Tahiti

The Pacific Games Council confirmed Tonga's withdrawal from hosting the event earlier this month, and asked for expressions of interest from "experienced" hosts.

Fiji and Papua New Guinea declined to make a bid with Samoa the only country confirming its desire to stage the games.

New Caledonia also ruled itself out, having last hosted the games six years ago.

Chief executive of the territory's Olympic Committee, Michel Quintin, said whoever does take on the hosting mantle needed strong financial backing.

Kevin Ceran Jerusalemy won the V1 Open Men's 18km race, while Chevalier Hikutini prevailed in the V1 Masters Men's event.

The French Territory also won yesterday's V6 Open Women's race and top the overall standings with four gold medals, one silver and two bronze from seven events.

New Zealand was next best with two gold medals, while Australia have one.

More than 650 paddlers from 33 countries and five continents are competing in the first world marathon championships, which runs for four days.

Birdlife International's Pacific Invasives Programme Manager said among those on the verge of extinction are the Sandpiper and Polynesian Ground-dove, or Tuturuturu.

Steve Cranwell said bird numbers are rising after the Acteon and Gambier island atolls in French Polynesia were made predator free two years ago.

"It has since re-established on one of those that it was previously not present and increased in number on another so it is looking really promising," Mr Cranwell said

Coach, Flemming Serritslev said the game was won in the same way as the first game last week in Port Moresby.

“This time, since we were equal in playing numbers, we had the upper hand for most of the match.

‘We knew that victory in the second match was absolutely necessary to continue in the World Cup qualifiers.

“Now that we have reached this first goal, our next goal is to beat the Solomon Islands in the Solomon Islands,” said Serritslev.

Serritslev added on that the feeling in camp was good and the team deserved the win.

The OFC championship is being hosted in Tahiti from February 11-24 with eight countries participating.

Our boys are pooled in Group A alongside New Caledonia, Tahiti and Vanuatu while Group B consists of Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and New Zealand.

PNG is currently third on the points ladder after round one behind New Caledonia on first place and Tahiti on second. 

In their first match on Saturday, PNG went down to New Caledonia 3-2 while Tahiti defeated Vanuatu 1-0.

Hosts Tahiti take on current table leaders New Caledonia on the second day of Group A action in the OFC U-17 Championship in Papeete, Tahiti on 14 February.

Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu will open the day of action as they both fight for their first points in the competition at 4pm (local time).

Although their 3-2 loss to New Caledonia was heart-breaking for Papua New Guinea coach Harrison Kamake, he remains focussed on staying constructive and tweaking the side’s weaknesses.

“We are playing Vanuatu and they definitely are a good team,” he said.

A late penalty for New Caledonia meant they too put points on the board as they earned a 3-2 win over Papua New Guinea in the tournament’s opening match.

With the backing of the almost 1500 people who packed into Stade Mahina for the match, the Tama Ura didn’t disappoint.

But neither did their opponent who kept the tempo high throughout which made for a fast-paced and exciting encounter.

An early shot from Vanuatu tested Tahiti captain and goalkeeper Moana Pito early on, forcing him to make a superman dive to tip the ball around the upright.

The National Assembly unanimously voted to amend the law, drawn up by Herve Morin when he was the defence minister in 2009.

Most claims for compensation for ill health because of the weapons tests have been rejected which prompted sustained calls for the law to be amended.

Mr Fritch said the Assembly decision marks a historic day and a relief.

He has hailed the territory's parliamentarians in Paris for their work and praised the tireless efforts of the nuclear test veterans organisations and the Maohi Protestant Church.

Tong Sang and two of his former ministers, Clarenntz Vernaudon and Fernand Roomataaroa, were convicted for signing contracts to seal a coalition deal with the Ai'a Api Party.

Tong Sang was fined $US18000.

The three have also been sentenced to jointly pay $US80000 to the public purse.

Their deal in 2008 was allegedly struck to firm up the government coalition.

It involved giving Roomataaroa the agriculture ministry and moving the incumbent into another job as well as upgrading the contracts of 20 of her staff.

The deal was signed by a minister Jean-Christophe Bouissou and the executive director of the Seasteading Institute in San Francisco, which is backed by Paypal founder and billionaire Peter Thiel.

The agreement clears the way for feasibility studies to create a legal structure for seazones with a special governing framework.

The Institute chose French Polynesia for its venture because it found that its links to France, its autonomy and relatively calm waters, offered a suitable environment to place a floating island.