Page 6 - Islands Business June 2023

Briefs Briefs

Fiji
American Samoa Fiji’s cabinet has endorsed the opening of an embassy in
The American Samoa government ordered the closure of Israel and reopening of three missions in Malaysia, Papua New
all day care centres in the territory on June 14, until further Guinea and the US. The costing of these reopenings will be
notice to curb the spread of a respiratory virus. The closure considered in the budget to be delivered at the end of June.
was approved by Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo Ale, based on a Fiji closed five missions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
recommendation from the Department of Health “because of
the high number of children presenting with symptoms of the
highly contagious” virus. Acting CEO of LBJ Tropical Medical
Center, Dr Akapusi Ledua, told local media, “it’s mainly French Polynesia
affecting those who are less than a year old,” adding that Air Tahiti has failed in its bid to get the French Polynesian
about 50% require breathing support. government to compensate it for serving loss-making routes.
The carrier asked for US$5.9 million for flying a number of
routes in 2018 and 2019. According to Tahiti Nui TV, the
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands administrative court of appeal in France upheld a court ruling
The federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act will take effect three years ago that found the flight programme was not
in CNMI from June 27. Department of Labor Secretary, Leila imposed on the company but was the result of its negotiations
Staffler, said the new law will eliminate discrimination and with the government. In 2020, Air Tahiti received a subsidy
ensure workplace accommodations for workers with known from the government to rescind its plan to cut half of its
limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related routes because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
medical condition. In practice, it will mean employers with
more than 15 staff on payroll will not be able to prevent
workers from being able to sit or drink water, receive closer Guam
parking, have flexible hours, receive appropriately sized Typhoon Mawar has inflicted an estimated US$4 million
uniform and safety apparel, or take time off to recover from worth of damage to Guam’s only public hospital. The category
childbirth.
4 typhoon hit the US territory in late May. At the time of
publication, people continue to live in temporary evacuation
shelters. Guam Memorial Hospital officials told its board that
Cook Islands the cost of damage was extensive and continued to grow. An
A Cook Islands Public Health Bill dealing with the country’s influenza B outbreak has also occurred at shelters housing
tobacco control measures has been delayed until September. residents who were hardest hit by the disaster.
Jackie Rongo, who works with youth health issues for NGO
Kōrero o te ‘Ōrau, told Cook Islands News it was time the
community held a discussion on the issue of vaping. “We have Kiribati
to be mindful that every day we delay our actions, we lose a The remote reefs in the Southern Line Islands in Kiribati
young person to the addiction of this product,” Rongo said. are recovering quickly after an El Niño warming event in
The National Tobacco Control Committee said there needs 2015-2016 decimated its coral, the National Geographic’s
to be a lot of work done in the outer islands, particularly as Pristine Seas team has found. The team first visited the site
three of them – Atiu, Mitiaro and Mauke – were working on in 2009 and again in 2021, before re-visiting the area last
becoming smokefree by 2025. month. Pristine Seas chief scientist, Alan Friedlander, said the
warming event killed half of all coral in the area surveyed.
“The reefs have recovered dramatically,” he said.
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia has extended its
Compact of Free Association agreement with the United
States. The FSM will reportedly receive US$3.3 billion over the Marshall Islands
20-year life of the new funding agreements, according to US The fallout over the revelation that the $59m Bikini trust
officials. The agreements signed on May 23, constitute three fund for nuclear survivors has been depleted, continues in
of the four agreements between the two governments that Washington DC. The Guardian reports that former staff have
needed to be updated to extend financial assistance programs criticised the US interior department for ignoring the risk of
and services for the FSM prior to September 30, 2023. The fraud after the Trump administration ceased scrutiny of the
documents have been submitted to the Congresses of the FSM fund. The decision to lift oversight of the fund was made in
and the US for final consideration and approval. 2017. The Guardian reports that confidential bank documents
indicate red flags over the funds management, including
the transfer of millions of dollars to two personal checking
accounts. Until recently, the fund provided several million

6 Islands Business, June 2023