Briefs

Six charged over deaths of five women Six men face murder charges over the deaths of five women suspected of witchcraft after the deaths of a number of people and animals at Navi village near Goroka in the Papua New Guinea’s high lands.

The women were hacked to death or strangled.

Arms shipments arrive Three containers of military equipment arrived in Honiara despite repeated attempts by the Solomon Islands Government to have them stopped.

The Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa’alu had asked Australia and New Zealand to intercept the shipments ordered by his predecessor Solomon Mamaloni. (see page 36).

Car dealers welcome import duty relief The Fiji Motor Traders Association welcomed finance minister Jim Ah Koy’s decision to reduce import duty on new vehicles.

The association spokesman Nitish Niranjan said the January devaluation of the Fiji dollar had had a devastating effect on the industry.

Employees warned over poker machines American Samoa’s senate president Lutu Fuimaono warned employees found playing poker machines that they would be sacked.

The warning applied whether or not the workers were playing the machines on their own time.

Call to dump big spenders

The Tebbutt-Times opinion poll in Fiji

found that the majority of people believed that ministers or senior civil servants should be sacked or demoted for over

spending their budgets.

Record number of candidates A record 220 applications had been received when nominations of candidates in Vanuatu’s March 6 general election closed.

Independents top the list with 63 candi

dates, while nine political parties are con testing the poll.

Passengers grounded

Air Nauru passengers had to be re-rout ed to their destinations after their flight was grounded in The Philippines.

The flight, which was grounded for 12 days, mostly affected travellers heading for Nauru and Kiribati. ■