Nick Sas

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Nick Sas |Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong

A new coalition of Solomon Islands MPs that includes former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare says it has the numbers to oust the country's sitting prime minister, with a vote of no confidence set for next week.   In moves that will be closely watched in Canberra as Australia heads to a federal election, the group posted a photo on social media this morning — and later released a press release — claiming it now has a majority of MPs "with more indicating they'll resign from government".

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Nick Sas |Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong |Caroline Tiriman

Warning: This story depicts animal treatment that may disturb some readers. Jack Bakale, the church chairman from the island of Sulufou, in Solomon Islands, has a simple way of describing it. "For us, it's part of life," he told the ABC from his island home.  "These events are our culture — dolphin calling, and hunting, is our inheritance from God."Last week, Mr Bakale's ancient cultural practice met a new type of culture: social media.

2 months 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.

Feb 15, 2025 | 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.

Feb 10, 2025 | 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.