Pacific news in brief for 7 July
Photo:
OCCRP / Aubrey Belford
The Bougainville House of Representatives amended the Mining Act last week.
The new law amends legislation from 2015 to provide a clear legal framework on the levies payable on gold mined in Bougainville.
President Ishmael Toroama, who is also Mining Minister, called it a practical reform that secures a fairer share of Bougainville's natural resource wealth for its people.
He said they will improve compliance, increase transparency and help ensure that the benefits of gold production in Bougainville flow more directly to the Bougainville Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo, has told a United Nations meeting technology is not a luxury - it's a necessity for survival.
During the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Spain, Teo said low-cost and high-impact technologies allow countries like Tuvalu to strengthen resilience and help it transform.
To achieve this he said Tuvalu and other small threatened states need affordable financing mechanisms so they can effectively deploy these technologies.
He said Tuvalu has solar energy and telemedicine, but scaling these solutions requires fair financing, skill-sharing, and international solidarity.
The public accounts committee is calling on the government to urgently appoint a new High Commissioner to Wellington.
TV Niue
reported the post has been vacant since March 2023.
In a 42-page report, the committee raised concerns about the delay - including unresolved issues around the High Commissioner's residence in Thorndon, which must meet earthquake safety standards set by the Wellington City Council.
The committee said reinstating the role is crucial for strengthening diplomatic ties with New Zealand.
It also flagged other concerns - from staff shortages and under-used government vehicles, to the lack of financial reporting on last year's 50th anniversary of self-government.
Tonga's Miss Heilala for 2025/26 is Siosi'ana Taumoepeau, who was born in Germany, grew up in the United States and Canada, and has French links.
The crowning of Miss Heilala is the highlight of the week-long festival celebrating Tongan culture and identity.
There has been a Tau'olunga competition where seven contestants performed the graceful traditional dance at Tonga High School's Indoor Stadium in Nuku'alofa.
Taumoepeau will also represent Tonga at the Miss Pacific Islands pageant.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
UN Says Sri Lanka Has ‘Historic Opportunity' To End Impunity, Deliver Justice
13 August 2025 The 26-year conflict, from 1983 to 2009, pitted Government forces against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – more commonly referred to as the Tamil Tigers – who sought an independent state for the island's Tamil minority in the north and east. The civil war claimed an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 lives, and thousands more were forcibly disappeared, their fates still unknown. Hundreds of thousands were also displaced from their homes. The final months were among the bloodiest, with tens of thousands of civilians killed in indiscriminate shelling, extrajudicial executions, and other violations of international law committed by both sides. Turn pledges into results In a new report issued on Wednesday, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the Government's pledges to deliver justice, restore the rule of law, and eliminate discrimination and divisive politics must finally yield concrete results. ' Today, an opportunity presents itself for Sri Lanka to break from the past, ' he said. ' It now needs a comprehensive roadmap to translate these commitments into results. ' The report follows Mr. Türk's recent visit to Sri Lanka, where he met officials, civil society, victims' groups, political parties and religious leaders, and travelled to Trincomalee, Jaffna and Kandy – among the worst-affected areas. It calls for a clear acknowledgment of the violations, abuses and crimes committed – including during the civil war – and recognition of the State's responsibility and that of its security forces personnel as well as non-state armed groups, including the LTTE. ' The pain and suffering of victims remains palpable and their demands for truth and justice must be addressed, ' Mr. Türk stressed. Call for sweeping reforms The report recommends comprehensive security sector reform and broader constitutional, legal and institutional changes to meet international human rights obligations. It welcomes the planned creation of an independent Public Prosecutor's office. It also urges the establishment of a dedicated judicial mechanism, including an independent special counsel, to handle cases involving serious human rights violations and grave breaches of international humanitarian law. Other recommendations include the release of military-held land in the north and east, repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and the release of long-term PTA detainees – some imprisoned for decades. The report further calls for amendments or repeal of several restrictive laws, including those relating to data and online safety, NGOs, and civil and political rights. International support While the primary responsibility for investigating and prosecuting crimes lies with the Government, the report calls for complementary international support. It urges UN Member States to contribute to accountability and reconciliation efforts, leveraging OHCHR's strengthened capacity to undertake related work. ' These measures are crucial to realizing the Government's vision of 'national unity' and above all ensuring there can never be recurrence of past violations, ' Mr. Türk said.
