Papua New Guinea: At least 15 dead after major rioting and looting

A state of emergency has been declared in Papua New Guinea’s capital after at least 15 people were killed in rioting.

More than 1,000 troops are on standby “to step in wherever necessary”, Prime Minister James Marape said on Thursday. Shops and cars were torched and supermarkets looted after police went on strike on Wednesday over a pay cut the authorities say was a mistake. While most of the violence had been curbed by Wednesday evening, after soldiers were deployed and police resumed duty, the prime minister acknowledged that the situation was “still tense”.