Good ideas but lack of partnership

BY LORETTA B MANELE Prof Paresh Narayan, of Monash University and APAEA (Asia-Pacific Applied Economics Association) says the problem they face in developing countries is having good ideas but not implementing them simply because they they are not...

Vanuatu gov't backs Air Vanuatu's $8.2mn loan repayment

The Vanuatu government has signed a guarantee agreement with the Vanuatu National Provident Fund (VNPF) concerning the resumption of repayments of the VUV1 billion vatu (USD8.2 million) loan of Air Vanuatu (NF, Port Vila) from the country's social...

Pacific news in brief for 3 November

Photo: 123rf.com American Samoa The Department of Health says the total number of dengue cases in the territory have passed 300. But it said most cases have recovered. It has also noted an increase in community transmission of respiratory...

ASFF putting together a women’s national team ahead of OSC World Cup

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Football Federation (ASFF) is assembling a revitalized national women’s team ahead of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Women’s World Cup Qualifier, scheduled to kick off on November 28, 2025...

Pacific Islands News Roundup – October 24 – 30, 2025

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security ‘Real Action’: Pacific voices growing louder over West Papua’s escalating crisis (PMN) China backs Fiji’s Ocean of Peace vision (Fiji Sun) Cook Islanders confront US-funded vessel over...

Prehistoric-looking creature seen at bottom of sunken crater in Pacific Ocean

Researchers in Vanuatu used remote underwater cameras to capture astounding footage of a medley of deep-sea creatures – including nautiluses, a sixgill stingray a gulper shark and a duck-billed eel – hundreds of metres below the surface. The...

Best travel deals and exclusive holiday sales to know about this month

Travel is one of life’s greatest joys. From eating chilli crab at bustling Singapore hawkers in 45-degree heat to strolling through ancient streets and seeing magnificent beasts in their natural habitat, experiencing different cultures and...

Father's 'sense of guilt' as childcare worker sentenced for injuring 4yo

A New South Wales childcare worker has been sentenced to an 18-month Community Corrections Order for using "excessive force" on a child, resulting in a head injury. The 24-year-old woman pleaded guilty in Bathurst local court last week, after...

Pacific Island nations back Australia’s COP31 bid, push for “Pacific COP”

Pacific Island nations are rallying behind Australia’s bid to host the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), aiming for what they call a “Pacific COP.” Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, reaffirmed the region’s...

Gov't backs Air Vanuatu $8.2mn loan repayment

The Vanuatu government has signed a guarantee agreement with the Vanuatu National Provident Fund (VNPF) concerning the resumption of repayments of a VUV1 billion vatu (USD8.2 million) loan for Air Vanuatu (NF, Port Vila) from the country's social...

Pacific Defence Ministers escalate militarisation across the region

The 10th annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) convened in Viña del Mar, Chile from October 22-24, amid the escalating imperialist war drive across the region, led by the United States, aimed against China. Delegates to the South...

New partnership supports emergency care development in the Pacific

Volunteer Service Abroad Te Tūao Tāwāhi (VSA) and the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) have signed a five year partnership agreement which will support emergency medicine and emergency care development across the Pacific. The...

Courts shaping future of climate action

By Francesca Mascha Klein & Laura Schäfer Amid rising geopolitical tensions, pressure to comply with climate obligations increasingly comes from courts. Earlier this year, both the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Inter-American Court...

Inside The Women-Led Movement Transforming Vanuatu

In Vanuatu, women have long borne the weight of survival without recognition. Now, in the face of climate disaster, they’re rewriting what power looks like. By Justine Cullen. Life for a single mother on the island of Tanna, in Vanuatu, is grim in...

From Vanuatu to Australia, and then Yishun: The yellow plant giving S’pore fall colours all year

SINGAPORE – As the weather cools in the Northern Hemisphere, fall foliage is sure to draw the eye. But even in tropical Singapore, the colours of autumn can be enjoyed year round – in Gardens by the Bay and along the country’s streetscapes, from...

COP30: NZ’s lack of climate ambition undermines global goals and free-trade agreements

As nations prepare to gather in Brazil next week for this year’s United Nations climate summit COP30, only a third have so far submitted the required update on their emissions-reduction commitments, known as Nationally Determined Contributions...

Go Public! Fund Education successfully takes off in Pacific Islands

Education union leaders from the Pacific Islands came together to share experiences, challenges, and Go Public! Fund Education campaign priorities in their respective countries. The meeting took place from the 27th to the 31st of October, in the...

The lasting impacts of tragedy on small-town newsrooms

When tragedy strikes in small communities, the news does not fade when the cameras leave. It lingers in the streets, in the schools, in the quiet corners of local shops. This week two people were killed in a mine explosion in Cobar, a devastating...

Storm warnings ahead with tornadoes and giant hail ahead of widespread rain

Australia's storm season has shifted into top gear, and the next 72 hours will deliver a combination of rain, showers or thunderstorms to the eastern two-thirds of the country. The greatest threat of severe weather is today. Dangerous supercell...

$124 Trillion And Counting... These Are The World's Largest Economies

The 2026 world economy has a cautious outlook, according to the October report put out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The organization says that global growth is slowing amid fragmentation and rising protectionism. Significant downside...