PINA

New Zealand is sending another contingent of 50 military and police to Solomon Islands this weekend to help maintain the peace in the capital Honiara. The deployment announced earlier this week will join an initial group of 15 peacekeepers who have already arrived from New Zealand, and more than 150 others from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Former New Zealand...

  Australia’s Foreign Minister Marisa Payne said her visit to Palau is to advance” an open, resilient and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.” Payne will be in Koror from 02 - 04 December 2021. In her speech, she said she will also formally open Australia’s Embassy in Palau. Minister Payne said her visit build upon her recent in-person visits to partners in the Indo-Pacific region...

By Mike Tua Face to face with angry rioters threatening physical attacks, local mainstream and freelance journalists and photographers in the Solomon Islands were confronted with an unsettling reality during the three days of rioting in Honiara. Local journalists in the country equipped with their cameras and limited protection were working solo on assignments for their respective newsrooms when the event...

The ruling Solomon Islands Democratic Coalition for Government Advancement (DCGA) government has the numerical strength of 35 members ahead of the motion of no confidence on Monday, 06 December. Only 49 members are eligible to vote during the motion of no confidence after Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology and MP for West Kwaio, Titus Fika died...

The 51st Meeting of the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CRGA 51) and 12th Conference of the Pacific Community (SPC) concluded this week with the adoption of the organisation’s new 10-year strategic plan and the return of the United Kingdom as a full SPC member. CRGA 51 was chaired by French Polynesia, while Vanuatu was host for the...

The civil unrest suffered by the Solomon Islands in the past week raised alarm among leaders of other Pacific island nations that rivalry between China, Taiwan and the United States risked aggravating their region's social and economic problems. "I think what is happening in the Solomons is something we all should be paying serious attention to, because it can happen...

Solomon Islands Prime Minister has called on the Member for Aoke Langalanga to resign from Parliament, in line with section 50(b) of the Constitution. The call follows allegations that Matthew Wale was involved in the recent riots and was communicating with the rioters. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare revealed this in his opening statement on Tuesday during the debate to adjourn...

An advance party of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel left today on a C-130 Hercules from Ohakea bound for the Solomon Islands to assist with maintaining stability and security. The New Zealand Government yesterday announced NZDF and New Zealand Police personnel would be deployed following a formal request from the Solomon Islands Government for assistance after unrest in the...

After days of violent protests, Solomon Islands' capital city Honiara is calm for now, but only after dozens of businesses were burnt to the ground, and many others were looted. There are fears of further violence when a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, is put to the vote next week, and as result key political figures...

Policymakers in Fiji are leaving the situation to the health experts to draft the country’s next course of action. This as the new Omicron variant has forced some bigger nations to restrict travel, while global scientists are still trying to understand the variant and its mutations. Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said Fiji had risk-mitigation measures in place ahead of the re-opening...