Melanesia
Subregion of Oceania
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We include updates on Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Cassowary, New Guinea, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Maluku Islands, Nicobar pigeon, Torres Strait Islands, Southern cassowary, German New Guinea, Pheasant pigeon, Pacific koel ... and more.
| 2025 | French Navy plans to deploy a second offshore patrol vessel of the D'Estienne d'Orves class to New Caledonia. |
| May 2024 |
Solomon Islands
Jeremiah Manele is elected as Solomon Islands' new prime minister, succeeding Manasseh Sogavare.
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| 2023 |
Nicobar pigeon
Another Nicobar pigeon was found on Green Island near Cairns, Australia, reported by the Green Island Resort's environmental manager.
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| 2023 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands hosted the Pacific Games.
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| 2023 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands government, along with other Pacific island states (Fiji, Niue, Tuvalu, Tonga, and Vanuatu), launched the 'Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific', advocating for phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to renewable energy while strengthening environmental laws.
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| February 2023 |
Solomon Islands
Protests break out after the Premier of Malaita Province, Daniel Suidani, is removed from office through a vote of no confidence.
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| 2022 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands had approximately 229,500 internet users at the start of the year.
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| April 2022 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands and China sign a security co-operation agreement aimed at promoting social stability and long-term peace and security.
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| March 2022 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands signs a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on policing cooperation with China and reportedly moves towards a security agreement that could allow Chinese military and naval presence.
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| 2021 |
Solomon Islands
Bauxite mining operations on Rennell Island ceased, leaving behind substantial ecological damage from multiple environmental spills.
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| 2021 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands ranked second among countries with the highest disaster risk worldwide according to the WorldRiskReport 2021.
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| November 2021 |
Solomon Islands
Mass rioting and unrest occur, leading to Solomon Islands Government requesting assistance from Australia under the 2017 Bilateral Security Treaty.
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| 2020 |
Solomon Islands
Tourism dramatically dropped to 4,400 visitors, likely due to global travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| 2020 |
Solomon Islands
Planned conclusion of the Solomon Islands Second Rural Development Program, which supported infrastructure development and rural water systems like rain catchment in villages such as Bolava in the Western Province.
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| 2019 |
Solomon Islands
Census conducted reporting 225,945 people aged 12 years and above owned a mobile phone, with the majority of mobile phone owners located in Honiara.
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| 2019 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Airlines introduced a weekly direct flight connection between Brisbane and Munda to promote tourism, expanding international air travel options for the Solomon Islands.
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| 2019 |
Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands government achieved a partial goal of increasing tourism, with 28,900 tourists visiting the country.
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| 2019 |
Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands achieved a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.19 out of 10, ranking 48th globally out of 172 countries.
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| 2019 |
Solomon Islands
Third population census completed, revealing continued population expansion, with Guadalcanal Province reaching 154,022 inhabitants and Honiara Capital Territory growing to 129,569 residents.
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| November 2019 |
Solomon Islands
National census conducted, recording a total population of 721,455 people.
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| September 2019 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands terminated its diplomatic relations with Taiwan and switched recognition to the People's Republic of China (PRC).
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| April 2019 |
Solomon Islands
Manasseh Sogavare was elected as prime minister for the fourth time, which triggered protests and demonstrations, resulting in more than 30 protesters being detained.
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| 2018 |
Solomon Islands
59,191 confirmed malaria infections reported, with 59.3% being Plasmodium vivax and 26.7% Plasmodium falciparum.
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| 2017 |
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands was visited by 26,000 tourists, marking it as one of the least frequently-visited countries in the world.
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| 2017 |
Solomon Islands
Manasseh Sogavare oversees the withdrawal of RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands) forces from the country.
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| September 2017 |
Solomon Islands
At the 72nd UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands joined leaders from Tuvalu and Vanuatu to raise human rights abuses in Indonesian-occupied West Papua.
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| May 2017 |
Nicobar pigeon
A Nicobar pigeon was discovered by Bardi Jawi Indigenous rangers on the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia and subsequently removed by Australian Department of Agriculture officials.
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| March 2017 |
Solomon Islands
At the 34th UN Human Rights Council session, Vanuatu made a joint statement on behalf of Solomon Islands raising human rights concerns about West Papua.
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| 2015 |
Solomon Islands
First recorded Zika virus outbreak in the Solomon Islands.
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| 2015 |
Solomon Islands
United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set a target to reduce by half the number of people without access to fresh water and sanitation, specifically focusing on environmental sustainability.
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| 2014 |
Solomon Islands
Launch of the Solomon Islands Second Rural Development Program, aimed at delivering infrastructure and services to rural areas and supporting agricultural sectors, with funding from the World Bank, European Union, Australian and Solomon Islands governments.
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| 2013 |
Solomon Islands
First reported deaths from Dengue fever outbreak in the Solomon Islands.
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| 2012 | French presidential election in New Caledonia, with a voter turnout of 61.19%. |
| 2011 |
Solomon Islands
Bauxite mining began on Rennell Island, initiating a decade of mineral extraction.
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| 2011 |
Solomon Islands
Turning point where the number of Solomon Islanders living with piped drinking water began decreasing, and those with non-piped water started consistently declining.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles New Caledonia, Solomon Islands & Nicobar pigeon, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.