Pacific Beat

Vanuatu's opposition leader takes decision to dissolve parliament to the Supreme Court. Also, a curfew is imposed in Mendi in PNG's Southern Highlands, as election-related violence erupts.

Vanuatu's former parliamentarians have gone to the Supreme Court to nullify a decision by the President to dissolve parliament.

The Fiji Elections Office has been working closely with disability advocates to come up with initiatives that will make voting more inclusive.

Fears parliament dissolution being used for political gain in Vanuatu. Also, a Fijian lawyer flees to avoid jailtime for criticising the Prime Minister on social media.

A Fijian lawyer says he's fled the country to avoid a jail sentence after making posts on Facebook critical of the Prime Minister and Attorney-General.

Kiribati's attempt to deport Australian-born High Court Judge David Lambourne has shone a spotlight on the role of foreign judges in the Pacific.

Just over two years since Vanuatu last headed to the polls, the country will again hold an election as a result of a controversial move by the government to request the president to dissolve parliament.

Samoan international bestselling author Lani Wendt Young is announced as the recipient of the 2022 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel.

Vanuatu's opposition say they'll challenge a shock decision by the president to dissolve parliament. Also, time is running out for the PNG Hunters to return to Port Moresby in the Hostplus Cup.

Vanuatu's opposition members say they will go to the Supreme Court to challenge the President's decision to dissolve parliament.

The head of Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League says fans are disappointed that the PNG Hunters will not play their match weekend's in Port Moresby.

Men's and women's cricket teams from Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu are set to join the Australian ranks as part of a new partnership between Cricket Australia and the Australian Government.

Hundreds of Fijians living overseas are back in Fiji for this week's Fiji Australia New Zealand and Canada Muslim sports tournament.

Vanuatu's Opposition party believes it has the numbers to oust prime minister Bob Loughman when parliament sits on Friday.

The film is loosely based around real events which took place in the trenches between Anzac and Turkish soldiers where men would throw food and other items to each other across enemy lines.

Pacific leaders have welcomed the biggest climate funding package in US history. The more than $624 billion bill, signed into law by US President Joe Biden on Tuesday, is designed to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions and boost investments in renewable energy.

An opposition politician labels an attempt from the Vanuatu Prime Minister to dissolve parliament "undemocratic". Also, Pacific leaders welcome the biggest climate funding package in United States history.

Vanuatu has become the first Pacific country to eliminate Trachoma a tropical disease that causes irreversible blindness.

A major flu outbreak has temporarily shutdown schools in Solomon Islands and caused an overflow of cases at the National Referral Hospital in the capital, Honiara.

An upcoming Australian-funded maritime centre comes under fire from Fiji locals. Also, a major flu outbreak forces the closure of one of the Solomon Islands' largest boarding schools.

Residents of Lami in Fiji have hit out at plans to build an Australian-funded maritime naval facility close to their homes, with construction set to begin in coming weeks.

Scientists using the help of special robots have discovered more than 30 potentially new marine species deep down in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii.

A 6.2 earthquake rattles the Manu'a Island Group in American Samoa. Also, four men are arrested for dynamite fishing in the Solomon Islands.

Youth workers play a powerful role in the lives of Australia's Pasifika and Maori young people but there's never been concrete data on their impact until now.

Three staff members have been fired from the Fiji Rugby Union, and CEO John O'Connor is taking a leave of absence, while an investigation into the organisation takes place.

A cluster of earthquakes has been going off in American Samoa, including a strong 6.2 quake that rattled the Manu'a Island Group.

Dynamite fishing is when people use explosives, often taken from decades-old World War II bombs, to kill and capture fish.

Kiribati's former president speaks on extraordinary attempt to deport High Court justice, David Lambourne. Also, medical expert sheds light on threat the monkeypox virus poses to the Pacific.

Saukarasa Ravinasaga'sRescuer's wife recounts the moment three fishermen were found and rescued from a sinking boat near Vomo Island.

Kiribati's former president Anote Tonga says the deportation attempt of suspended High Court justice is a sign of the country's eroding democracy.

The Pacific region remains a low to moderate risk for the outbreak, nevertheless, parts of New Caledonia and French Polynesia have started to vaccinate against monkeypox.

Veterans who served in Guam say they experience enduring health issues — from cancer, chronic pain to infertility — as a result of toxic herbicide exposure on the island.

For the first time since 2017, women will make up Papua New Guinea's parliament.

The coach of Tonga's men's rugby sevens squad, Tevita Tu'ifua, is confident his team can make an impact at the World Rugby Challenger series in Chile, particularly with the recent experience of the Commonwealth Games behind them.

Rugby sevens teams from Papua New Guinea and Tonga have travelled to Chile for the World Rugby 7s Challenger event. Also, the OFC Champions League semi-final pits nine times champions Auckland against Central Coast, and AS Venus against Hienghene in all French encounter.

OFC Champions League semi-finals will feature an all French battle in one game, while in the other Auckland City will take on the new boys from Solomon Islands, Central Coast FC, as the New Zealand team goes in search of a tenth OCL title.

Spotted at the Pacific Games in 2019, the Mackay Meteors' Tongan international Viliami Foketi continues to turn heads as he and his team pursue consecutive NBL1 titles in Queensland

A community group reveals kidnapped dogs are being used to hunt wild pigs. Also, a PNG think tank calls for an overhaul to the country's voting system. And COVID-19 takes hold in the Marshall Islands.

PNG's members of parliament sat for the first time this week, following a general election marred by violence and controversy.

How COVID came to Marshall Islands remains a mystery, but the country's health secretary fears the outbreak will lead to further hospitalisations.

Our clocks might have to be set ahead because the earth is spinning faster, causing the shortest day ever to be recorded recently.

The Miss Samoa Pageant is back in action after a 3 year hiatus due to COVID,