August 13 Pacific News Brief

Papua New Guinea Police
photo: RNZ/Johnny Blaze

Papua New Guinea – Violence

A drunken brawl in Papua New Guinea reportedly escalated leaving one person dead and 600 students without their classrooms.

this The Courier It was reported that most of the buildings at Mapumanda Primary School in Lagaip, Enga Province were razed to the ground, including the homes of teachers and surrounding communities.

One classroom was saved.

The newspaper reported that the conflict broke out between the two tribes on Sunday night due to a drunken fight, with weapons being carried by both sides.

Local councillor Aimos Akem intervened and called the provincial police commander.

Akon said he was working to restore basic government services in the region and maintaining law and order was a top priority.

Fiji – Visit

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiweni Rabuka has left for a visit to China.

Fluidized bed bacteria The visit has reportedly been confirmed by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang.

China said the visit reflected the close relations between the two countries.

The article also stated that China hopes to work with Fiji through this visit to promote the building of a closer China-Pacific island countries community with a shared future.

Northern Mariana Islands – Visa

Lawmakers from the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a Marianas visa program to meet the workforce needs of the two U.S. territories.

This occurred during the Marianas Islands Legislative Association meeting last month.

The resolution essentially asks the U.S. Congress to repeal the CNMI-only Transitional Worker Program and approve a nonimmigrant worker visa program to serve the needs of both Guam and the CNMI.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands’ transitional worker program, which is capped at 13,000 and declining by 1,000 per year, will end in December 2029.

Papua New Guinea – Pope

The Papua New Guinea government and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference have allocated about US$2.5 million (10 million Papua New Guinea kina) to prepare for Pope Francis’ visit.

this The Courier The visit will reportedly adhere to the Vatican’s strict protocol and security arrangements.

The Pope will meet with the Governor-General, state leaders and the Papua New Guinea Council of Churches.

Archbishop of Port Moresby Sir John Ribat said visits by world leaders to Papua New Guinea would repair their image on the global platform.

He said Papua New Guinea was also likely to have its first saint.

Pacific Ocean Shipping

Meeting the targets for decarbonizing international shipping set out in the International Maritime Organization’s revised strategy is likely to have negative consequences for Pacific nations, a new report says.

Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu commissioned the study from University College London and the Micronesian Maritime Transport Centre.

The final report said that several shipping agencies interviewed in 2024 expressed concerns that the cost impact of medium-term measures would be too small for shipping agencies to absorb, with almost all of the impact being passed directly to customers.

Vanuatu – Energy

The second part of the Vanuatu Energy Access Project has been completed.

The new 45km transmission and distribution line from Turtle Bay to Santo Orri Port is part of the second project sub-project that has been completed.

ADB Senior Country Officer Nancy Wells said the new milestone will bring Vanuatu closer to its goal of achieving 100% grid-based renewable electrification by 2030.

Vanuatu Energy Minister Ralph Regenvanu said as more households are connected to the grid, island residents and businesses will have access to sustainable electricity, stimulating economic activity.