11:40 AM
There has been a surge in fighting around Honiara, the capital of the strife-torn Solomon Islands.
The latest reports indicate ethnic groups are using heavy weapons in battles on the city's outskirts.
Amnesty International reports one group has hit villages and a school with shells fired from a Solomon Islands navy patrol boat.
Fighting between natives of Guadalcanal, the island on which Honiara is located, and a militia group from a neighboring island, Malaita, has claimed at least 55 lives in the last 18 months.
European Parliamentarian Glenys Kinnoch is trapped in Honiara while on a fact-finding mission.
She says the international community has to help find a way to democratically redistribute the country's wealth.
Ms Kinnoch is hoping Malaitan rebels will today free Solomons Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu, whom they have held hostage since June 5th.
The prime minister has apparently agreed to resign at the next meeting of the Solomons' government.
Earlier today, New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff announced he will be part of a Commonwealth delegation going to Honiara on Friday. He described security risks as "manageable."
- IRN
More Solomons crisis coverage
Main players in the Solomons crisis
Map of Solomon Islands
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