Nick Sas

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Belinda Kora |Nick Sas

Papua New Guinea's government has shut down social media platform Facebook, in what it describes as a "test" to mitigate hate speech, misinformation, pornography and "other detrimental content".   The test, conducted under the country's anti-terrorism laws, began on Monday morning and has extended into Tuesday. Facebook users in the country have been unable to log-in to the platform and it is unclear how long the ban will go on for.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Nick Sas |Agnes Tupou |Adel Fruean

Jane Kanas was a little nervous approaching the immigration desk. She had heard the rumours, but she wasn't sure if they were true. As she handed over her Vanuatu passport to the officer at the airport, it soon became apparent. "My name was on a handwritten piece of paper," she told the ABC. "I wasn't allowed to leave."Her alleged crime? "They didn't say … I'm just a judge."Ms Kanas was part of the Miss Pacific Islands beauty pageant held last weekend.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Nick Sas |Agnes Tupou

A judge at the centre of a voting controversy at the Miss Pacific Islands pageant is being held in the host country Solomon Islands while organisers complete an investigation into accusations of vote rigging. Miss Pacific Islands head judge Jerry Brunt confirmed to the ABC he is "not allowed" to leave the country after attempting to fly out of its capital Honiara to his home country Samoa on Monday.

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Nick Sas

US-funded aid organisations in the Pacific say they're scrambling for answers following President Donald Trump's executive order to freeze U-S Aid funding for 90 days. It comes after Elon Musk labelled US Aid a criminal organisation, and called it to be shut down completely. Aid organisations across the region are in a holding pattern, unsure if their funding will continue.

Dec 17, 2024 | abc.net.au | Lice Movono |Nick Sas

A toxicology report into the suspected alcohol poisonings at Fiji's Warwick Resort that left four Australians critically ill has found no traces of methanol. Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka said the report found "no illicit substances or methanol", but he has not yet revealed the cause of the tourists' illnesses. The poisonings hospitalised six people after they drunk a pina colada cocktail at the resort's poolside bar on Saturday afternoon.