Oceania Samoa Pre-polling stations have been opened for the elderly and the members of the disabled community, making sure they can exercise their right to vote ahead of the general election scheduled for tomorrow 29 August
Oceania Tonga A 11-person team led by Tonga’s ex Foreign Minister Mrs Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu, are in Georgetown, Guyana to observe regional elections set for 1/9; deployed by the Commonwealth SG, they will oversee opening, voting, closing, counting and results
Oceania Micronesia The East Micronesia Cable successfully landed in Kosrae State: the achievement is a historic milestone in FSM digital development, as all four states are now reached by submarine fiber optic cable
Oceania Vanuatu Vanuatu Teachers Union has issued a nationwide call for all teachers in government schools to stay away from classrooms at the start of Term 3 saying the government hasn't given evidence of its announcement that 94% of teachers’ claims have been paid
Oceania Tuvalu PM Feletei Teo may pull Tuvalu out of the region’s top political meeting next month, after host nation Solomon Islands, a Beijing ally, told parliament that non-Pacific dialogue partners, attending the forum since 1989, wouldn't be invited
Oceania Australia Nationwide ban on use of private mobile phone for early childcare workers will be discussed at ministry level, with other measures for child protection: a National Educator Register, tougher penalties for noncompliance, mandatory safety training for staff
Oceania Papua New Guinea The country's first five coronary bypass graft surgeries have been successfully performed at Port Moresby general hospital by a mixed team of PNG and Singapore doctors from 15 to 19 August
Oceania New Zealand The Building Act will allow councils to merge their building consent functions, with private operators doing more consenting work instead of current liability regime; changes to the system will be the largest in decades and clear the way for more building
Oceania Fiji Movie 'Bati' was screened at Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival: it is the first ever Fijian feature film selected for NZIFF, filmed in Suva and the highlands of Namosi, with a Fijian cast and crew
Oceania Palau The Oneisomw community hosted a training and clam farm setup led by Nature Conservancy to provide the community with tools for sustainable aquaculture; 3.600 bear paw clams were stoked, 75 giant clams, locally extinct, reintroduced to Chuuk lagoon
Oceania Micronesia The new Revenue Management System has been launched: it is a major national milestone supported by the World Bank, designed to modernize collection and management of public revenue to improve service delivery, transparency, and trust in institutions
Oceania Tuvalu Andrew John Fakaua Ponton, a Tuvaluan film director, has made his debut at the Whanau Marama New Zealand International Film Festival with 'Bati', a boxing drama set in Fiji, bringing to the screen the voices of Pacific culture
Oceania Kiribati Dengue cases have increased significantly across the Pacific this year, with Kiribati seeing an outbreak peak