Islanders meet
MACKAY – Australian South Sea Islanders are meeting in Mackay, Queensland, to work on ways to improve Federal Government recognition of their community. The WANTOK Australian South Sea Islanders National Forum, a gathering of descendents of Melanesian labourers brought to Australia in the 1800s, is discussing the structure of a new national body.
$683m savings
PORT MORESBY – The country has made a saving of $A400million ($F683m) from the K3 billion ($F 1.9billion) UBS loan which PM Peter O’Neill described as the best deal for PNG. Mr O’Neill said on the FM100 talkback show that this was not a new loan but one that replaces the IPIC loan.
52 charges
MAJURO – The Marshall Islands Attorney-General filed 52 criminal charges against the owner and manager of a Majuro-based pharmacy who allegedly bribed Majuro hospital officials on multiple occasions to win bids for medical equipment, supplies and maintenance. A-G Jack Jorbon said charges against Marshall Islands government workers involved in the scheme would be filed soon.
New initiative
A new media alliance in Tonga is aiming to band outlets together to make advertising more accessible. The publisher of Taimi o Tonga, Kalafi Moala, says the real enemy for media is “out there” and not among different outlets. He says some outlets are so small that their reach is not attractive to advertisers.
Under arrest
A police station commander in PNG has been arrested and charged with unlawful wounding and armed robbery, after accusations of police brutality. The Gordon station commander, Senior Inspector John Tarur, and four other police face charges after 75 men from Saraga settlement at 6-Mile, were allegedly slashed with knives while being arrested last year.
New minister
THE Marshall Islands President has named Jack Ading as the new finance minister, following last week’s resignation of Dennis Momotaro. Our correspondent Giff Johnson says Mr Momotaro’s resignation was because of fallout from the nomination of the former Lebanese security chief Jamil el-Sayed as the Marshall Islands Ambassador to UNESCO.
