Sunday with the Pacific winning just one silver medal, from the Fijian men’s rugby sevens team, which lost to France in the final.
Fiji tied for 74th place in the medal table with Cyprus, Jordan, Mongolia and Panama, with the latter four nations all winning a silver medal.
The United States and China each won 40 gold medals, but the United States topped the list with 44 silver medals. The United States won a total of 126 medals.
China won 27 silver medals and a total of 91 medals.
Australia was the best Oceania team in the medal table, winning 18 gold medals, 19 silver medals and 16 bronze medals.
The host French team won 16 gold medals and a total of 64 medals, ranking fifth.
New Zealand won 10 golds, 7 silvers and 3 bronze medals, ranking 11th.
MPs angry
Several Hawaii lawmakers are pushing back after learning that former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard was placed on a terrorist watch list.
Reps. Gene Ward, Diamond Garcia, Davis Alcos and Elijah Pierick wrote a letter to the TSA demanding answers and calling the move “harassment.”
The National Council of Air Marshals of India said the whistleblower told them that Gabbard had been included in the Tranquil Sky programme, which monitors “high risks to aviation safety”.
At least five Secret Service agents and two teams of explosive-detection dogs reportedly followed Gabbard and her husband last month.
Gabbard, who has been a fierce critic of the Biden administration, said the decision to track her was unconstitutional and politically motivated.
The TSA has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Guam fights fentanyl
Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero delivered a special address on the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
She told the media that Guam is no stranger to the drug war.
She said fentanyl, a powerful and deadly synthetic opioid, is beginning to cast a shadow over Guam.
Leon Guerrero said it’s unlike any other drug — one dose can be fatal.
In early July, Guam Police Chief Stephen Ignacio reported three fentanyl-related deaths on the island.
Kiribati Oxygen Plant
There is currently an oxygen plant in operation in Kiritimati, one of the most remote atolls in the world, on the island of Kiribati.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that as of July, Kiritimati’s oxygen plant can fill up to 24 oxygen cylinders with medical oxygen within 24 hours, which means that the facility can treat four critically ill COVID-19 patients at the same time, providing relief to the local health system.
Previously, the hospital in Kiritimati relied on sea transport of gas cylinders from the National Referral Hospital in South Tarawa, more than 3,000 kilometres away.
The plant was brought to Kiribati through a joint effort between WHO, the EU and the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
Papua New Guinea Army
The Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s regional headquarters in Mount Hagen will be relocated to Mendi in the Southern Highlands.
Papua New Guinea’s Defence Minister Billy Joseph announced the change.
He said the upper part of the Highlands region, namely Southern Highlands, Hela and Enga provinces, required a heavy presence of defence forces because of the high volatility in those areas, The Courier-Mail reported.
He said having a headquarters in Mendi would create a more peaceful environment and help reduce lawlessness.
Battery Recycling
Kiribati’s commercial operation to recycle used lead-acid batteries could be replicated and applied to other Pacific countries to deal with hazardous waste.
Kiribati’s lead-acid battery recycling system was highlighted at the fourth Clean Pacific Roundtable held in Funafuti, Tuvalu.
Alice Laney of the Kiribati Solid Waste Management Project said lead-acid batteries are one of the most common toxic chemicals found in the environment in the Pacific.
Kiribati exports an average of about 20 tonnes of batteries every six months, mainly to Australia and Asia.
Fiji Tourism
Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad said the launch of a route from Nadi to Dallas, Texas, would bring “countless” benefits to Fiji.
Prasad, who is also Fiji’s Minister of Finance and National Development, said by connecting Fiji to one of the world’s busiest tourism hubs they would open the door to a huge new market of tourists from North America.
He said by 2023, tourism will contribute 40% to Fiji’s economic growth and create more than 36% of jobs.
Employment in New Zealand
New Zealand Labour Party spokesperson for employment and Pacific peoples weighed in on the unemployment figures released last week.
Willie Jackson and Carmel Sepuloni said statistics showed 11,100 more Maori and Pacific people were unemployed compared to the same period last year.
Statistics New Zealand figures show the unemployment rate for Pacific Islanders is 8.3 per cent.
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