Here's what is happening in news from around the Pacific today, Monday 14 December.
Covid-19 health screening at the Jackson International Airport in Port Moresby. Photo: PNG Department of Health
PNG records four more Covid-19 cases.
Four new cases of covid-19 have been reported in Papua new Guinea's Western Highlands province.
It brings the national tally to 725.
There have been eight deaths related to the coronavirus so far.
The four new positive cases - all males ranging in age from seven to 32 - were reported in three separate areas.
PNG Opposition picks Pruaitch as nominee for PM
Papua New Guinea's Opposition has reportedly settled on its candidate for prime minister.
PNG's national parliament is reconvening this afternoon for a highly anticipated sitting, with the Opposition pushing to remove Prime Minister James Marape.
Marape said he expected the Opposition to bring a motion of no-confidence against him.
The Opposition has reportedly held a vote within its ranks to nominate its candidate.
Reports from Port Moresby say the National Alliance leader, Patrick Pruaitch, won the vote over the United Labour Party leader, Sam Basil.
However this could still change, as in the previous vote for prime minister in May 2019, there were last minute changes to the nominees.
Body found in Fiji river
Fiji police are investigating the discovery of the body of a Vanuatu national found floating in a river.
Police were alerted to the scene by villagers the Ra province.
Police say the body was found in the Wainibuka River on Sunday.
The man is believed to have been staying at a nearby village.
According to police, villagers told them the man was married.
The body has been taken to the Rakiraki Hospital mortuary.
Former Fiji AG dies
A former Fiji Attorney-General has died in New Zealand aged 71.
Anand Singh passed away at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital last week.
Singh was attorney-general in the Labour-led coalition government of 1999.
He was also among those who were held hostage at gunpoint in Parliament during the May 2000 coup.
He had been appointed Fiji Labour Party president last year.
Singh is survived by three children and a grandchild.
Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry said the country had lost a true son.
He was a true crusader of Labour's values, said Chaudhry.
"His wise counsel will be sorely missed at a crucial time in the party's history as we prepare our build-up for the 2022 general election."
UN's SG calls for global climate emergency
The UN secretary-general has called on all countries to declare a climate emergency until carbon neutrality is reached.
António Guterres made the call while giving a grim update about global warming during a virtual summit on the Paris climate agreement's fifth anniversary.
The agreement's goal was to limit global warming to less than 2 or close to 1.5 degrees celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
Guterres said the commitments made in Paris were far from enough to reach that goal, and even those commitments aren't being met.
António Guterres said 38 countries have declared a climate emergency, urging all other countries to do follow suit.
