Australia conditions AUD980 million aid on Solomon Islands treaty

Australia has conditioned AUD980 million in aid over ten years on finalizing a bilateral treaty with Solomon Islands, prompting a sharp rebuke from the nation’s opposition leader over alleged political interference. The package features AUD142 million over two years for Prime Minister Matthew Wale’s free education program alongside AUD68 million over three years earmarked for … Read more

Locally Embedded Knowledge Strengthens Pacific Outbreak Responses

According to the Vanuatu Ministry of Health and public health reports, health workers in Tafea Province identified a cluster of severe infant respiratory illness in June 2025 that laboratory testing confirmed as Bordetella pertussis, or whooping cough. The ensuing outbreak spanned Tafea and Shefa provinces before concluding in July 2026, prompting a coordinated national response … Read more