Papua New Guinea's security personnel storm parliament (www.rnz.co.nz)
Up to 200 police, corrections and army personnel have gathered at the Unagi Oval in Port Moresby to in protest over deductions to their salaries this fortnight.
Tribal body accuses Manipur CM of 'international conspiracy (www.eastmojo.com)
The tribal body alleged that the Valley-Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGS) are based in Myanmar, fighting alongside the Myanmar Army against the Pro-Democracy groups, the People’s Defence Force (PDF), and the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B).
Somalia cancels Ethiopia's Red Sea deal with Somaliland (www.thenationalnews.com)
Agreement would have granted Ethiopia access to Gulf of Aden under 50-year lease. Somalia has cancelled a controversial deal between Somaliland, a breakaway region of the country of around 18 million, and landlocked Ethiopia that would have allowed Addis Ababa access to the Red Sea....
Legends and animals from the Cook Islands feature in new mural (www.rnz.co.nz)
A 560-metre plain grey seawall has been transformed into the longest mural in the South Pacific.
Brazilian city begins first mass vaccination against dengue (www.reuters.com)
The city of Dourados in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul on Wednesday began the country's first mass vaccination against dengue, the city's government said....
$7bn of gold is buried in these PNG hills. The battle to claim it has been called 'Game of Thrones on crack' (www.abc.net.au)
PNG's Porgera gold mine could potentially transform the fortunes of an impoverished province now that it has reopened. But some locals say they've experienced considerable environmental damage from the mine's waste and tailings.
Rapanui (Easter Island) invites the world to help it grow Cacao beans (www.teaonews.co.nz)
Rapanui has seen a huge decline in its ecosystem and sees this investment as helping it fund solutions to its climate change issues.
Marshall Islands election results declared as high-profile incumbents lose re-election (www.rnz.co.nz)
The national election results for the Marshall Islands were declared final on December 27 by Chief Electoral Officer Ben Kiluwe.
Liberia: Tanker Explosion Death Toll Rises to 40 (www.liberianobserver.com)
The death toll from the recent gas tanker explosion in Totota, Lower Bong County, has risen to over 40, according to Liberia's Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Minister for Health Services, Dr. Francis Kateh....
French government announces constitutional amendments for New Caledonia (www.rnz.co.nz)
France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has announced a Constitutional amendment to "unfreeze" New Caledonia's electoral roll.
Company sells Indigenous land in Amazonas as NFTs without community’s knowledge (news.mongabay.com)
Areas of the Apurinã territory in the Lower Seruini area, in southern Amazonas state, were sold by Nemus under an NFT project that promises to preserve the forest and generate carbon credits.
World surfing body joins local opposition to controversial new Olympics tower in Tahiti (www.theguardian.com)
ISA says it has suggested more environmentally friendly solutions for judging the surf competition in Teahupo’o, known for its natural beauty
PNG's Porgera set to re-open Friday (www.rnz.co.nz)
The long-awaited re-opening of the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea's Enga Province is set to happen on Friday.
Crown opposition to Waitangi Tribunal inquiry is 'blatant disregard' of Treaty principles - advocates (www.rnz.co.nz)
Māori health advocates say a Crown memo opposing an urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry demonstrates a 'blatant disregard' of Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles.
Egypt says talks over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have failed (www.reuters.com)
Egypt said the latest talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) had failed but it would monitor the process of filling and operating the dam....
Namibia: bail hearing in rare-plant poaching case (www.namibian.com.na)
A suspected plant-trafficking kingpin, Diana Mashiku (29) from Tanzania, and her three Namibian co-accused are scheduled to apply for bail on Thursday in the Opuwo Magistrate’s Court....
Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf dies at 86, Sheikh Meshaal named successor (www.aljazeera.com)
Heir Sheikh Meshaal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, 83, replaces Sheikh Nawaf who had ruled for three years.
Waitangi Tribunal bid made in attempt to stop abolition of Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority (www.rnz.co.nz)
Lady Tureiti Moxon and the head of a Māori primary health organisation, Janice Kuka, have made a request for an urgent hearing regarding the government's plans.
Kosovo tribunal confirms war crimes conviction of ex-KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) commander (www.reuters.com)
Appeals judges at the Kosovo tribunal in The Hague on Thursday confirmed the conviction of a former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) guerrilla commander who ran a torture prison during Kosovo's 1998-99 conflict with Serbia, but reduced his sentence....
Once vibrant, now silent: Abandoned school in Yonphula, Bhutan haunts locals (kuenselonline.com)
Eerie silence now dominates the atmosphere around the abandoned school in Yonphula, Trashigang where the wind almost seems to screech through broken windowpanes....
2,500 people contract measles in Kazakhstan in a week (m.akipress.com)
2,500 people contracted measles in Kazakhstan last week. 342 new cases were recorded over the weekend, Orda.kz reports....
Indian Govt allows non-basmati rice exports to 5 African countries (www.livemint.com)
The government on Thursday allowed the export of essential food items to five African nations overriding an existing ban. The export curbs on food grains such as rice and wheat have affected food availability in strategic partner countries....
Ugandans Challenge Anti-Homosexuality Act (www.hrw.org)
Ugandan human rights activists, journalists, religious leaders, academics, and lawyers are currently challenging the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which came into force in May, in court. The case, which enters its final pretrial stage today, will soon proceed to trial....
73 Pre-Incan Mummies, Some with 'False Heads,' Unearthed in Peru (www.scientificamerican.com)
Burials holding mummies with false heads have been discovered from the Wari Empire in Peru. Archaeologists in Peru have unearthed the burials of at least 73 people dating to around 1,000 years ago, a few hundred years before the Inca took over parts of western South America. ...
Nunavut: Iqaluit march calls for end to gender-based violence (nunatsiaq.com)
Approximately 50 people marched in Iqaluit Wednesday night for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women....