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Israel approves Gaza offensive plan amid Hamas condemnation
'These assaults represent a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing a new reality on the ground by force, through a scorched-earth policy and the complete destruction of civilian property.' Sabah Fatoum, 51, who lives in a tent in the city's Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, told AFP by phone that 'the explosions are massive' in the area. There are 'many air strikes and tanks are advancing in the southern area of Tal al-Hawa with drones above our heads', she said. Abu Ahmed Abbas, 46, who lives in a tent in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, said that tanks had been advancing into the southeastern part of Zeitoun and southern Tal al-Hawa 'for several days' and demolishing houses. 'The air strikes are extremely intense, they have intensified, and sometimes there is artillery shelling since last Sunday.' 'Just escaped death' Gaza's civil defence agency also reported intensified Israeli air strikes on residential neighbourhoods of Gaza City in recent days. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Israeli attacks had killed at least 40 people across the territory on Wednesday. AFP footage from Gaza City on Tuesday showed Palestinians fleeing Israeli strikes on the Zeitoun and Asqoola neighbourhoods using overloaded carts, vans and bikes. 'I didn't bring a mattress or anything, and we just escaped death and now we're running away and we don't know where to go,' said displaced Palestinian Fidaa Saad. Israel's plans to expand its offensive into Gaza City come as diplomacy aimed at securing an elusive ceasefire and hostage release deal has been stalled for weeks, with the latest round of negotiations breaking down in July. Egypt said Tuesday it was still working with fellow Gaza mediators Qatar and the United States to broker a 60-day truce 'with the release of some hostages and some Palestinian detainees, and the flow of humanitarian and medical assistance to Gaza without restrictions'. Hamas said early on Wednesday that a senior delegation had arrived in Cairo for 'preliminary talks' with Egyptian officials. Israel's plans to expand the fighting have sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition. Reserve and retired pilots who served in the Israeli air force rallied on Tuesday in Tel Aviv to demand an end to the conflict. 'This war and expansion will only cause the death of the hostages, death of more Israeli soldiers, and death of many more innocent Palestinians in Gaza,' said Guy Poran, a former air force pilot. Dire conditions UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 235 people, including 106 children, have died of hunger since the war began in October 2023, with many of the cases recorded in recent weeks. Netanyahu on Tuesday revived calls to 'allow' Palestinians to leave Gaza, telling Israeli broadcaster i24NEWS that 'we are not pushing them out, but we are allowing them to leave'. Past calls to resettle Gazans outside of the war-battered territory, including from US President Donald Trump, have sparked fears of displacement among Palestinians and condemnation from the international community. Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,722 Palestinians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable. - Agence France-Presse
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Recognition of Palestine - NZ weighs decision amid global pressure
Neither argument is strictly relevant to New Zealand's decision, which will be made by UN leaders' week in six weeks. The purpose of recognising Palestinian statehood is not to please Hamas or the Palestinian Authority or to infuriate Israel, although it will do all of those things. It is not to instantly magic up a happy ending to the misery in Gaza. It is to preserve the viability of a two-state solution, a state of Israel co-existing with a state of Palestine in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Every country that has joined the latest international effort to recognise Palestinian statehood has cited that as the rationale. And the reason for that is that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is redoubling efforts to undermine and reject a two-state solution, including plans to take control of Gaza City, and a symbolic vote in the Knesset (Israeli parliament) last month calling for Israel to annex the West Bank. 'The Netanyahu government's rejection of a two-state solution is wrong – it's wrong morally and it's wrong strategically,' said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. 'The two-state solution is in mortal danger. It is about to give way to perpetual confrontation. That is something France simply cannot resign itself to,' said France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrot. 'Prospects for a two-state solution have been steadily and gravely eroded,' said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. 