U.S. opens embassy in Solomon Islands
The United States has opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands after a 30-year absence as it seeks to boost diplomatic relations in the Pacific as a counter to China. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced plans to
Solomon Islands striker signs for top Bosnian football club
Solomon Islands hotshot Raphael Lea’i has signed for Bosnian footballing giants FK Velež Mostar, to become the first Solomon Islander to ever sign for a professional European club. Lea’i signed a one-year
Solomon Islands focuses on Pacific Games and Elections
Solomon Islands Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement’s (DCGA) key policy priorities for 2023 is hosting the 17th Pacific Games and the preparation of the 2023 General Election. This is according to the 2023
Solomon Islands not ready to graduate from LDC status
Solomon Islands Foreign Minister, Jeremiah Manele says his country is not ready to graduate from its least developed country status. The Minister met with a team from the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Support for
Solomon Islands ratifies Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Solomon Islands has ratified the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) last Friday, 20 January 2023 – the 14th Pacific Island nation to join. The ratification was marked with a ceremony at United
China builds stadium for Pacific Games 2023
Papua New Guinea’s commitment of K50 million (US$14.2 million) towards assisting with the 2023 Pacific Games infrastructure has not been honoured according to the Solomon Islands Prime Minister’s Office. Despite not
Owen soars high with Solomon Airlines
Solomon Airlines has promoted one of its female pilots to Captain the national carrier’s largest domestic aircraft – Dash 8. Lyndah Tito Owen was Dash 8 First Officer before officially receiving her Captain’s
Australia’s Team Up expanding to Pacific Games host city
A sports development programme, ran by the Australian Government, is expanding to the Solomon Islands prior to the 2023 Pacific Games. Team Up, comprising of more than 30 partnerships across the Asia-Pacific, aims to
Damages from Solomon Islands earthquake reach US$223,858
The 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands last Tuesday has left an estimated total loss of roughly around $1.85 million (US$223,858.48) from damages it caused to buildings in Honiara. This
Visa on arrival in PNG for Melanesian countries
Solomon Islands nationals and nationals of other Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) countries can now get their visa on arrival when travelling to Papua New Guinea. This came after the PNG government formally declared the
Powerful earthquakes hit Solomon Islands
Damaged buildings and widespread power outages have been reported in the Solomon Islands’ capital, Honiara, after two earthquakes occurred off the southwest coast of Guadalcanal Province on Tuesday. The first
‘More smoke than fire’: China’s Pacific aid falls short of pledges
Beijing’s development spending has fallen despite efforts to build influence in the region. In 2017, Papua New Guinea’s government announced a long-awaited AUD$4.1bn (US$2.6bn) upgrade of the nation’s potholed
Solomon Islands PM assures region of a thrilling safe Pacific Games
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has assured the visiting Pacific Games 2023 Chiefs of Missions that Solomon Islands is ready to deliver one of the most thrilling and safe chapters of the Pacific Games
Avoiding a WASHout
There has been a significant decline in donor funding for water, sanitation and hygiene projects in the Pacific, as the region continues to lag behind the Sustainable Development Goals on access to water. A recent study
Saved from the Unknown
One in four women with cervical cancer live in what the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines as the ‘Western Pacific Region’, a collection of Asia and Pacific Island states and territories. An estimated 145,700
Solomon Islands benefit ‘significantly’ from labour scheme
Solomon Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade (MFAET) has acknowledged that among the most significant benefits of the PACER plus agreement to the Solomon Islands is the labour mobility scheme,
Pacific aid surges as China, U.S vie for influence
Regional powers poured record amounts of cash into the Pacific Islands during the coronavirus pandemic to help them weather the economic fallout as competition for influence heats up between China and the West. An
PACIFICi Portal to assist investigative anti-corruption efforts
With the Pacific Island region increasingly impacted by organised transnational crime, international drug and people smuggling, money laundering and corruption, a new web-based investigative tool, PACIFICi, is set to
Fiji and New Caledonia win gold at FIBA Melanesia Cup
Fiji and New Caledonia each took home gold in the 2022 FIBA Melanesian Cup. New Caledonia was crowned winner in the men’s category after defeating Papua New Guinea at Vodafone Arena, Suva. New Caledonia flew out
Pacific nations double down on their green demands
As is customary in the run up to any gathering of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), predicable fault lines are emerging. Oil producing nations tend to
Australia boosts defence, Pacific diplomacy spending in budget
Australia on Tuesday pledged increased defence spending and efforts to firm up diplomatic ties with neighbouring Southeast Asian and Pacific nations as it seeks to counter China’s growing economic and strategic
Real partnership with Solomon Islands must be based on truth
Last week, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Australia’s Anthony Albanese met in Canberra for the first time, less than a month after Australia offered to fund Solomon Islands’ elections to avoid
Oceania Rugby men’s championship returns to PNG
The 2022 Oceania Rugby Men’s Championship will be hosted by Papua New Guinea Rugby Union at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium on October 19-27, Oceania Rugby confirmed today. The tournament returns for the first time
