Pacific Islands Forum chair and secretary general meet UN secretary-general; Pacific Islands Forum chair pushes US and World Bank for Pacific Resilience Facility funding; Trump signs 'deeply dangerous' order to fast-track deep sea mining; ADB: Slower economic growth for Pacific amid tourism challenges, global uncertainties
Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security
The Pacific Islands Forum in Palau is Must-Watch for the Future of the Indo-Pacific
(East-West Center)
The Pacific Islands Forum contains so much flexing, it’s a geopolitical workout
(RNZ)
Tiny Palau has become David to China’s Goliath
(Financial Review)
Outgoing Forum Chair Wale leaves Palau as no- confidence motion rocks Solomon Islands
(PACNEWS)
Pacific: Forum struggles with missile dilemma
(Islands Business)
Nauru to be endorsed as next Pacific Islands Forum host
(National Indigenous Times/AAP)
Tonga emerges as key beneficiary of new US Pacific investment push
(PMN)
Marshall Islands seeks US assurance to preserve local flexibility in prioritizing COFA projects
(Pacific Island Times)
Cook Islands lands $101 million US-NZ funding commitment for Penrhyn Port upgrade
(Cook Islands News)
Cook Islands PM cautious as Pacific warned of seabed mining legal risks
(PMN)
Panda Diplomacy: A Mayor’s Quest To Bring Pandas From China To Hawaiʻi
(Civil Beat)
A blunder or a threat? Marshall Islands and FSM labeled ‘US territories’ on Trump’s social media post
(Pacific Island Times)
Tonga: PINA President Says Lavulavu Dispute Is ‘Not a Media Problem’
(Tonga Independent)
Vanuatu Takes France to ICJ Over Matthew and Hunter Islands
(VBTC)
Marshall Islands form partnership with Guam, Nebraska National Guard
(PDN)
PNG parliament delays vote for Bougainville independence
(National Indigenous Times)
People-Centered Development
Pacific: USP Opens Landmark Sustainable Energy Training Centre for the Region
(Islands Business)
Tonga launches first National Apprenticeship Policy
(Matangi Tonga Online)
Doctor hopes specialist skills can stay in Sāmoa
(PMN)
French Polynesia: Should Starlink be granted exceptional access for health reasons in the islands?
(Radio 1 Tahiti)
Native Hawaiian scholars fight to preserve one of the largest archives of Hawaiian history
(HPR)
Hawai‘i: New vision, ancient roots: How Maui County’s ʻŌiwi Resources Department is putting Hawaiian ancestral knowledge to work
(Maui Now)
Ni-Vanuatu chef in Solomon Islands pivots with Pacific cuisine
(Pasifika TV)
Vanuatu’s food security under pressure as heat, drought and floods damage key growing areas
(Islands Business)
CNMI: Combat sports offer young people opportunities ‘we didn’t have, Northern Marianas fighter says
(RNZ)
Raising women, reshaping sport: The impact of RISE in Palau and the Pacific
(Pacific Community)
Tonga: MAT opens new office as association builds stronger role for Tonga’s media
(Talanoa ‘O Tonga)
American Samoa to receive $1.1 million from Meta settlement
(Talanei)
Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment
El Niño is disrupting the Pacific’s marine food web from the bottom up
(Mongabay)
El Niño preparedness takes centre stage at Niue’s first National Climate Outlook Forum
(SPREP)
Papua New Guinea: Lost Sepik fish rediscovered after 40 years
(NBC PNG News)
French Polynesia: Pacific Islands Forum: When ocean protection becomes a race for funding
(TNTV News)
Palau: To save the reef, this island is raising clams by hand
(Conservation International)
In Hawai’i, a beautiful menace
(Conservation International)
Vanuatu’s food security under immense pressure from climate change
(National Indigenous Times)
Across Oceans, One Purpose: Historic Caribbean-Pacific Partnership Takes Shape Under the Montreal Protocol
(UNEP)
Fijian ‘sweat bees’ evolved to resist human environmental changes
(ABC Australia/Audio)
CNMI tightens Guam cargo inspections following brown tree snake sighting on Rota
(Pacific Island Times)
World leaders need to see rising oceans in Pacific: UN official
(France 24)
Pacific urged to protect ‘whale highways’ that link the region’s waters
(PMN)
Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity
Micronesian nations eye regional carrier
(Pacific Island Times)
FSM leaders adopt Sustainable Tourism Policy and State Investment Plans 2026-2031
(Kaselehlie Press)
With 281,227 tourists welcomed in 2025, French Polynesia boasts an “absolute record” in visitor numbers
(les Nouvelle Caledoniennes)
CNMI: Project H.A.F.A. participants begin first week of workplace experience
(Marianas Variety)
High shipping costs contributing to Vanuatu kava shortage
(ABC Australia)
72% of Fijian exporters expect revenue growth despite finance challenges
(Fiji Village)
Fiji: Culture and cash clash | Entrepreneur warns mixing funds stalls indigenous business growth
(Fiji Times)
Hawaiʻi’s Pain At The Pump Is Oil Giant’s Gain
(Civil Beat)
An agreement to help New Caledonian companies expand internationally
(les Nouvelles Caledoniennes)
Solomon Islands: VAT is Coming: Business Told to Get Ready
(In-Depth Solomons)
Palau Digital Residency Program Surpasses 47,000 Active Residents
(Island Times)
‘Strong’ demand for PNG mud crabs, sea cucumber
(The National)
**Disclaimer: **
The PIR seeks to include news coverage from news outlets across the Pacific, representing a diversity of coverage in the region. Please note that the inclusion of article links does not represent PIR or PIDP endorsement of the information presented in the articles.
The Pacific Islands Report (PIR) is a project of the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center and the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
This non-exhaustive news roundup, featuring open-access information, is organized with the thematic areas of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its implementation plan.
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