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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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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Sweet Tales of Melanesia

A quiet revolution is underway in Melanesia where chocolate makers and cocoa exporters have started producing high quality Pacific cocoa beans and products for export to the world’s top

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Opinion: It’s important to acknowledge PNG’s own interests with China

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected in Papua New Guinea this weekend to sign an agreement clearing the way for PNG’s agricultural exports to enter the Chinese market. This step has already caught

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Pacific nation hosts its biggest-ever election day

Ballots are due to be cast in one of the Pacific’s largest elections as Solomon Islanders, from the city to remote villages, choose their next national leaders.  About 350,000 people are due to vote across 50 seats

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Washington nixes Guam and American Samoa’s bid for PIF membership

The federal government has poured cold water on Guam and American Samoa’s hopes of gaining membership of the Pacific Islands Forum, stating that U.S. territories are constitutionally restricted from representing

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CARE Leader calls for peaceful and respectful elections, 6,780 polling officials for 2024 joint elections

The Solomon Islands Leader of the Coalition for Accountability, Reform and Empowerment (CARE) Matthew Wale, who employed a character-assassination campaign approach in this year’s election campaign and sparked

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Anthony Albanese, James Marape to walk Kokoda Track in symbolic Anzac Day visit

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will mark Anzac Day on the Kokoda Track in a highly symbolic visit designed to highlight the shared World War II legacy and growing security relationship between both

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Kacific and Microsoft Partner to Reach 10 Million People in the Asia Pacific with Internet Access Initiative

Strengthening social impact in the Philippines and the Pacific Islands by connecting 750 rural schools and hospitals Singapore, 8 April 2024 – Kacific Broadband Satellites Group and Microsoft are collaborating to

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Opinion: How to enter the Pacific Engagement Visa ballot

Australia is about to launch a new visa that will for the first time create a Pacific quota in Australia’s permanent migration regime. 3,000 visas will be issued every year for the Pacific Islands and Timor-Leste.

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Opinion: Squaring a vicious circle: political party laws in Vanuatu

Vanuatu will witness a referendum on two constitutional amendments designed to strengthen the party system on 29 May 2024. The proposed reforms, passed by parliament in December 2023, seek to tie MPs to political

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