China's navy launched a strategic missile with a dummy warhead into the Pacific Ocean on July 6, stating it was routine training. Despite advance notification, the test raised concerns among Pacific governments and partners due to the short warning period and historical context of nuclear tests in the region.
Refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru face severe food and water insecurity, with many skipping meals despite Australia spending over $9m per person last financial year. A new ASRC survey reveals the $260 fortnightly payment is insufficient for basic needs amid high import costs and poor conditions.
Australia signed the 'Ocean of Peace' defence alliance with Fiji on Monday, elevating Fiji to treaty ally status and committing to mutual defence. This move strengthens Australia's regional ties amid competition with China, which previously signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands.
A new survey reveals that most Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) adults feel the US has declined as a welcoming place for immigrants. Ahead of America's 250th anniversary, only one in three surveyed still views the US positively for immigrants, with 64% believing it once was but no longer is.
A new survey reveals that most Asian-American and Pacific Islander adults feel the US has declined as a welcoming place for immigrants, with only one in three still viewing it positively. This sentiment emerges ahead of America's 250th anniversary and amid stricter immigration policies.
A new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll reveals that many Asian American and Pacific Islander adults have faced disruptions from heightened immigration policies under the Trump administration. Most now believe the U.S. is no longer a land of opportunity for immigrants, with nearly half reporting personal or known experiences of detention, deportation, or altered routines due to immigration status.
The Trump administration spent $750,000 to charter a private yacht for the evacuation of a single US citizen from Pitcairn Island. The woman was potentially exposed to hantavirus on a cruise ship, and the costly operation has strained the State Department's emergency budget.
Samoan tenor Pene Pati, once told islanders don't sing opera, is now a global star. A new documentary, 'Tenor: My Name is Pati,' details his journey from Upolu to world stages, highlighting his powerful voice, cultural humility, and sacrifices for family and future Pacific singers.
At the Island States Ocean Summit in Tokyo, Japan's Sanae Takaichi presented Japan as a reliable partner for Pacific nations, pledging support against climate change impacts and enhancing maritime security, offering an alternative to superpower influence.
Vanuatu's public health director, Jenny Stephens, is lobbying for support as global funding cuts impact malaria, TB, and HIV programs. The US withdrawal from the WHO in early 2026 has led to China becoming the largest contributor, raising questions about Beijing's role in filling the funding and leadership gap.
The UN General Assembly voted 141-8 in favor of a resolution urging states to transition away from fossil fuels, a move hailed by Vanuatu's PM as a "new chapter" in climate action. The resolution, co-sponsored by 90 countries, aims for net zero by 2050 but does not attribute responsibility to specific states.
A 29-year-old Hazara man, Abdul, challenges his imminent deportation to Nauru, citing Australia's constitutional obligations to protect him after alleged childhood abuse in Australian care.
Japan plans to station drones on Iwo Jima and Chichijima Island to provide real-time intelligence, addressing a surveillance "blind spot" amid increasing Chinese maritime activity in the western Pacific.
Indonesian authorities on Saturday located two Singaporeans who went missing after Mount Dukono erupted on the Pacific island of Halmahera, officials said, but it was unclear whether they were alive. “We have identified the coordinates of their locations. It’s around the crater rim,” said Iwan Ramdani, the head of Indonesia’s rescue agency. “This is on drone surveillance and is consistent with witness accounts.” Both appeared to be 20 to 30 metres (65 to 100 feet) from the rim of the main...
A study published in Nature reveals that some Indigenous South American populations carry genetic ancestry remarkably similar to Indigenous populations in Australia and Pacific Islands. Researchers concluded this ancestry did not come from the Americas' earliest settlers, pointing to an ancient "ghost population" that contributed genes to Amazonian groups. The findings challenge the decades-old theory that the Americas were populated through two major migration waves beginning roughly 15,000 years ago via the Bering Strait land bridge.
Kiribati derives over 70% of government revenue from selling tuna fishing licenses to foreign fleets, the highest proportion of any nation. The country's EEZ of 3.4 million sq km generates $137m annually, but climate change threatens to push tuna eastward to cooler waters, potentially costing more than $10m per year by 2050 under high emission scenarios.
World Vision officials report that Pacific Island communities dependent on boat transport are facing challenges bringing food supplies to outlying centres, with transport to clinics becoming financially unreachable for some. People are skipping medical appointments and missing life-saving HIV and tuberculosis medicines. Data shows Pacific Island nations are the most diesel-dependent for power generation worldwide, with diesel fuelling more than half of electricity output in 2022.
