Biden Pacific summit suffers setback as Solomon Islands PM skips meeting

The White House has said it is disappointed the Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, will not attend a Pacific Islands summit with Joe Biden next week. The US president will host a second summit with leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum at the White House on Monday as part of his efforts to step up engagement with a region where the US is in a battle for influence with China. "We are disappointed that PM Sogavare of the Solomons does not plan to attend," a Biden Administration official said. Sogavare used his speech to the United Nations general assembly…