Cook Islands

The financing agreement was formalised during the Oceans Conference in Malta this week.

Under the agreement, which is financed through the 11th European Development Fund, the EU will provide $US1.65 million dollars to the Cook Islands' budget to help with the implementation of the National Sustainable Development Plan and the Sanitation Policy over the next four years.

Photo: RNZ/Daniela Maoate-Cox The Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna 

But the minister of finance Mark Brown said it was not fully viable given current challenges and a lack of resources.

Mr Brown said while the change was a major milestone it involved considerable challenges and meant the Cook Islands had to consider a new way of doing business.

He said there were still options to efficiently run the country without the support of the large grants which would cease once the islands are declared a developed nation.

The Solomon Islander moved to Australia in 2005 to study. He's able to live there openly as a gay person.

But not so in Solomon Islands where he keeps a low profile on short visits home to visit family.

"I feel sorry for my friends back in the Solomons who are gay. I know people who are verbally and physically abused for being gay on a daily basis.

"They even get threatened that they'll be arrested and have the law thrown upon them," he said.

Both teams advanced to the semi-final after finishing top in the Pool A group match.

New Zealand finished on top with nine clear points and were unbeaten in their pool games while New Caledonia secured second spot with six points.

The defending champions who also won the recent OFC U-19 Women’s Champion are vying to add another title in the U-16 category.

However, Cook Islands U-16 cannot be underestimated as they are eyeing for the final spot.

The second final will feature Fiji against New Caledonia at 8pm today.

Although their final placing won’t be confirmed until the last matches for Group B on Friday, Cook Islands secured at least a second place finish in the group – enough to qualify – after Fiji and Tonga’s 0-0 draw in the opening match of the day.

In wet and windy conditions, the French territory scored two unanswered tries and kept the Cookies scoreless in the second half.

The test was marred by ill-discipline, with Tahiti prop Martin Taeae, winger James Tekurio and Cook Islands centre Samuela Longo Leuta sent off amid a flurry of eight cards.

President of Tahiti Rugby Union, Charles Tauziet, claimed the "underdog" tag prior to kick-off but said the visitors ultimately won the game up front.

A proposed overhaul of the 1969 Crimes Act excludes sections that ban homosexuality.

Currently, the law bans "indecent acts" between two men, and "consensual sodomy" with prison terms of between five and seven years, although convictions are rare.

LGBT activists in the country have long been pushing for an amendment, and the draft Crimes Bill 2017 brings that one step closer.

The Solicitor General, David James, says the new bill makes laws suitable for the modern era, and means people will no longer be locked up for their private conduct.

Although American Samoa threw everything into the milestone match, Fiji’s impressive ball skills and undeniable fitness allowed them to take control of the game and earn the upper hand in the 11th minute with a solid finish from Eseta Sinukula.

Viniana Buke – who completely dominated in the midfielded until she was called off to rest in the 62nd minute – was next to find the net after dribbling through three players then carefully placing the attempt just wide of goalkeeper Zena Foma’i.

An expert on China's foreign aid programme, Denghua Zhang, said the Te Mato Vai project in the Cook Islands was helping China learn about aid delivery and monitoring.

According to his research, about four percent of China's total aid spends goes to Oceania, most of that in soft loans for new roads and other infrastructure.

Mr Zhang said China was increasingly teaming up with traditional donor countries and agencies like the UN Development Programme and it saw the Pacific as a good testing ground for such co-operation.

Late last month the board of the Aitutaki Power Authority was removed and former chair Allan Mills claimed this was to give the CIIC access to its financial reserves.

The corporation's Mike Henry rejected that.

He said the old authority was unable to use the funds, and the new Aitutaki agency, which would essentially be a state owned enterprise, will have the power to spend them.