Nauru

Australia transports asylum seekers who arrive by boat to off-shore processing centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

An Amnesty International report said this was a "deliberate policy to inflict harm on refugees" and imposes conditions that "amount to torture".

Nauru has previously denied claims of abuse at the refugee centre.

Australia has been repeatedly criticised for its tough policy on refugees and asylum seekers.

BIMA, a world-leading mobile micro-insurance provider, and the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) have launched their second major joint initiative that will provide microinsurance products to underserved communities across five Pacific Island Countries.

PFIP has provided a grant to BIMA to bring simple, affordable microinsurance products to low-income, rural and underserved communities in Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and Nauru.

Wilson Security's decision follows the announcement by the service provider, Broadspectrum, earlier this year that

Men:

Samoa - Nevo Ioane (62kg category)

Australia – Simplice Ribouem (94kg category)

New Zealand - Richard Patterson (85kg category)

Fiji - Manueli Tulo (56kg category)

Kiribati - David Katoatau (105kg category)

Nauru - Elson Brechtefeld (56kg category)

American Samoa: Tanumafili Jungblut (94kg category)

PNG -Morea Baru (62kg) category

Women:

Samoa - Mary Opeloge (75kg category)

Australia - Tia-Clair Toomey (58kg category)

New Zealand - Tracey Lambrechs (+75kg category)

As protests at the other Australian-run detention centre on Nauru enter day 56, those in the Manus Island centre have holding signs and chanting "Freedom, Freedom" and "This place is illegal".

The centre in PNG was ruled unconstitutional by the country's Supreme Court, prompting the Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, to vow to close it.

However the Australian authorities said this might take some time and repeated that the refugees and asylum seekers would never go to Australia.

They are among 60 young people from around the Commonwealth to receive a Queen's Young Leaders Award.

The winners aged between 18 and 29 are working to support others, raise awareness and inspire change on a variety of issues including climate change, gender equality and mental health.

But the footballing minnows from Nauru stand in the way of the Australian men’s sevens team qualifying for next year’s Rio Olympics.

The tiny Pacific island is Australia’s first pool opponent in the Oceania Regional Olympic qualifier in Auckland this weekend.

To help prepare for the tournament the team went into camp last weekend — at the coach’s home — where they had team bonding, training, video sessions and team talks.

Digicel is once again bringing families and the Pacific’s greatest musical talent together with an upbeat new version of their hit song ‘We Are Family’. This new rendition is a cheerful Pacific Christmas music collaboration, available to all Digicel customers across the company’s six Pacific countries. 

Last year, the Nauruan government said it was increasing the application fee for journalist visas from AUD 200 ($145) to a non-refundable AUD 8,000 (US$5,821) per person. 

But when Al Jazeera tried to apply, the networks was told “all media application [sic] is not approved”.

For some months, Al Jazeera has been emailing and phoning Nauru about the official process for a correspondent and cameraman to apply to visit the country. Most email messages and phone calls went unanswered.

Today is World Day Against the Death Penalty, but execution has yet to be abolished in Tonga, Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

The death penalty was revived in PNG in 2013, but was put under review in May without being implemented.