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New Zealand passes law to detain asylum seekers for six months

By New Zealand correspondent Dominique Schwartz

New Zealand has passed a new law allowing authorities to detain groups of asylum seekers for six months.

The country's parliament passed changes to the Immigration Act to allow groups of 30 or more asylum seekers to be detained for up to six months.

Under the law, any asylum seeker deemed to be a refugee will not be eligible for permanent residency for three years, after which their status may be reassessed.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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Marshalls drought destroys food, raises tensions

A drought crisis in the Marshall Islands is creating tensions between villages forced to share dwindling water supplies.

More than 5,000 people in the north of Marshall Islands have limited access to clean and safe drinking water, proper sanitation and nutritious food.

The only water available for drinking, cooking and hygiene is being made by reverse osmosis water purifying machines flown into the northern atolls by aid groups.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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Climate change migrants reluctant to leave homes

Coping with mass migration from Pacific Island nations affected by rising sea levels caused by climate change was on top of the agenda for a regional meeting in Rarotonga last week.

Audio: Climate change migrants reluctant to leave homes (Credit: ABC)

The European based Nansen Initiative led the consultations and workshops which concluded with discussion with government ministers from across the region.

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Australia + 1 other
Housing crisis a blow to refugee's hope of new life

By Andrew O'Connor

VIDEO: Refugees unable to find rental accommodation (7pm TV News WA)

It is a measure of her desperation that Mary Deng would prefer a tent in a refugee camp in strife-torn Sudan to homelessness in Perth.

Three years after arriving in Australia, Ms Deng, her four children and her brother still have no house to rent.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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UNICEF provides drought aid to Marshall Islands

UNICEF has provided emergency assistance to drought-affected areas in Marshall Islands.

The UN children's fund UNICEF has joined the Marshallese Government in providing emergency assistance to the nation's severely drought-affected areas.

More than 5,000 people in the north of Marshall Islands have limited access to clean and safe drinking water, proper sanitation and nutritious food.

The emergency response is focusing attention on health and hygiene with reports of an increase in diarrhoea and other infections among children.

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Hopes Solomons dengue epidemic has peaked

There's hope in Solomon Islands that the worst of the country's dengue outbreak is now over. .

The National Referral Hospital in Honiara says they've recorded a 50 per cent drop in dengue admissions since the outbreak started.

Although there's still concern about whether the hospital's blood bank has enough supplies to cope with such an outbreak.

So far the number of dengue-related deaths stands at six.

Presenter: Richard Ewart

Speaker: Alfred Dofai, director, National Medical Laboratory, Solomon Islands

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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Emergency food aid needed in crippling Marshalls drought

Updated 8 May 2013, 10:30 AEST

There's no relief in sight for the drought affected region of the northern Marshall Islands.

And as the rain holds off conditions will only get worse.

An estimated 5,000 people in the northern atolls are experiencing severe drought conditions with an additional 11,000 people affected by crop loss due tio the lack of rain.

Drinking water is being rationed and there's no water for bathing or other domestic purposes.

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PNG floods at crisis point

Updated 7 May 2013, 13:04 AEST

The international aid agency Oxfam says the flooding situation in Papua New Guinea's East Sepik province has now reached crisis point.

Seven people have been confirmed dead and about 11,500 people have been affected by flooding along the Sepik River.

Phillippe Allen, Oxfam Australia's associate country director for PNG, says although flooding is a regular occurrence, water levels have risen excessively in this wet season.

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Samoa + 1 other
Australia and Samoa formalise cyclone aid deal

Australia and Samoa have signed an aid agreement to help in construction efforts from a cyclone that ripped through the Pacific nation last year.

Australia and Samoa have signed an aid agreement to help in construction efforts from a cyclone that ripped through the Pacific nation last year.

The donation of almost AU$7 million (US$7.25 million) will be used to help rebuild schools and medical facilities in Samoa damaged by Cyclone Evan in December.

It is estimated the cyclone caused AU$200 million (US$207 million) worth of damage.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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Solomons dengue epidemic claims fourth life

The dengue outbreak in the Solomon Islands continues to spread, and health authorities are struggling to find sufficient money to help combat the epidemic.

A fourth death has now been reported, along with a sharp increase in cases of the mosquito-borne disease.

