Pacific Beat

Residents on Tonga's main island have entered a snap lockdown today after the country recorded its first COVID-19 case since the beginning of the pandemic.

There are reports of fake vaccination cards being sold and distributed in Papua New Guinea to those who are unwilling to get vaccinated but experts warn they will have deadly consequences.

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum welcomes New Zealand's pledge to halve emissions by 2030 and Australia's commitment to be net zero by 2050, as the COP26 UN climate talks began in Glasgow.

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum has welcomed New Zealand's pledge to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and Australia's commitment to be net zero by 2050 as the UN climate talks begin in Glasgow; A Pacific researcher says regional delegates and negotiators are making a big sacrifice to be at COP 26 in person as some won't make it home until Christmas because of quarantine restrictions; As Papua New Guinea continues to battle COVID-19 in hospitals and health facilities, a new challenge has emerged with a rise of fake vaccine cards being distributed and sold in the country.

On today's program: A senior official at Port Vila's main hospital says the facility would be quickly overwhelmed if COVID-19 escaped from hotel quarantine into the community; the head of the Australian medical response team in PNG warns COVID-19 is going to "roll through" the country; PNG's finance minister says the government has not paid a ransom to hackers that froze his department's key payments system; Pacific Islanders express fears for the survival of their ancestral lands ahead of the COP26 climate summit; and Tongan players and coaches from around the world converge in Scotland for the Ikale Tahi's European rugby tour.

Tensions have calmed in Vanuatu after Prime Minister Bob Loughman quelled speculation the country would be placed into a COVID-19 lockdown. Two passengers on a flight from New Caledonia tested positive for the virus while in hotel quarantine last week.

PNG's finance minister says the government has not paid any ransom to hackers that targeted his department's key payments system.

On the program today: President of the Federated States of Micronesia David Panuelo describes the Australian government's new climate action plan as "somewhat hollow"; concern in the Pacific that Australia's refusal to adopt a new 2030 emission reduction target will weigh down negotiations at the COP26 climate summit; a growing number of women in Port Vila are signing up to self-defence classes; and the Port Moresby Nature Park again under threat from PNG's latest wave of COVID-19 infections

Fiji's Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, has given Australia's plan to get to zero emissions by 2050 his seal of approval, but other Pacific leaders have criticised the package for lacking ambition.

In Vanuatu, where the rate of domestic violence is high, a growing number of women are signing up to self-defence classes in the capital Port Vila. But cultural issues mean it's been hard to convince some women to get involved.