Oceania Australia Two sailors have died in separate incidents on the first night of the 79th Sydney to Hobart sailing regatta, after they were both hit by sail booms; they mark the first deaths in the famed race since six men lost their lives in the 1998 event
Oceania Fiji Fiji Police Forces have imposed travel restrictions in the city of Nadi, severely affected by continuous rains
Oceania Samoa Samoa started celebrating Christmas 13 days before the day itself; in these 13 days, government ministries and other congregations are invited to sing Christmas carols in their own style which are aired on TV
Oceania Tonga With a total budget of 19,6 million panga (7,5 million euros) over five years, the Tonga Australia Resilient Communities programme will fund community-led infrastructure projects, including cyclone shelters and water supply systems
Oceania Tuvalu The long-term digitization project presented by PM Teo envisions moving government services and records to an online platform and preserving the cultural memory of Tuvalu "in a way that it can be treasured for years, regardless of the status of our land"
Oceania Papua New Guinea The country took an important step in the energy sector with the signing of an agreement to develop the country's first offshore gas project, Pasca A, in the Gulf Province with Twinza Oil Limited
Oceania Solomon Islands Australia will help increase the capacity of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, with funding, training and infrastructure to grow the RSIPF in a sustainable manner, including support for a new sovereign Police Training Centre in Honiara
Oceania Micronesia A Memorandum of Understanding for the State of Pohnpei was signed to support the Blue Prosperity Micronesia program; the MoU initiates the development of a legally-binding Marine Spatial Plan for Pohnpei’s waters from 0–12 nautical miles
Oceania Papua New Guinea A young woman has started an online business to help her parents pay for her tuition fee; the ‘boutique’ sells locally made, heritage-style garments and accessories and is going online to reach customers out of her physical range
Oceania Solomon Islands Solomon Islands National University will offer a new course on national security supported by the Australian Government to develop Solomon Islands' capacity to produce high-quality analytical texts and teaching on national security
Oceania Vanuatu Death toll of 14 is expected to rise in Vanuatu after two earthquakes near capital Port Vila plunged the nation into state of emergency; Australia has vowed immediate help
Oceania Tuvalu Construction began on the subsea cable 'Tuvalu Vaka' (meaning Tuvalu's traditional canoe) developed by Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation, in collaboration with Google; announced in November, it is a branching unit of Google's planned Bulikula cable
Oceania Tonga Tonga's Attorney General, Hon. Linda Simiki Folaumoetu'i, presented Tonga's oral statement before the International Court of Justice on the states' obligations on climate change