Oceania Tuvalu Robin McKenzie has been officially announced as Australia's next High Commissioner to the country; the two nations work closely together through the Pacific Step-up for stability and security in the region
Oceania Samoa Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Samoa are preparing for their 191st general conference, a two-day semi-annual meeting in Utah, USA; the meeting will be broadcast across the country this weekend
Oceania Papua New Guinea The Chamber of Mines and Petroleum has applauded the signing of the Heads of Agreements for the P'nyang Gas project, highlighting the need for new gas and mining activities to bring in foreign exchange, create jobs for locals and stimulate business
Oceania New Zealand New Zealand's central bank has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 0.5%, an unprecedented number in seven years, in a bid to cover rising inflation
Oceania Australia Despite having just reached the milestone of 80% vaccination rate, the country has declared that it will definitely not accept foreign tourists before 2022; instead, it will give priority to skilled migrants and students
Oceania Solomon Islands Gilbert, Aekafo and surrounding communities in eastern Honiara are now enjoying free clean water from a newly constructed facility, thanks to the Community Access and Urban Services Enhancement project
Oceania Tonga Tonga's National Qualification and Accreditation Board has confirmed that there is no registered Commonwealth professional university in the country; this is the second time the Commonwealth professional university has falsely claimed to be a registered
Oceania Palau The country has approved and adopted a new tax system after more than 30 years; the new tax law, called Palau Goods and Services Tax will come into effect in January 2023
Oceania Vanuatu New asphalt roads for Matevulu College and Hog Habour School were inaugurated by the Minister of Education; they were built by the Department of Public Works with the support of the Australian Government, for safer and more regular access to these schools
Oceania Fiji The National University of Fiji will implement a phased reopening of its campuses starting today; only students and staff who are fully vaccinated or have proof that they have obtained a vaccination exemption will be allowed to enter FNU
Oceania Nauru A new agreement with Australia again commits the country to maintaining the detention of asylum seekers and refugees; over the past 9 years, Canberra has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to the country to detain people trying to reach Australia
Oceania Kiribati Kiribati Meteorological Service staff will be able to better warn residents of likely natural hazards through training on climate data analysis, weather tools and science communication
Oceania Samoa The prime minister touched on climate change and ocean protection in his speech to the United Nations, underlining how the protection of the marine environment is a priority for Pacific nations