Facebook was temporarily shutdown in Papua New Guinea yesterday as a result of tests by authorities to after regulate hate speech and offensive content. ABC correspondent Belinda Kora says despite warnings, many were caught off guard.

Papua New Guinea's national cabinet is facing a fierce backlash after over a leaked "grand shopping list" of projects including a space agency, acquiring a luxury island with a Congolese rapper and a Formula 1 racing track.

Chinese construction companies are copping criticism in Vanuatu after several Chinese-built buildings, including the near-new presidential palace, were among those badly damaged in the Port Vila earthquake last December.

Samoa's power blackouts appears to be worsening. Residents on the island of Upolu are now undergoing power rationing which is affecting homes, businesses and schools. It's frustrating residents, with many calling for answers about Samoa's deteriorating power supply.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape says Bougainville should become economically independent and disarm itself before becoming an independent nation. Mr Marape’s comments has triggered many Bougainvilleans, who accuse PNG’s government of dragging its feet.

Leaders from Bougainville and Papua New Guinea are currently in Port Moresby for discussions on Bougainville independence.

Bougainville's attorney general says his government has made concessions ahead of independence talks with PNG and an independent moderator. He says they've withdrawn their position for a simple majority as the threshold for the PNG's parliament to pass the 2019 referendum.

PNG's Opposition say they're taking two constitutional amendments - declaring PNG a Christian country and limiting the votes of no confidence against the PM - to the Supreme Court. 

The Solomon Islands prime minister has pushed back on Australia's attempts to extract strategic concessions from his country in return for a $190 million policing package announced late last year, saying officials are trying to hammer out a "compromise" on the issue. 

The chairman of Vanuatu’s Citizenship Commission says the passport issued to a fugitive Indian businessman, and former chair of the Indian Premier League, can't be revoked until he's been convicted of a crime.