By Euan Moyle, an intern in the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands Program.
- With the Manus Island Detention Centre set to close at the end of the month, hundreds of remaining asylum seekers and refugees will be moved to government-run accommodation and hotels until they are settled in either the US or Papua New Guinea.
- The death of the Post-Courier's Business Editor Rosalyn Albaniel Evara, allegedly a result of domestic violence, has brought national attention to the issue of gender-based violence in PNG.
- For the third time, New Caledonia's cabinet has failed to elect a new president, leaving the government in caretaker mode. The sole candidate Philippe Germain was unsuccessful in gaining the support of the 11-member cabinet, which is split between pro- and anti-independence groups.
- While the residents of Vanuatu's Ambae Island have started to return to their villages as the threat of volcanic activity subsides, Tinakula volcano in the Solomon Islands has begun to erupt. ABC's Pacific Beat spoke with Chris Bone from OceansWatch on the risk of ash from the volcano contaminating fresh water supplies.
- Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has reintroduced an anti-corruption bill into Parliament, after its withdrawal in August was heavily criticised and led to mass protests.
- On the DevPolicy blog, Benjamin Sims looks at the implementation of the Paris Agreement in the Pacific and how states can achieve their nationally determined contribution targets as well as sustainable development.
- The World Health Organization says that rates of child mortality and common communicable diseases remain some of the highest in the world, and that improving primary healthcare and service delivery, especially for rural communities, is critical to improving its health indicators:
