Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
PNG - visa
Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, James Marape (above), has taken the long-awaited reciprocal visa waiver agreement between Indonesia and PNG to parliament for ratification.
The PNG Bulletin reports the agreement was signed nine years ago but had remained inactive.
The newspaper reports it received unanimous support from the PNG Parliament.
The agreement allows visa-free travel for holders of official and diplomatic passports, enabling them to visit each other's countries and obtain visas on arrival.
PNG - electoral reform
The Secretary of the Papua New Guinea Department of Information and Communications Technology has proposed e-voting as the best way forward.
Steven Matainaho said the concept of e-voting in the country is to save time, resources and funding, and it can be one of the solutions to transparency and non-violent elections.
Matainaho said the manual process has been a challenge for the government in past elections.
He said the first step in rolling out e-voting is the process of digital ID for citizens.
Solomon Islands - pardon
A former police officer and member of the Malaita Eagle Force has been pardoned after spending 11 years in jail for murder.
Patterson Saeni was convicted in 2005 of murdering Samani Ramo at Rove Prison in 2000 at the height of the country's ethnic conflict.
He has spent the last nine years on parole before being pardoned on Friday by Governor General, Sir David Vunagi, during King's Birthday celebrations in Honiara.
Cook Islands - patrol vessel
A Cook Islands Police spokesperson says a fault has been found in the country's patrol vessel, that was gifted by Australia last year.
Trevor Pitt said the vessel has run into problems since arriving in Rarotonga and all but the latest issue have now been resolved.
Pitt said the latest issue was found after completing a regional fisheries operation last month.
PIF - appointment
The Pacific Islands Forum has appointed a new Deputy Secretary General - Fijian civil servant Esala Nayasi.
The new position aligns with last year's Suva Agreement, which called for the implementation of two deputies to support the Secretary General.
Fellow Fijian, Filimon Manoni, is the other deputy.
Vanuatu - arts
Women in two remote Vanuatu villages on Pentecost Island are weaving 300 pandanus baskets in preparation for the seventh Melanesian Arts Festival.
The women, from Nokonsa and Laringmat, are weaving the baskets as special gifts that will go to guests at the festival.
RNZI Pacific's Vanuatu correspondent reports they have thanked the national committee organising the festival for the opportunity to contribute.
The festival starts on July 19.
Pacific - voyage
The canoe Hokule'a has departed Alaska to officially start her four-year circumnavigation of the Pacific.
The canoe and voyage received a grand ceremonial blessing and launch hosted by the Alaska Native community on Thursday, local time, but the crew was not able to depart until the weekend due to bad weather.
Hokule'ais to visit ports in the Americas, before exploring Polynesia from March to December 2024.
Samoa - yoga
Samoa celebrated International Yoga Day on Wednesday morning with an outdoor event hosted by the Prime Minister in Apia.
The International Day of Yoga is celebrated every June 21, since its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014.
Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said in a speech the day raises awareness of health and the need to address the country's non-communicable-diseases epidemic.
