China-friendly Manele elected as Solomon Islands PM

Solomon Islands' lawmakers elected China-friendly former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele as prime minister on Thursday, choosing him over an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing's reach in the Pacific nation. Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot of 50 MPs, said Governor-General David Vunagi. His opponent, democratic reformer and longtime opposition leader Matthew Wale, got 18 votes.