Australia’s regional security ambitions are on the ballot this week in Vanuatu, where voters will elect a fresh government in the wake of political turmoil and a major earthquake.

Vanuatu has experienced 30 magnitude 7-plus earthquakes in the last 25 years, says regional earthquake and GNS seismologist, Dr. John Ristau.

Vanuatu has reportedly been hit by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake, a day after a 7.3 quake claimed about 14 lives.

Fiji Airways is closely monitoring the situation in Vanuatu following a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in it’s capital Port Vila.

A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked Vanuatu, leaving the capital city and surrounding areas reeling from significant damage, casualties, and disrupted services.

Australian and New Zealand experts say while not all major earthquakes will trigger tsunamis, the one in Vanuatu today is expected to have caused significant structural damage due to its depth.

A jogger’s grisly early morning discovery has sparked a major police investigation after they found a body wrapped in plastic near the nation’s busiest airport.

A multi-layered civil war on Australia’s doorstep is a prime example of the consequences foreign investors face if they don’t share their profits with locals, Papua New Guinea’s prime minister says.

Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, the Tonga Prime Minister, has resigned rather than face a no-confidence motion.

Pacific island envoys in Australia will gather to discuss a labour scheme that has been criticised as being a breeding ground for slavery-like conditions.

At COP29 in Baku, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Government of Tuvalu signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support the island nation’s green growth and climate resilience efforts.

A political impasse has given way to snap poll in Vanuatu, where voters will be soon asked to elect a fifth government in the last three years.