News

Prominent Papua New Guinean lawyer David Dataona was arrested by plain-clothes police officers as he stepped out of a court room in Port Moresby, reported the New Lawyer.

Mr Dataona has been accused of perverting the course of justice by allegedly attempting to bribe a police lawyer into signing documents that would replace Police Commissioner Tom Kulunga with his client, Fred Yakasa.

King George Tupou V has refused to endorse the Arms and Ammunitions (Amendment) Act 2011, which was passed by the Tongan parliament to minimise the penalties incurred for firearms posession, reported Matangi Tonga Online.

Parliament voted to circumvent public consultation on the Bill in October last year, and went on to pass the amendments with a vote of 10-8.

The Bill, however, has not been granted the Tongan monarch's Royal Assent on the grounds that the move would be "inimical to the welfare, wellbeing and safety of His subjects."

Friday 30 December 2011 did not exist for Samoa as it moved west over the International Date Line to become the first country to celebrate the New Year, reported the Pacific Islands News Network.

The same reason was cited for the opposite move more than a century ago when Samoa crossed over to the east of the International Date Line to bring the Pacific island nation closer to trading partners at the time in the US and Europe. Today, Samoa has developed closer ties with Australia and New Zealand, and the time zone change has been hailed by most as a positive move.

A panel of five Supreme Court judges has decided Peter O'Neill's prime ministership unconstitutional, restoring Sir Michael Somare as the Papua New Guinean leader, reported the Pacific Islands News Association.

A close ruling of 3-2 ousted the O'Neill administration, which was elected on 2 August this year following what was then deemed a vacancy in the office of prime minister. The Supreme Court's judgment stated there was no such vacancy in the PM's seat, making O'Neill's 70-24 parliamentary win illegal.