Tonga - tsunami
UNESCO officials are in Tonga for a high-level workshop on tsunami warning and mitigation systems.
The meeting commenced on Monday in Nuku'alofa with the attendence of various stakeholders.
It is hearing the details of Tonga's tsunami response during the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption of january 2022 and its impacts.
In his opening statement, Japanese Seismologist Dr Tanioka Yuichiro said the eruption has captivated scientists.
A field study by American researchers last year, found the eruption may have triggered a wave up to 85 metres high.
Hawaii - eruption
The Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii's big island has begun erupting.
Lava flows and smog are visible, but authorities say the eruption poses no immediate risk to residents.
It's the third time the volcano has erupted this year.
PNG/Israel - visit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation to visit Papua New Guinea.
Netanyahu made the announcement at the opening of the new Papua New Guinea Embassy in Jerusalem.
PNG prime minister James Marape issued the invitation to have Netanyahu officiate at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Israel Embassy in Port Moresby.
No date has been announced but the visit is expected soon.
American Samoa - pay rise for pollies
American Samoa's governor is proposing a salary increase for elected representatives.
Lemanu Mauga said the cost of living has gone up since 1982 - the last time Fono members received a pay rise.
He proposes an extra $US20,000 to take the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House to $50,000 a year.
Other legislators would get the same increase, taking them to $45,000 annually, or $40,000 for the Swains Island delegate.
American Samoa - permit
The American Samoa Government is proposing a new entry permit programme for citizens of Samoa.
Under current rules, Samoan citizens need a 14 or 30 day permit.
The new proposal would see a programme established by October for Samoa citizens to travel to American Samoa for up to seven days without obtaining an entry permit.
There will be a monthly maximum of 400 Samoa citizens who will be allowed entry, and they must abide with all other stipulations of the plan, such as securing a local sponsor.
Pacific - canoe
The Polynesian Voyaging Society has announced a new partnership to monitor phytoplankton and water quality as its double-hulled canoe Hōkūleʻacircumnavigates the Pacific.
Hōkūleʻa's four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific launched in Alaska on June 15.
Known as the Moananuiākea Voyage, led by PVS, it will cover an estimated 43,000 nautical miles around the Pacific, visiting 36 countries and archipelagoes, nearly 100 indigenous territories and more than 300 ports.
The new agreement is with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in the United States.
The Voyaging Society says the partnership will pair indigenous knowledge, science, and student engagement to better understand and help amplify the importance of the oceans to a healthy earth.
Hōkūleʻa's four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific launched in Alaska on June 15 Photo: Polynesian Voyaging Society
Saudi - Pacific tourism
Saudi Arabia's tourism minister has been visiting the Pacific.
Ahmed Al Khateeb is also the chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development.
The visit included stops in the Cook Islands, Solomons Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Topics of discussion included tourism, training, development funding, and in Tonga, the development of a national museum and Tonga's recovery efforts from the volcanic eruption and tsunami, as well as Covid.
Solomon Islands - raid
Solomon Islands police have confiscated a large volume of kwaso after a raid in West Honiara, with an estimated street value of SBD$100,000.
The officer leading the operation confirmed they confiscated a huge volume of kwaso, or homemade spirit.
Suspects in relation to the raid operation escaped and police will follow up to do arrests on a later date.
The officer in charge said it is sad to have witnessed a month-old child sleeping in a contaminated room that was surrounded by containers of homebrew.
