Pacific Review

The head of Papua New Guinea's defence force has praised his men's patience and professionalism in rescuing two Indonesian hostages from West Papuan rebels earlier this week. A statement by PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill that a yes vote in the referendum on Bougainville independence doesn't necessarily mean the island will actually get independence has been condemned by a Bougainvillean politician.

The main buyer of Fiji sugar says it's pushing the Fiji Sugar Corporation to improve safety at its workplaces. The Papua New Guinea government has extended its ban on imported produce.

United States President Barack Obama has signed a major disaster declaration for the Northern Marianas, following the destruction caused by Typhoon Soudelor earlier this week. Authorities in Chimbu Province in PNG's highlands have closed parts of the general hospital at Kundiawa and cut classes at schools as a prolonged drought causes water shortages.

Pacific Islands Forum secretary general Dame Meg Taylor says it's unlikely there will be any intervention on Nauru in response to concerns over the rule of law. The temporary shut down on the Ok Tedi mine in PNG's Western Province will put a big hole in the national budget.

A former New Zealand minister of immigration wants the current minister to reverse a decision to deport a six year old Fijian girl who was sexually assaulted. The Solomon Islands government has accused local newspapers of printing false and misleading news about the decision to approve millions of dollars of relief supplies for cyclone affected parts of the country.

A court in Nauru has granted bail to two senior opposition M-Ps who were detained last month. Tonga's hosting of the next Pacific Games in 2019 is under fresh pressure.

The Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Minister's meeting drew to a close in Sydney on Friday.

The New Zealand parliament has passed a unanimous motion expressing concern about the situation in Nauru. A sting by a global Non-Government Organisation targeting high profile PNG lawyers and broadcast on Australian television has caused uproar in legal and political circles, and on social media.

A coalition of West Papuan organisations has been accepted into a regional grouping of Melanesian countries but denied full membership. Provisions in Fiji's new flag protection bill could be struck down by the courts for violating the country's Bill of Rights.

There are claims the Nauru government has sacked dozens of people for taking part in a rowdy protest outside parliament. Vanuatu's opposition leader Edward Natapei is going to court to challenge the decision by the new parliamentary speaker to rule out a planned no confidence motion against the new government after just a week in office.

Vanuatu has a new prime minister, for the fifth time in four years. Port Moresby's reputation as a hotspot for crime means that razor wire is a common sight on top of fences around the city, or at least it used to be.

The biggest story of the week was the deaths of two men in Hanuabada village in Port Moresby allegedly at the hands of police officers. And, Radio Australia is turning off its shortwave signal to Asia, another result the ABC says of recent government funding cuts.

Tonga's first government leader from outside the nobility is calling for the Tongan people to be patient with him. Four women in Papua New Guinea accused of witchcraft have been saved by police and missionaries.

Fiji's opposition Nation Federation Party has accused the attorney general of unconstitutionally interfering with the independence of parliament. Fiji's ruling political party has rejected claims by the opposition that changes to parliamentary funding for parties are an attack on them.

The world is in shock following the murder of 12 staff at France's leading satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo. PNG prime minister Peter O'Neill says the government could declare an emergency over the state of the Highlands Highway.