Australia Pledges Cyclone Aid To Pacific Neighbours

Sydney, Australia: Australia pledged Au$2.5 million ($1.7 million) in aid to Pacific neighbours Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands Sunday, April 12, 2026, after tropical cyclone Maila caused devastating floods and landslides that killed 11. In Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea that is seeking independence, school was cancelled this week after the cyclone destroyed critical infrastructure including roads and bridges and severely disrupted food supply chains, the region's government said in a statement Saturday. Eleven people were killed in the region, including eight in a landslide. Access to Panguna, home to a gold and copper mine that was once among the world's largest, had been cut. The Bougainville autonomous region president, Ishmael Toroama, urged the population to ...