New Caledonia

Three helicopters were deployed to help control fires in Teremba, Voh and Pouembout.

Local media reports the fires are mostly due to human intervention, and have been aggravated by strong winds.

New Caledonia's president, Philippe Germain, yesterday issued a territory-wide fire ban, saying there is an extreme risk.

Like much of the Pacific, New Caledonia is predicted to experience well below normal rainfall in coming months as what's expected to be one of the worst El Niño systems in over a decade intensifies.

The Junior Football Ferns led 17-0 at half-time at the Oceania Under-20 Women's Championship in Nuku'alofa, with striker Emma Rolston scoring 11 goals before the break.

Coach Leon Birnie's side again underlined their strength at the Loto-Tonga Soka Centre as eight further goals came in the second half.

Grace Jale and Paige Satchell each scored hat-tricks while captain Jasmine Pereira scored six.

Goals to substitutes Jade Parris, Michaela Robertson and Isabella Richards completed the scoring.

The Ferns thumped Tonga 15-0 first up on Thursday.

This comes after up to six months of well below normal rainfall had been received.

The forecast from New Zealand's NIWA and the Pacific Islands Meteorological Services says in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, after three months of very dry conditions, below normal rainfall can be expected through to the end of the year.

PNG replaced South Africa as World Cup hosts in March, gifting them automatic qualification and a second berth for Oceania.

Hosts Tonga face a tough test in today's opening match against defending Oceania champions New Zealand, who have been on an unbeaten run since 2002.

Coach Penateti Feke was a part of the Tongan team at July's Pacific Games.

She's selected four of her teammates from that event, while nine have experience from last year's Under 20 tournament.

The overseas ministry says Paris is invoking its rights under the organic law after the Congress leadership rejected a bid by the territorial government to debate the issue.

A court in Noumea has upheld a Congress complaint that the government's call for a meeting was formally flawed.

However, the French government says this is not the time for a useless extension of a legal debate.

It says it is now time for a quick resumption of a substantial dialogue with all the political forces in New Caledonia.

A police spokesperson says four officers were in the town of Mont-Dore at about 2 o'clock in the morning when they challenged a man accused of stealing a motorcycle.

The spokesperson says a car then deliberately hit the officers, injuring two of them.

The driver and the alleged motorcycle thief were then able to escape, and a large police operation has been launched to try and find them.

This morning's incident is the latest in a series of cases of police being targetted in New Caledonia.

In August, the drivers established blockades in and arround Noumea and other key access points in the territory over the government's policy to not approve exports of low grade ore to China after a decline in exports to Australia.

The drivers were aligned with small miners and the territory's veteran miner SLN who opposed the stance on the issue by the government's leading party, Caledonia Together.

Mediation efforts began in Noumea, late last month, after the president of the Caledonian Union, Daniel Goa, stepped in to mediate.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the drivers' union Contrakmine and the government last Friday, putting an end to 24 days of chaos in Noumea, during which drivers had used their trucks to block key access roads.

Although not providing any concrete response to the issue, the MoU says the territorial government will consider the drivers' demands on September 11th.

The nickel carriers and some miners had been protesting at the government's refusal to allow exports of ore to China after a slump in demand from Australia.

Truck drivers, contracted to mining entities and nickel carriers, have been protesting a decision by the territory's government not to allow exports of ore to China after a decline in exports to Australia.

Negotiations had reached a stalemate last week when the drivers blockaded Noumea, causing days of traffic chaos in the city of just under 100,000 people.

But late on Friday night, a breakthrough was reached when a Memorandum of Understand was signed between the drivers' union and the New Caledonia government.

Most of the blockades, which had formed part of a protest by disgruntled nickel carriers, were removed yesterday, and access to Noumea has been re-established.

The truck drivers had been calling on the New Caledonian government to allow exports of ore to China after a decline in exports to Australia.

The school year had been deferred due to the conflict, but schools are expected to be back to normal today.