By Euan Moyle, an intern in the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands Program.
- Sam Basil, leader of the Pangu Pati, has been appointed a Minister for Communications, Information Technology and Energy in the PNG Government, several weeks after he defected from opposition. PNG opposition MP Bryan Kramer has authored a frank assessment of why Basil made the move.
- Vanuatu's Ambae volcano appears to have calmed, with the government suggesting that 11,000 evacuees could be repatriated to the island within a month. UNICEF's Andrew Parker spoke with Radio New Zealand about the logistical challenges of organising the return of residents.
- James Batley and Meg Keen investigate the development of 'national survival strategies' in the small island states of Nauru, Tuvalu and Kiribati and potential political, social and economic reform.
- The Lowy Institute's Aus-PNG Network spoke with former Editor of the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier Alex Rheeney on the Australia-PNG relationship and the media landscape in PNG.
- Tonga's national broadcaster TBC has come under fire for moving senior journalists out of the newsroom. The move has been criticised as gagging journalists critical of the government, but TBC claims the move is due to financial constraints.
- Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has announced her first visit to the Pacific, stopping at the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands towards the end of October. Six of the 20 nations that recognise Taiwan are located in the Pacific.
- Ruthy Cletus is an elementary school teacher in Lae in PNG helping to teach adults to read and write. Adult literacy in PNG is estimated to be only 64%.
