Tuvalu

In a 18 June letter, Mr Natano said that due to the "political sensitivities and complexities surrounding the appointment of the Secretary-General, postpone, the decision on the appointment of the Secretary-General to the next formal face to face, session of the Pacific Islands Forum's Retreat."

The PIF chair also said the deadline of nominees for the next Secretary-General role, which was supposed to end on Friday should be extended until the Forum meeting in Fiji next year.

The cyclone which formed in Tuvaluan waters got as strong as a category three system - also affecting Fiji and Tonga.

The director of Tuvalu's disaster management office, Sumeo Silu, said based on initial reports about half of the country's population had been severely affected by the cyclone.

Food security was a major concern given ocean waves, whipped up by the storm, inundated gardens and strong winds uprooted trees and damaged banana and breadfruit trees, he said.

Few of the country's 14 islands were spared damage, said Sumeo Silu, the director of the country's disaster management office. Two hundred people had been evacuated on main island Funafuti alone, he said, as reports of significant damage to infrastructure came in from outer islands.

"It's quite devastated," Mr Silu said.

On Funafuti on Friday, the normally calm and shimmering lagoon was stirred into a raging muddy cauldron. In the tempest, two giant barges were shunted from their moorings onto the beach, said Semi Malaki, a local broadcaster.

With Tuvalu’s food security at risk, the Australian Government has launched an innovative new project to produce healthy food in small spaces through establishing highly productive, water-efficient food gardens. 

Using the Foodcube – a modular wicking gardening system – developed under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Innovation Xchange program and soil compost research from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the project will bring together key national and regional players to help atoll communities grow their own food.

A New Zealand Defence Force Orion located the vessel about 400 nautical miles west of Tuvalu earlier Friday.

The Orion dropped communications equipment, fresh water and lights to the crew of the Jin Xiang 6.

Now the Fiji Maritime Surveillance Rescue has reported there are 16 crew with the vessel and that life boats are in the water, as the vessel takes on seawater.

Fiji is connecting with nearby resources to help the crew.

Photo: New Zealand Defence Force

A meeting of the Pacific region's 18 presidents, prime ministers and premiers stretched late into the night on Thursday, with Australia and other countries distancing themselves from strong language that called for urgent action to tackle climate change.

After a marathon twelve hour meeting, the leaders retreat ended in confusion, with hurried news conferences held before the final statements were released.

It's hoped the new measures will ease pressure on an overflowing rubbish dump on Fogafale where most of the population lives.

Single use plastic bottles under 1.5 litres, plastic plates, cutlery and food wrap are among the items which will not be allowed in to the country from 1 August, according to the Director of the Department of Environment Soseala Tinilau.

An outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease was declared on 27 March and, with 600 extra people in the capital Funafuti next month for the Pacific Islands Forum, efforts are underway to stamp out the insects and their larvae.

Teams were spraying schools and other hotspots and water tanks were being treated for larvae, according to Clare Whelan, Health Planning and Management Advisor with Tuvalu's Ministry of Health.

In Tuesday’s pool matches at Apia Waterfront, Tuvalu’s Saaga Malosa and Amalamo Talake defeated PNG’s Richard Batari and Loi Walo in straight sets, although the PNG pair are not the same players that won gold at the Port Moresby XV 2015 Pacific Games.

Along with the rest of Team Tuvalu, Malosa and Talake endured a three-day voyage to reach Samoa. They only arrived on Saturday before attending Sunday night’s opening ceremony and going straight into action on Monday.

The WHO Pacific reports that there have been 476 dengue like-illness cases; of which 211 were laboratory confirmed.

The majority of the cases (45%) are in children.

In March, Tuvalu's Ministry of Health reported a surge in cases of dengue-like illness.

Tuvalu is to host the Pacific Islands Forum in August.