Papua New Guinea PM clings on but government defeated in parliament

The government of Papua New Guinea appeared to be in danger on Tuesday, after opponents of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill convincingly won a vote in parliament that prepares the way for his removal. Government benches were noticeably bare at the fiery sitting in the capital, Port Moresby, parliament’s first since a string of senior defections cost O’Neill his majority last week. After a brief suspension amid uproar as tempers frayed over a blocked move to replace the speaker of the house, O’Neill’s rivals won a vote to remove his allies from a panel that vets no-confidence motions, seen as a precursor to his ouster.