Pacific news in brief for 17 July
Photo:
SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
A dengue fever outbreak in Samoa has claimed the life of a second child.
The
Sāmoa Observer
reports Faith Melchior, 8, died in hospital on Monday night.
She is the second child to die from dengue in Sāmoa this year - 12-year-old Misiafa Lene died in April.
Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, French Polynesia and American Sāmoa have also declared outbreaks.
Tuvalu and Nauru are on alert for the disease.
A meeting of trade ministers from the Pacific Island Forum's African, Caribbean and Pacific States is underway in Suva.
New Zealand's Nicola Grigg said it is a timely opportunity to discuss the importance of the rules-based trading system, with the World Trade Organisation at its core.
She said the structure is vital for small Pacific island nations, including New Zealand.
France is committing around US$20 to new undersea technology linking Vanuatu and New Caledonia, which will better prepare the Pacific for natural disasters.
SMART will be the world's first Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications submarine cable.
French Ambassador to Vanuatu Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer said the cable will be fitted with sensors to measure sea temperature and seismic activity.
He said it will help monitor climate change and - crucially - provide early warnings for tsunamis.
The
Vanutu Daily Post
reported that the cable is expected to be in operation sometime next year.
It will link Port Vila with Lifou Island in New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands group, traversing the seismically active New Hebrides Trench.
Vanuatu's Electoral Commission says the verification of ballot boxes for the recent Provincial and By-Elections should be completed later today.
According to the
Vanuatu Daily Post
, once that is done, the Commission can officially announce final results.
The election was held on 8 July and attracted good voter turnout.
The Commission has thanked all who participated - describing the election process as smooth and peaceful.
Political parties have already begun lobbying to form new provincial governments.
Fiji's HIV prevention taskforce says the country's law enforcement is actively hindering public health efforts.
The United Nations reports a massive surge in HIV cases last year - numbers are up 284 percent.
Around half of all cases were caused by intravenous drug use.
Taskforce chair Dr Jason Mitchell told
Pasifika TV
there is a concerning lack of cooperation between the health sector and police.
Schools in the Northern Marianas are bracing for a possible fiscal cliff, according to the Board of Education.
Governor Arnold Palacios is planning substantial cuts to the education budget allocation.
The government is proposing a US$40 million dollar grant but the Public School System has requested just over 49 million dollars.
Board of Education has testified that if the government's proposal is implemented they could be forced to declare a state of emergency in education.
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