'The Netanyahu Government is extinguishing the prospect of a two-state solution by rapidly expanding illegal settlements, threatening annexation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and explicitly opposing any Palestinian state,' said Albanese. As in New Zealand, the two-state solution has long been endorsed by most countries, and the United Nations, as the only fair long-term answer to two peoples with claims to the same land. Palestinians wait to receive hot meals with their pots and pans in Deir Al Balah, Gaza. Photo / Anadolu via Getty Images The alternative, one state of Israel, is one in which the Palestinian quest for a homeland would never be satisfied, one in which Palestinian rights would be subjugated and one in which conflict would be permanent. At times, Israel has supported a two-state solution. But Netanyahu, now in this third stint as Prime Minister, has actively undermined it by supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank, in breach of international law. When New Zealand was preparing to co-sponsor UN Security Council resolution 2334 in 2016 – again in order to preserve a two-state solution - he described it as 'a declaration of war'. Netanyahu had already bullied Egypt out of co-sponsoring the resolution, but it passed, and Israel withdrew its ambassador from Wellington for five months. The United States, whose Secretary of State John Kerry had done a huge amount of work in the Middle East, abstained, allowing it to pass without dissent. The present has some echoes to back then. Today's rallying of the international community, once again to preserve the two-state solution, also serves to reinforce the position that this protracted conflict needs a political solution, not a military one. Since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 and the ensuing crisis, New Zealand's position has remained non-committal about when it will recognise Palestine and to 'focus on the needs of the moment'. It is the classic bob-each-way position of a small state, trying to keep onside with Israel by not recognising Palestine, and keeping Palestinians onside by saying it's just a matter of when, not if. But given that Israel has thumbed its nose at the international community and its disproportionate, horrific actions in Gaza, the question New Zealand must ask is whether it is still valid to try to please everyone. With movement on the issue from a large number of like-minded friends, Australia, Britain, France, and Canada give a small country the cover it might not normally have over such a major shift. No shift is likely without conditions. They could be similar to those accepted by France and Canada, such as commitments by the Palestinian Authority to reform its governance, commit to elections in 2026, exclude any role for Hamas, and demilitarise any Palestinian state. If a condition by New Zealand were to wait for recognition until an actual state was in place, that would be tantamount to the status quo. Foreign Minister Winston Peters took an oral item to cabinet on Monday about recognition of a Palestinian state, as opposed to a cabinet paper. That is not to say that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade won't have plenty of advice on recognition, and that is being prepared. But it is also a reminder that no matter what the official advice is, it will be a political decision. Peters himself, a former student of Hebrew, has been a hawk on Israel. He was critical of New Zealand sponsoring resolution 2334 in 2016. That meant his strong criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza last year and this year has carried more weight. Planes drop aid packages by parachute over western Gaza City, Gaza. Photo / Anadolu via Getty Images It is acknowledged by most countries that the United States and President Trump, Israel's strongest ally, hold the key to ending the conflict and what happens afterwards. And because Peters is sympathetic to the Trump Administration and its America First ethos, he is open to accusations of delaying recognition in order to please the United States. That is why Peters, despite professing to loathe the common refrain that New Zealand has an independent foreign policy on the basis that it implies that others don't, on Monday insisted that 'New Zealand has an independent foreign policy'. An important factor in how New Zealand is approaching the issue of recognition is the unique makeup of the Government. It is the prerogative of the cabinet to make such a decision. However, given that the cabinet avoids votes (National with 14 out of 20 would win every time) and operates on party consensus, it effectively gives a veto to each of the three parties in Government, National, Act and NZ First. That could lead to an outrageous outcome if, for example, every party in Parliament except Act favoured recognition of Palestinian statehood or if every party except Act and NZ First supported recognition. The parties other than Act, led by Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, and NZ First, led by Peters, represent 85% of the Parliament. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the recognition of Palestine is a complex issue and will take time to work through. Actually, it is not that hard. What will be hard is presenting the views of a disparate Government to a country that has largely lost sympathy with Israel because of its appalling treatment of Palestinians. One of the reasons Peters might find it difficult to support recognition of Palestinian statehood is that he has spent the past year saying why New Zealand shouldn't. But when the circumstances change, as they have done, it is not unreasonable for the response to change.
