Neu: 2001-11-12 Contents of this issue:
1. Pacific Festival 2. Club Med Pressure 3. Sentence Appealed 4. Warming Up ======================================================================== November 12th, 2001 1. Pacific Festival: In Sydney, a dynamic month-long festival of contemporary Pacific arts kicked off over the weekend. The Pacific Wave Festival will showcase some of the region's leading visual and perfoming artists, playwrights and filmakers - in venues across Sydney including the Opera House and Bondi Pavillion. In true island tradition, the hundreds of people who turned up for the opening of the festival at the Casula Powerhouse on the outskirts of Sydney were greeted by steaming earth ovens, musicians and traditional dancers. Included among the performers, cooks and organisers was King Kapisi - New Zealand's own Samoan hip hop star - who wooed the crowds. (Radio Australia). 2. Club Med Pressure: French resort owner Club Med is currently considering options for temporary closure of one of its resorts, located in the capital Noum�a. The move would follow similar steps taken recently by Club Med for one of its resorts in French Polynesia's Moorea island (close to the main island of Tahiti), where the high-class resort has been temporarily closed following a significant drop in bookings, mainly due to the current international situation. The move was part of a global downsizing which involves 15 Club Med resorts around the world.(Oceania Flash/SPC) 3. Sentence Appealed: High Court officials on Niue have confirmed that a Tongan planter, sent to jail for 11 years for fatally shooting his stepmother has filed an appeal against the severity of the sentence. Atelea Kosini Sakalia (41) pleaded guilty to manslaughter after Judge Heta Hingston tossed out a murder charge on the grounds of lack of evidence from the police prosecution.The trial was held before six assessors. The Court was told that Sakalia called a family meeting at an Alofi house then shot dead one of the women who was in the room. There were two children present. 4. Warming Up: Niue's 38 athletes are ready to join 1100 other competitors in this year's South Pacific mini games at Norfolk Island in three weeks. Half of the Niue team are New Zealand resident Niueans with one golfer from Sydney. The team will stay in local motels on the island which has a population of 2000. Organising secretary Tom Lloyd says the biggest problem has been arranging food supplies. Because of strict quarantine regulations fruit and vegetables cannot be imported to Norfolk."Local growers have been working hard to reach full production for the week of the games and the catering committee is confident it can provide all the necessary supplies," said Lloyd. __END__
