Oceania

Senate Bill 11-42 proposes a process to resolve disputes over traditional titles, arguing that lengthy and costly processes create "persistent conflicts", diminish respect for Palauan tradition and degrade the "solidarity and harmony of Palauan society"

Current Covid outbreak has disrupted plans of reopening borders to tourism in March, university teaching and news service, while the authorities imposed a night lock-down

The downpours that had hit New South Wales and Queensland, killing 20 people, have now reached Sydney, which faces an intensified threat and tens of thousands of people advised to evacuate their homes

Last week the country was celebrating Yap Day, a holiday in Yap State, one of the country's four states, where a celebration of traditional Yapese culture is held with traditional competitions and dances

At the World Hearing Day symposium in Suva last week, sanitaries stated that hearing loss affects 80.000 Fijians: a burden for individuals, families and communities; critical stakeholders are discussing a holistic approach for the prevention of deafness

Faulty electricity supply led to over 3.000 vaccines being damaged while in cold storage, said Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa

USAID conducted a three day Project Management training for 17 NGOs in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province through its local Lukautim Graun Program

A monument on the island of Pangaimotu was cleaned up by a HMAS Adelaide team during a small island clean-up operation, made necessary by the devastating tsunami and the ash fall from the volcanic eruption

Quarantine-free and self-isolation-free travel is now open for the country's citizens to New Zealand

National Emergency Operations Centre advised all travellers, being in the cyclone season, to follow all possible precautions when crossing the islands; the centre is working with the Solomon Islands Meteorological Service as a key advisor on weather risks

The Jaluit High School team won the science Jeopardy competition during Education Week activities, becoming the first high school in the outer islands to win the competition by defeating three public schools

The Nauru Table Tennis Federation hosted a national tournament with under-12 and under-16, men and women categories