Tropical Cyclone Lola has strengthened to category 4 with wind gusts of 180 km/h, the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department says.

President Joe Biden met Pacific island leaders for a second White House summit in just over a year on Monday.

The Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee has officially announced the names of athletes who will be representing Fiji in the upcoming Pacific Games scheduled for November.

Vanuatu’s parliament will elect a new prime minister after the Pacific Island nation’s court dismissed an appeal against a decision that would remove Ishmael Kalsakau from the role.

Solomon Islands Ministry of Health & Medical Services has acknowledged concerns raised by the opposition.

A state of emergency put in place after last month’s eruption of Mt Bagana in Bougainville has been extended for the maximum two-month period.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau faces a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, after the opposition accused his government of abandoning a non-aligned foreign policy by signing a security pact with Australia.

An international relations expert says if New Zealand joins AUKUS it could impact on its relations with Pacific countries.

A new World Bank funding of $18 million will enhance the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency’s monitoring and reporting capacity on illegal fishing in the region.

A Cook Islands film-maker made a documentary on Rarotonga’s mountains after watching the Kānaka Maoli protest the construction of the $US1.4 billion telescope on top of a Hawaiian mountain three years ago.

Around the world 26 July is commemorated as the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

When an 11th hour appeal for more nuclear test compensation by Marshall Islands leaders fell flat in the United States Congress in mid-July.