Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa declared additional holiday days for government workers to thank them for their efforts in hosting over 4000 delegates at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) last month.

While essential services remain operational, workers are enjoying an extra long weekend that began on Friday and ended on Monday.

Fiame expressed her gratitude and announced the holidays during a special thanksgiving service following the conclusion of CHOGM.

She highlighted the significance of the historic event as the first for a small island nation in the Pacific and the inaugural CHOGM under King Charles III.

RESCUE IN TONGA

Three women and a young child were rescued from a sinking boat in Ha'apai, Tonga.

Matangi Tonga reported that the vessel was on its way to Pangai when it began to take on water, prompting the skipper to swim to shore for help on 30 Ocotber.

Local rescuers successfully located and retrieved the passengers before sundown, six hours after the small vessel began sinking.

The incident is currently under investigation by Tonga Police.

ILLEGAL FISHING

A recent surveillance operation by the US Coast Guard found over 100 illegal fish aggregating devices (FADs) in the waters of Palau.

The Island Times reported that the floating devices are used to attract fish, enabling illegal fishing vessels to exploit Palau's marine resources.

Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr confirmed that a quarter of the FADs have been sunk and destroyed.

In a news conference on October 27, Whipps said the devices contained sophisticated technology and that further investigation was required to determine their origins.

The US Coast Guard confiscated several tracking devices and other equipment found on the illegal FADs for additional technical analysis by US government agencies.

FIJI HEALTH CENTER OPENED

A new FJ$500,000 health center has opened in Fiji to serve remote communities in the Tailevu region.

Local media reported that residents had to previously spend hundreds of dollars to travel to the capital Suva for medical services before the establishment of the new Dogo Health Centre.

One school principal told fijivillage.com that it is a relief to have a medical facility only 10 minutes away instead of hours.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the new centre will address the needs of over 8000 people.

He said the funding came from a $4 million investment from the New Zealand government set aside to upgrade healthcare across Fiji.

PNG LAWYER APPEALS

Jailed Papua New Guinea lawyer Paul Paraka has failed in his appeal against his 20-year jail term.

Paraka was convicted last year of misappropriating over $US45 million in government funds acquired between 2007 and 2011.

Paraka had been granted permission to challenge the finding made against him in the National Court last year; this was heard in early October, with the decision announced this week.

The Post-Courier reported that he claimed that the trial was unfair, the decision was biased, the judge's findings were not based on evidence presented in court, not all the cheques involved had been assessed by the judge, and the search warrants were illegal.

Paraka asked the three-member Supreme Court to free him and invalidate the National Court ruling, but theyrejected his appeal and ordered him to serve his jail term.

AUSTRALIA AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS

Papua New Guineans will now receive the Somare-Whitlam Scholarship to study in Australia.

NBC reported that the Australia Award Scholarship has been renamed to mark 50 years of political independence from Australia in 2025.

The scholarship is named after PNG's first Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, and the Australian leader in 1975, Gough Whitlam.

A total of 90 Papua New Guineans have received the scholarships to study at Australian universities next year.

Australian High Commissioner to PNG John Feakes said both the Somare and Whitlam families graciously gave their support for this initiative.

He said both men were statesmen and visionaries who together laid the foundation for the modern Australia-Papua New Guinea relationship.

GIANT AFRICAN SNAIL

A local mining company in the Solomon Islands is eradicating the invasive Giant African Snail.

Nickel Enterprise Solomon Islands Ltd told the Solomon Star that by addressing the infestation in Rennell Island, it is protecting local crops amid a food shortage crisis.

The company, which recently began a bauxite prospecting program on the island - the most common ore of aluminum — deployed five teams to map heavily infested areas before launching eradication efforts.

Their systematic 16-day plan involves baiting rounds, collecting dead snails, and destroying them by fire.

RED CROSS AWARDS

A woman from Papua New Guinea has been honored alongside five other Red Cross officials with a prestigious award in Geneva.

Aidah Kenneth received the inaugural 'Family Links Award' last week in recognition of over 20 years of dedicated service to the Red Cross in Bougainville.

The Post-Courier reported that the 52-year-old began her journey as a volunteer, serving for 12 years before becoming the coordinator of her local Red Cross branch.

In 2017, she led a small team to the most remote areas of Bougainville, where they located and interviewed families of missing persons, creating the region's first official registry of the missing.

Due to visa issues, Kenneth was unable to travel to Geneva to accept the award in person, so John Hosea, the chairman of Papua New Guinea's National Red Cross, accepted it on her behalf.

(Source: RNZ Pacific)