Pacific Beat

Pacific environmental groups raise concerns after company Nauru Ocean Resources prepares to conduct deep-sea mining, and a member of Papua New Guinea's parliament is facing calls to resign as police investigate an accidental shooting.

Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja talks about the Black Rock camp, a new humanitarian response and peacekeeping facility.

Vanuatu's head of public service is pleading for Australian support as COVID-19 spreads into second province as mystery surrounds the source of the community outbreak.

Soccer teams from eight Oceania nations are in Doha for a one-off tournament to decide which Pacific team will head into the final round of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup later this year.

The head of Netball Fiji says an upcoming tournament in Sydney this month will provide much-needed international competition for Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Papua New Guinea.

Dr Basil Leodoro says Australia and other international partners need to support Vanuatu healthcare workers amid the fast-spreading outbreak.

Vanuatu citizenship agents are holding out hope that passport sales will continue after the European Union stopped its visa-waiver program with the country, and a tribe in the Solomon Islands is set to receive millions of dollars from carbon trading.

The Sirebe tribe in Solomon Islands receives their first carbon credit after 10 years of conservation work in their land.

Experts say the European Union's suspension of its visa waiver programme with Vanuatu will have a devastating impact on the Pacific nation's economy.

Island states are fearing the economic and security implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and residents in Port Vila, Vanuatu say the government's communication in regards to the COVID-19 outbreak are unclear.