Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
PNG soldiers die in training accident
Two soldiers are dead and a third is seriously injured after a Papua New Guinea Defence Force training exercise went wrong.
A civilian was also wounded in the early hours of the morning in a field exercise for a corporal qualifying course in Kupiano, Central.
The National reports live ammunition was apparently used instead of blanks.
Defence Minister Win Baki Daki confirmed the incident and said the shooting took place around 4am Tuesday, local time.
He said the incident is under investigation.
Students win in Fiji Budget
The Fijian government has pardoned student debt amounting to just under $300 million US dollars.
In the announcement last Friday, Finance Minister Biman Prasad said the pardon came with a caveat that these students will have to serve a bond.
The education sector received the highest allocation in the new Budget - amounting to $379 million US dollars.
Other major changes to the education sector include:
Free education and transport assistance to ECE, primary, and secondary school students,
Money for back to school support and maintenance and upgrading of schools
And the grant for the University of the South Pacific is restored, and extra money provided to clear the outstanding debts owed the institution.
Clamp on corruption in Guam
Seven political officials in Guam have been indicted on corruption charges.
The Guam Daily Post reports among them are two Cabinet members and two mayors.
They are being prosecuted by the Government Corruption Division of the Office of the Attorney General.
A media statement issued by the authority stated "no one can be treated as above the law", and that the Attorney General is committed to "rooting out waste, fraud and abuse".
Jokowi making flying PNG visit
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo is visiting Port Moresby today to meet with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape.
Jokowi is scheduled to meet with local business operators and will mark the establishment of the first direct commercial airline route between Port Moresby and Bali.
Over the last two days he has been in Australia, meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The visit occurs in the amid of escalating violence in neigbouring West Papua and there have been reports that PNG security officials have ordered people not to fly the Morning Star flag during the visit.
Gusmao sworn in in Dili
Timor-Leste independence fighter Xanana Gusmao has been inaugurated as prime minister, marking his return to power almost a decade after he left the government.
More than two decades after independence, the country is still struggling to develop its economy, with more than 40 percent of its 1.3 million citizens living in poverty.
"My vision for the people is for them to be more prosperous, educated, qualified and innovative, to create more job opportunities and to prioritise productive sectors so we can build a better economy," Gusmao said during his inauguration speech.
His National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction led with 41.6 percent of votes in the parliamentary election in late May, while the party's main rival and incumbent coalition leader Fretilin got 25.7 percent, according to the electoral commission.
The 77-year-old former rebel leader also vowed to fix the country's laws and develop a gas pipeline project.
The former Portuguese colony's budget is heavily dependent on oil revenues, but earnings from existing fossil fuel projects are soon expected to run dry.
The new government will need to decide on options to develop the Greater Sunrise project, which aims to tap trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, with Australia or China as potential partners.
Tuvalu climate laboratory
The Tuvalu Climate Research Lab has been launched.
It is a joint project of the University of the South Pacific Tuvalu Campus and the United Nations Global Centre for Climate Mobility.
hMinister of Finance Seve Paeniu says the Climate Research Lab will enable Tuvalu to have evidence-based information and knowledge to better inform its climate change advocacy in the international arena.
Tuvalu TV reports the data collected and compiled from the research lab will also enable Tuvalu to design more resilient, more permanent adaptation measures against the effects of climate change and sea level rise
PNG by-election writs next week
Papua New Guinea Electoral commissioner Simon Sinai says writs for the North Bougainville, Wewak and Lagaip electorates are expected to be issued on Thursday next week.
Security concerns remain about Lagaip, in Enga Province, but Mr Sinai says Wewak Open and the North Bougainville Open writs are ready to be released.
He says Lagaip mamy go ahead with just one day of polling, while in the other seats it will be the normal process with voting spread over a number of days.
Mr Sinai says the Commission is also ready to trial some new approaches to accountability in the by-elections.
Lagaip seat, held by Tomait Kapili, was declared a failed election.
North Bougainville was vacated when incumbent William Nakin passed away as counting was progressing last July.
Wewak MP late Kevin Isifu, died last September.
Meanwhile with regard to other possible pending by-elections there is Kabwum in Morobe, while the Madang Open made vacant when Bryan Kramer was dismissed from office and the Kairuku Open seats are still before the court.
