Oceania

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, leader of Human Rights Protection Party, has defended his party’s proposal to cut the 15% Value Added Goods and Services Tax as a direct response to the nation’s worsening cost of living

Unauthorized alluvial miners are invited not to use heavy machinery; the call comes from the Mineral Resources Authority following a number of reports that denounced systematic illegal mining activities with heavy machines

Over 82 tons of unexploded bombs have been removed from a sunken ship in Malakal Harbor, ending a seven-year operation of the Japan Mine Action Service: the Japanese merchant vessel converted for wartime use during WWII had sunk with 469 depth charges

60 young persons on a small island n East Sepik received the Sacrament of Confirmation from Catholic Bishop Roszynski in what was the first confirmation ceremony on Ruprup Island in over 15 years

Third largest pet store announced it would ban the sale of live animals across its 58 shops nationwide; Animals Australia figures show that about 15% of cats and dogs are purchased from pet shops nationwide, while the majority of pet sales are online

Emancipation Day, the day King Siaosi Tupou I officially abolished serfdom in Tonga in 1862, as part of his 1862 Code of Laws, will be commemorated by observing a public holiday Tomorrow, Monday, 2 June

Tuvalu has seen the arrival of Taiwan’s Dunmu Goodwill Fleet for the first time in 12 years; the 3 ships fleet are paying visit to diplomatic allies and providing open-sea training for newly enlisted sailors and non-commissioned officers

Cesarean section birth rate in Palau has risen to 42% —from 33% in 2020 to 42% in 2021— with WHO estimating a world average of10%; Palau is thus among the countries with the highest rates globally, raising concerns about women’s health and birth outcomes

With only 19 ambulances operational nationwide, 10 out of service and undergoing repairs, major hospitals with 3 working vehicles, 2 out of service, Fiji is facing an ambulance crisis; PM said the Government is actively responding

Bee Educated, an initiative by the Samoa Agricultural Organisation funded by the Global Environment Facility through the UNDP, has trained over 100 new beekeepers since 2022 and distributed 2.000 hives across both islands of Upolu and Savai'i

Landowners from Kakau and Lakuili Tribes in Variana and Hoilava, West Guadalcanal, have issued a public appeal to mining authorities urging them to exclude their customary land from a tenement granted to Ever Prosperous Mining and to revoke its licence

500 rescues were performed in New South Wales, with 50.000 people still isolated by the flood waters; over 120 alerts are in place for the region, including major warnings, as more rain is expected after 4 months of rain came in 48 hours