Providing their visas come through on time, a fifteen strong Vanuatu men's cricket squad will be heading off to Canada to compete in the World Cup Challenge League against Denmark, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore and the host nation. There are four debutants in the Vanuatu line-up, including batter Junior Kaltapau. First spotted as a school student on Santo, he was awarded a scholarship with Vanuatu Cricket Association, and his rapid rise began from there.

Married women and seasonal workers in Australia are at risk of being unable to vote in Fiji's national elections this year due to registration barriers.

Just a year after the government of Vanuatu took possession of its Guardian-class patrol boat gifted by Australia, it wants to send it back for urgent repairs.

Fiji expats living in Australia and New Zealand worry they'll miss their chance to vote in the nation's national election. Also, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Mannaseh Sogavare says he wants China to play a permanent role training police in his country. And a report into Australian-made patrol boats in the Pacific raises concerns.

A Pacific leader in Sydney says the community there has been rallying to support each other during heavy rains this week that have impacted more than 50,000 people.

AUSLAN will be taught in Solomon Islands thanks to a new program created by Australian Catholic University and the Archdiocese of Honiara. With a focus on remote communities, the program aims to reduce stigma and break down barriers for deaf people.

Academics raise concerns a United States-led initiative bringing together various nations to support "prosperity, resilience, and security" in the Pacific undermines regional decision making and institutions. Also, Pacific climate change activists call for Australia to support Vanuatu's bid to have the International Court of Justice issue an opinion on climate change.

A group of Pacific academics writing in the DevPolicy blog say though the regional initiative might sound like a good thing for the Pacific, it actually undermines regional decision making and institutions.

A project spearheaded by the Bougainville community and the Rotary Club will see playgrounds destined for the waste tip refurbished and sent to hospitals in Bougainville in the hope of bringing a smile to the sick children there.

Our brains are central to everything we do, say and feel, but Pacific Islanders face a complex range of risk factors when it comes to keeping our brains healthy.