Pacific Beat

An emotional Solomon Islands' Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare admits he was wrong to oppose RAMSI, the regional intervention that helped rebuild his country after years of ethnic conflict and the premier of Malaita criticises rescue authorities as the search continues for 16 people still missing after a boat tragedy that claimed the lives of five other young church-goers.

Vanuatu prepares to farewell its revered president with the state funeral for Baldwin Lonsdale tomorrow and Papua New Guinea's electoral commission promises it will be publishing a full list of polling places on Thursday, just two days before voting is due to start.

The people of Vanuatu react to the sudden death of their President. PNG's national election scheduled to start in just a matter of days.

The investigation into the mass breakout from Buimo Jail in PNG points to justice system in crisis as one of the key factors, with some prisoners on remand for as long as nine years and PNG's foreign minister is accused of having an agenda, after ordering the deportation of two more foreign missionaries.

Vanuatu politicians rush through legislation saving the country from facing a financial blacklisting. More than a dozen young people in Solomon Islands missing at sea are feared dead. The legacy of nuclear testing in the Pacific inspiring the push for a ban on nuclear weapons.

The government in Vanuatu set to trial the use of drones in delivering life-saving vaccines to remote parts of the country and in Solomon Islands, authorities look at buying land to end a long-running dispute between settlers and a development company in Honiara.

After a decade of talks, Australia and New Zealand will sign the PACER+ trade deal with 11 Pacific countries later today, but the region's three biggest economies, PNG, Fiji and Vanautu, won't be there and MPs in Vanuatu under pressure to pass 13 money bills or the country faces further international sanctions for not doing enough to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

Former New Zealand prime minister and top UN administrator, Helen Clark, says she's shocked that women still have so far to go to achieve gender equality. And, calls for the distribution of funding in Vanuatu to be de-centralised so money gets through sooner and essential services are maintained.

A Catholic missionary deported from PNG after trying to help villagers take on a giant Malaysian logging company. Concerns communities in Solomon Islands are still holding onto illegal weapons despite a gun amnesty. We hear from the coaches of both PNG and Solomon Islands ahead of today's FIFA World Cup qualifier