Dateline for 17 May 2019

The political fallout from a controversial loan taken on by Papua New Guinea's government five years ago continues to bite prime minister Peter O'Neill. But for the PNG opposition, an issue over which it has been attacking the prime minister is now also problematic for its bid to remove him from power. The Cook Islands shadow police minister says the government, police and border control need to wake up to presence of methamphetamine in the country; staff and students at the University of the South Pacific gathered on Thursday to demand greater transparency from the university's administration; a Manus Island refugee says the Christchurch terror attack has spared asylum seekers from being vilified during the Australian election campaign; a Cook Islands lawyer says the use of DNA evidence could speed up the resolution of disputes over land ownership; teams from Fiji and Samoa will make their Global Rapid Rugby debut this weekend, in the first step towards what organisers hope will help Pacific Islands countries become regular World Cup contenders.