Election results for Gao-Bugotu Constituency in disarray after pre-polling ballots were left uncounted   

Election results for Gao-Bugotu Constituency in Isabel Province has been thrown into disarray after officials found pre-polling ballots for the constituency have not been counted.   Independent candidate Trevor Hedley

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IAEA team inspects treated radioactive water release from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant

A team of experts from the UN nuclear agency inspected the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Wednesday for a review of its discharge of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific.  The

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Samoa, as Chair of AOSIS, flags special circumstances of SIDS at plastic treaty talks. Pacific SIDS calls for global solidarity in addressing the plastics crisis, asks for high ambition

Samoa, as Chair of AOSIS, flags special circumstances of SIDS at plastic treaty talks As officials and negotiators sift through the revised draft text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic

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Solomon Islands election counting complete, as negotiation process to find a prime minister kicks off, Sogavare says he runs security amid tense wait for new government

An intense period of political horse-trading is underway in Solomon Islands after no political party won enough seats in last week’s election to form government on its own.  In what one expert labelled an

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Australia pays controversial Chinese company millions for Nauru’s new port

Amid intensifying competition in the region, Australia is bankrolling a Chinese government-backed construction company with a chequered history to build Nauru’s new port.  In January, the Chinese Communist Party’s

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Solomon Islands: No clear winner as lobbying to form next government intensifies

Lobbying to form Solomon Islands’ next government is intensifying.  With only four more seats in the 50-member parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner.  As of Monday, the two

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Saipan casino buried in $165m debt but hoping to regroup and resume business

Succumbing to the pressures from its creditors, Imperial Pacific International has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S District Court for the CNMI, reporting debts totaling of US$165.8 million.  Before the

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Former PNG PM O’Neill cleared of UBS loan allegations

The Papua New Guinea National Court in Waigani on Friday closed criminal proceedings against Ialibu-Pangia MP and former prime minister Peter O’Neill regarding the K3billion (US$790 million) UBS loan saga for lack of

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Baron Waqa negotiating – No start date for incoming Pacific Islands Forum boss yet

The incoming head of the Pacific region’s main political body is yet to sign his contract, almost six months after the 2023 Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders meeting in Rarotonga.  Former Nauru president, Baron

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Sogavare returns for his 7th term

Caretaker Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected for his seventh tenure as the Member of Parliament for East Choiseul.  The four-time Prime Minister secured his seventh parliamentary election by a total

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Voter turnout reaches 50 percent, over 80 percent of seats declared

The Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) has reported a 50 percent voter turnout so far, with the ongoing counting in Honiara.  In response to SIBC’s request for updates on the voter turnout, Chief Electoral

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Micronesia: Prolonged drought now impacting food and water across region

Extreme droughts in the Western Pacific region are expected to persist over the next three months. Parts of the Marshall Islands, Guam, Palau, Mariana Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) are now

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