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NUKU‘ALOFA, Tonga (BBC World Service, Dec. 23) - The decision of the King of Tonga to shed a few pounds has prompted his subjects to follow his lead.

His Majesty King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV took on a drastic diet and exercise regime when obesity stopped him from walking up steps, or even from sleeping properly.

The measures proved personally successful as the pounds dropped off, but more importantly his example galvanized the kingdom into action

People living in the Pacific Islands are prone to weight gain, particularly in recent years as they increasingly adopted Western eating practices.

King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV told the program his change in lifestyle had done the trick.

"I feel better of course, I can walk and I can climb steps better. I sleep better as well."

Local Dietician Elisiva Na‘ati says the Tongan people were starting to shun unhealthy foods and take more exercise.

"They are more concerned about their diet and doing a lot...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (Post-Courier/PINA, Dec. 23) - Twenty children are reported dead and 10 others are dying from a measles outbreak in the Hengonofi area of Papua New Guinea’s Eastern Highlands.

"If we don’t contain this situation, we are going to have a catastrophe, a national disaster," said Henganofi MP Banare Bun, a medical doctor, after visiting the area:

He said those affected most are children aged five years and below.

The outbreak is attributed to a lack of mother-child-health clinics over the past five to six years, where newborn babies are normally vaccinated, he said.

Bun warned that 10,000 to 15,000 children could die if the outbreak is not contained. The possibility of it spreading into the province was high, he added.

Dr Bun said he had spoken to the health authorities in Goroka and they were helping him address the situation. But the province did not have the medicine and the vaccines, manpower and transportation to...

POHNPEI, FSM (Pacific Islands Report, Dec. 24) – The Speaker of the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has been indicted on multiple charges involving the theft of government funds.

The 11-count indictment charges Speaker of the Congress Jack Fritz, with fraud, criminal solicitation, and the theft of government funds.

Paul McIlrath, Secretary of the Depar6tment of Justice and Attorney General for the FSM, announced the charges after they were filed with the Supreme Court of the FSM.

McIlrath said the charges are the result of a two-year investigation by the FSM National Public Auditor’s Office and the FSM Department of Justice.

Details of the charges were not immediately available.

If convicted, Fritz faces up to 145 years in prison and more than US$1.2 million in fines.

McIlrath said that while formal charges have been filed, the invesigation against Fritz continues and could result in further charges.

December 24...

MAJURO (Marianas Variety/PINA, Dec. 23) - The number of Marshall Islands women making copra, or dried coconut used to produce coconut oil, has increased tenfold since the late 1960s, a new study reveals.

Comparing copra production from the 1960s to the early 2000s, Benjamin Graham, a statistician with the U.S. Census Bureau, reported that there has been a huge increase in the number of women involved.

Overall, despite continuing low world market prices for coconut oil and an exodus of islanders from remote islands to urban centers where little copra is made, the number of copra producers has remained constant.

In 1967, there were 1,644 copra makers in this north Pacific nation. In the 1999 census, 1,700 people declared "coconut farmer" as their occupation. This is almost one-quarter of the number employed in non-government jobs.

"This makes copra farming the largest single occupation group in the Marshall Islands," said Graham, a Marshall Islander...