Pacific Islands News Roundup – October 8 – October 14, 2026

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security

• Northern Marianas lacks land to host new major US military base, governor says

  (RNZ)

• Fiji remains on U.S. trafficking watch list as convictions stall

  (Islands Business)

• Palau says flood of drugs brought by Chinese risks destabilisation

  (PACNEWS)

• Cocaine traffickers exploit Pacific tuna routes as drug seizures mount, report reveals

  (PMN)

• French Polynesia: Ice, MDMA, Colombians and a real estate agent: the fall of a major network operating in Tahiti

  (TNTV News)

• China denies US allegation of malicious cyber activity in the Pacific

  (RNZ)

• Tonga: Only Four of 37 Complaints Reach Full Investigation as Anti-Corruption Commission Admits Procurement Failures

  (Tonga Independent)

• Solomon Islands: Investigation questions Solomons MPs’ taxpayer-funded health care overseas

  (ABC Pacific/Investigation)

• Fijian Teachers Association head’s threat to ‘roast’ critics in earth ovens sparks political storm

  (Asia Pacific Report)

• Micronesia: New US Senate bill targets birthright citizenship in territories

  (Marianas Variety)

• Northern Marianas governor backs nuclear power for the US territory

  (RNZ)

• PSS Board Votes to Take CNMI Government to Court Over School Funding Crisis

  (Marianas Press)

• American Samoa: Senate approves establishment of new Government Operations Investigative Committee

  (Samoa News)

• Pacific: Visa crackdown is not aimed at Pasifika workers, says NZ First

  (PMN)

• Aliimalemanu returns to Samoa Parliament as sixth woman MP after election petitions conclude

  (PACNEWS)

• China’s Pacific Island ties not part of ‘geopolitical rivalry’, Wang Yi says

  (PACNEWS/SCMP)

People-Centered Development

• Solomon Islands film Our Culture Matters wins masterclass award after POP48 triumph

  (PMN)

• Pacific fact-checking platform founder says united effort needed to fight misinformation

  (RNZ)

• New Society Aims to Unite Palau’s Gaming Community

  (Island Times)

• Latte From Rota Welcomed Home as CNMI Marks Humanities Month

  (NMI News Service)

• Died once, buried twice: Why Some Pacific Islanders dug up their dead

  (Pacific Island Times)

• ‘Digging into what we know’: Pacific culture offers a clearer path to better mental health

  (PMN)

• Many Vanuatu Women Reach Hospital With Cancer at Late Stage

  (VBTC)

• WHO warns of outbreaks in Western Pacific due to gaps in vaccine programs

  (Pacific Island Times)

• New Caledonia: Medical Center Emergency Department: “We can no longer provide humane and proper care”

  (les Nouvelles Caledoniennes)

• Misinformation links COVID-19 vaccine to Fiji HIV emergency

  (National Indigenous Times/AAP)

• Niue govt looks to bring home skills of students studying in Aotearoa

  (PMN)

• Hawaiʻi’s Youth Are Leaving. Meet The People Keeping Talent Here

  (Civil Beat)

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

• Tonga community partnership wins global environmental award

  (PMN)

• Pacific head rebukes Australia’s focus on pre-COP costs

  (National Indigenous Times/AAP)

• ‘Long memory’: Pacific faces decades of global warming

  (National Indigenous Times/AAP)

• Warming of the lagoon in Wallis: the effects of climate change already visible underwater

  (Wallis-et-Futuna La 1ere/Video)

• Marshall Islands warns climate change could expose Pacific war explosives

  (PMN)

• French Polynesia: Whales, turtles… Environmental protection takes to new heights with drones.

  (Radio 1 Tahiti)

• Solomon Islands: Drought causes mass fish deaths at Zaira conservation area

  (The Island Sun)

• New Brown Treesnake Inspection Rules Now in Effect for Small Vessels Arriving from Guam

  (Marianas Press)

• Tokelau reefs showing widespread bleaching as ocean survey reaches final atoll

  (PMN)

• Pacific Leads global push on Ocean Acidification – the “Invisible Twin” of Ocean Warming

  (PACNEWS)

• Earth Sciences NZ outlook says elevated cyclone risk for parts of Pacific

  (RNZ)

• Niue wildfire burned for nine days as new truck arrives from Aotearoa

  (PMN)

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

• Solomon Islands records strongest July visitor arrivals since 2012

  (Solomon Times)

• Palau: Underwater Altercation Between Dive Guides at Siaes Corner Sparks International Investigation

  (Island Times)

• Papua New Guinea: Pacific Balance Fund announces record dividend payment

  (PNG Haus Bung)

• ADB, Australia commit $12.85M to Pacific private sector reforms

  (Pacific Business Review)

• Fiji Pledges US$10 Million to Pacific Resilience Facility Ahead of COP31

  (Pacific Business Review)

• Pacific completes global undersea cable network with PNG among connected Forum members

  (Pacific Business Review)

• Gas shortage in Wallis and Futuna: residents forced to adapt just days before communions

  (Wallis-et-Futuna La 1ere)

• Fiji Airways Premier Lounge named among world’s best

  (Fiji Live)

• United unveils new Guam-based fleet, free Wi-Fi in the sky

  (PDN)

• Northern Mariana Islands: MVA board approves $400K deal with Philippine Airlines

  (Marianas Variety)

• Vanuatu investment agency identifies new opportunities in Santo

  (Pacific Business Review)

• New Caledonia: Economy: Nearly 700 jobs regained, but recovery still fragile

  (les Nouvelles Caledoniennes)

**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.

Subscribe* to get our news roundups delivered to your email inbox and explore our archives at pireport.org.*

**We value your feedback.