Presenter:Geraldine Cootes

Speaker: Dr Lester Ross, Permanent Secretary for the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health

Listen to the story

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Social change, closures behind Honiara hospital birth spike

Listen to the radio

Liam Fox, PNG correspondent and wires

Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital is struggling to deal with the numbers of women giving birth in Honiara.

The closure of the maternity ward and women choosing to leave the provinces for Honiara has put pressure on facilities in the capital.

There was a 20 per cent increase in births in March, compared with the previous month.

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Solomons dengue outbreak blamed on unusual virus strain

It's been more than four months since the first outbreak of dengue fever was reported in Solomon Islands.

Solomons dengue outbreak blamed on unusual virus strain (Credit: ABC)

Since then, the virus has continued to spread, and as of last week, there were more than 2,500 suspected cases.

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Solomon Islands + 2 others
Health specialists to help Solomons dengue fight

Posted 15 April 2013, 7:23 AEST

A team of health specialists from Australia and Fiji has arrived in Solomon Islands to tackle an outbreak of dengue fever.

Since the first case was reported four months ago, the virus has continued to spread quickly.

Three people have died and there are at least 2,500 suspected cases of dengue fever, mostly in the capital Honiara.

However Dr Yvan Souarès, who manages the Health Protection program at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, says the virus could easily spread to other regions.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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Solomons victims still struggling after tsunami

Officials in Solomon Islands say tsunami victims are still in need of food, water and adequate shelter, more than a month after the disaster struck.

Officials in Solomon Islands say tsunami victims are still in need of food, water and adequate shelter, more than a month after the disaster struck.

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit the Santa Cruz area on February 6, triggering a tsunami that killed nine people.

Hundreds of houses were destroyed and about 3,500 people left homeless.

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PNG flooding threatens food supplies

Food supplies are dwindling for more than 5000 villagers in Central Bougainville as a result of continuous heavy rain.

Food gardens in the coastal village of Rorovana have been washed away and an appeal has gone out for emergency government assistance.

Regional disaster coordinator, Franklin Lacui, told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat a long term plan to help the villagers relocate has been put into action, but decisions are yet to be made on the immediate issue of food aid.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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World + 1 other
Pacific to suffer worst climate change impacts

The World Bank is urging the international community to heed the plight of Pacific island countries and take action on climate change.

The bank's vice president for Sustainable Development, Rachel Kyte, says Pacific nations will suffer higher sea level rise than other parts of the world.

She says the impact of climate change will threaten the very existence of some countries in the Pacific.

Ms Kyte also warns Australia will see some of the most extreme droughts, with summer temperatures of over 40 degrees becoming commonplace.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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Sanitation still a concern in tsunami-hit Solomons

Thirty days after a remote region of Solomon Islands was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, permanent housing and sanitation still pose a challenge.

The National Disaster Management Office in Honiara says over USD $25 million have been raised by government, international donors and local communities.

The magnitude 8.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck on February 6 claimed 10 lives and displaced over 4500 people.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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The World Bank says it will provide Samoa with an extra USD $20 million to help it recover from Cyclone Evan

The World Bank says it will provide Samoa with an extra USD $20 million to help it recover from Cyclone Evan.

Evan struck in December 2012 and killed five people, displaced about 4000 and damaged or destroyed hundreds of houses.

The cyclone also damaged transport infrastructure, energy plants, tourism facilities and crops.

The World Bank's Franz Drees-Grosse told Radio Australia a damage assessment they did in conjunction with Samoa's government in January showed the economic impact of the disaster was enormous.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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Thailand + 1 other
Thai military accused of trafficking refugees

PM By Southeast Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel
Updated Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:45pm AEDT

There are mounting allegations the Thai military is trading Rohingya refugees from Western Burma to human traffickers.

Last week PM broadcast allegations that Thai military officers shot and killed Rohingya off the Thai coast but there is also continued accusations that Thai officials are involved in selling Rohingya to brokers, who then sell them on as bonded labourers.

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Winds downgraded as Cyclone Sandra moves away from Solomons

Updated 11 March 2013, 11:25 AEST

Gale force winds and flooding rains are forecast for much of Solomon Islands as Cyclone Sandra hovers about 300 kilometres off Rennel Island.

Listen: Winds downgraded as Cyclone Sandra moves away from Solomons (Credit: ABC)

The cyclone warning has now been extended to the northern islands of New Caledonia.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

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