Pacific news in brief for 30 April
Photo:
Tonga Geological Services
A satellite image of Tonga's Home Reef volcano at the weekend shows volcanic steam and discolouration around and from the volcano.
Tonga's Geological Services has reported moderate thermal activity over the past two weeks.
Authorities say the volcanic activity poses a low risk to the Vava'u and Ha'apai communities.
But all mariners are advised to keep at least 2 nautical miles away from Home Reef until further notice, and an orange alert is in place for aviation.
Two laboratory-confirmed cases of measles have been confirmed in Hawai'i, as parts of the US grapple with outbreaks of the disease.
Hawai'i's disease outbreak control division said one case is a school-age child and the second, an adult member of the child's family.
Both returned from international travel just before the diagnosis and recovered at home.
Three potential public exposure times have been announced by the health department on 30 March and 4 April.
Ninety-two people who were exposed to one or both cases of measles have been identified.
Lawmakers in Hawai'i have approved two legal measures related to the New Year's Eve fireworks tragedy in Aliamanu.
On 31 December last year, a fireworks explosion killed six people died and left dozens injured.
State representative David Tarnas said the measures included "heightened penalties if another person suffers substantial bodily injury, serious bodily injury or death as a result of fireworks offenses".
Another measure would allow law enforcement officers to use drones to monitor illegal fireworks activity and make arrests, "if the unmanned aerial vehicle is recording directly above public property, and the act leading to the arrest is committed on public property".
Hawai'i News Now
reported the approved measures still have to be voted on by the full house and senate next week.
A mother charged with the murder of her newborn baby has been acquitted by the Labasa High Court in Fiji.
The
FBC
reported the police found the baby girl in a bucket under a bed, wrapped in a blanket.
The court heard that her husband was unaware she was pregnant and rushed her to Labasa Hospital after finding her covered in blood.
The woman's lawyer, John Prasad told the court that she collapsed after the birth and woke up in hospital.
The High Court judge found the baby died of suffocation.
The Fiji Police Force has received an underwater robot vehicle to support its maritime work.
The remotely operated machine allows police units to assess potentially dangerous situations from a safe position.
The robotic vehicle was provided through support from Japan and the UN Office on Drugs Maritime Crime Programme.
The number of Pasifika people sentenced to prison terms in New Zealand has increased between the last two fiscal years (2022/23 and 2023/24) from 447 people to 660.
According to the latest figures from Stats NZ, released 24 April, Pasifika prisoners made up around 10 percent of overall sentences in the 2023/24 fiscal year, up from 8 percent in the previous year.
Howeverm it is a drop in the bucket compared to Māori sentences, which increased from 3375 to 4041.
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