Latest news with #Guadalcanal
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 27 May
Photo: 123RF Dengue fever cases in Tonga have reached 793, as of an update on Monday. Tonga's Ministry of Health said 417 of the cases are from Tongatapu and 310 from Vava'u. Three people were in Vaiola hospital in stable condition. People are urged to continue cleaning up mosquito breeding sites around homes and schools. Three police officers have been arrested in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, after a woman was shot and killed at Waigani market. NBC reported a weapon was discharged during a police operation to deal with illegal activities by some vendors at the market. Commissioner of Police, David Manning said the three police personnel are the subject of a criminal investigation. "From the briefing provided to me, it appears the police officer who discharged the weapon, had not intended to shoot this young lady, but that is not the point. A woman is dead because a gun was fired. "I call on all members of the community to remain calm, while this matter is investigated, to allow justice to be served." Commissioner Manning said following the incident, he is instructing a review of police procedures and the use of warning shots. Solomon Islands Police have arrested an 18-year-old male in relation to the murder of a 29-year-old woman in Guadalcanal Plains at the weekend. Police said the deceased was alone washing at a well. Supervising Provincial Police Commander Guadalcanal Province Superintendent Edwin Sevoa appealed to those involved to stay calm while police investigate. Ten members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) have taken part in Operation Tui Moana, a two-week operation targeting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Nine vessels of interest were listed, including one confirmed apprehension for suspected IUU fishing activities. FFA officer in charge of the fisheries operations division Jason Raubani said the operation's success highlights the continued strong regional cooperation that is in place, and the commitment to protecting the rights of agency members and their valuable tuna resources. He said follow-up investigations are already underway. Papua New Guinea police have told a parliamentary committee that there is little chance that unlicensed guns in the Highlands can be retrieved before the 2027 general election. Assistant police commissioner of operations Julius Tasion told the committee that police had tried to retrieve the unlicensed guns, but were resisted by locals. He said the norms have changed and when someone becomes a leader at the village level, they have weapons to defend their land or village. The National reported that Chief Superintendent Kyle Saltmarsh, chief of staff to the police commissioner, saying the normalisation of guns and ammunition in the country remained a challenge for the police. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck south of Tonga late Sunday night, prompting initial concerns but ultimately resulting in no tsunami threat to the island nation. Local media reported the tremor occurred at 11.49pm local time, with its epicentre 180 kilometres south of 'Eua and 204 kilometres south of Tongatapu.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 26 May
Royal Solomon Islands Police Force are urging the community to report any cases related to abortion. Photo: Facebook / RSIFP Solomon Islands police are hunting a man they alleged raped and murdered a woman in north Guadalcanal last Wednesday. Superintendent Edwin Sevoa said the dead woman is from North Malaita but had been living in North Guadalcanal with her husband and a small baby she had still been breastfeeding. Sevoa has appealed to the public for anyone with information to come forward. Australia has announced an additional US$3.8 million in support of Vanuatu's earthquake recovery. The Vanuatu Daily Post reported this was announced by Australian foreign minister Penny Wong in Port Vila last week. The money will go towards rebuilding schools and engineering support for more resilient infrastructure. Wong and Vanuatu prime minister Jotham Napat also discussed the Vanuatu-Australia Nakamal Partnership Agreement, a development cooperation framework expected to be signed in September. The Cook Islands shipping registry has been removed from an information-sharing database which aims to clamp down on tankers avoiding international sanctions. Lloyds List reports Maritime Cook Islands was removed from the Registry Information Sharing Compact for breaching its policy. However, Maritime Cook Islands claims it does not allow any sanctioned vessels to remain on its register and wants to know why they were removed. On Christmas Day, Cook Islands-registered tanker Eagle S was seized in the Baltic Sea by Finnish authorities. It was believed to be avoiding Russian oil sanctions. The Pacific Island News Association (PINA) has spoken out in support of Lagi Keresoma, the Samoan journalist facing libel charges. ` Keresoma was charged after publishing an article about a former police officer who she asserted had sought the help of the Head of State to withdraw charges brought against him. PINA has called the matter "a serious concern for medical practicioners" and a "direct threat to press freedom in Samoa and across the Pacific". Seven people have now been charged in connection to a recent import of methamphetamine seized at Fiji's Nadi International Airport. A senior customs official is among them. Fiji Live reports the official is alleged to have disclosed confidential information received in the performance of his duties.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Back in Time, May 17: The USS South Dakota
May 17—"South Dakota saw extensive action during World War II; immediately upon entering service in mid-1942. ... she was sent to the south Pacific to reinforce Allied forces waging the Guadalcanal campaign. ... taking part in the Battle of Santa Cruz in October and the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November. During the latter action, electrical failures hampered the ability of the ship to engage Japanese warships and she became the target of numerous Japanese vessels, sustaining over two-dozen hits that significantly damaged her superstructure but did not seriously threaten her buoyancy. South Dakota returned to the United States for repairs that lasted into 1943, after which she was briefly deployed to strengthen the British Home Fleet, tasked with protecting convoys to the Soviet Union. In mid-1943, the ship was transferred back to the Pacific, where she primarily operated with the fast carrier task force, contributing her heavy anti-aircraft armament to its defense. In this capacity, she took part in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign in late 1943 and early 1944, the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign in mid-1944, and the Philippines campaign later that year. In 1945, she participated in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and bombarded Japan three times. Following the end of the war in August 1945, she took part in the initial occupation of the country before returning to the United States in September. She later moved to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where she was laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until 1962, when she was sold for scrap." The South Dakota, built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, was 680 feet in length, had a beam (width) of 108 feet, and could reach a speed of 27.5 knots (31.6 mph). She had a crew of 1,793 officers and enlisted men during peacetime and 2,500 officers and enlisted men during war time. She carried 3 x "Kingfisher" floatplanes. South Dakota's crew suffered heavy casualties, with 40 killed and 180 wounded. The USS South Dakota (BB 57) is honored with a museum and mock-up of the ship in Sioux Falls, located on Kiwanis Avenue and West 12th Street. The mission of Battleship South Dakota Memorial is to preserve the history of USS South Dakota (BB 57) and its crew. The museum's goal is to educate current and future generations on the most decorated battleship of World War II. — Linda Oster, Researcher
