Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

'Slow but sure' economic rise in most of Pacific - World Bank
Photo: AFP The Pacific regional economy is growing, slowly but surely, reports the World Bank. In their latest Pacific update, released 17 June, they argue for more employment of women to help the economy amidst global economic uncertainty,...

Pacific Islands Countries Push For Action at UN Ocean Conference
Last week, more than 60 world leaders convened in Nice, France, for the third – and the most-attended – United Nations Ocean Conference. There was cause for celebration: during the week-long conference, 19 countries ratified the Agreement on...

FEATURE – Preparing and training a maritime force
Establishing a navy is a complex and strategic undertaking that requires careful planning and a phased implementation. Each stage of this process is crucial, beginning with a thorough preparation phase that lays a solid foundation. This initial...
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New Zealand halts millions of dollars in aid to Cook Islands over deals with China
The self-governing Cook Islands, a country of 17,000 people, has a “free association” relationship with its former colonial ruler New Zealand, which provides budgetary assistance as well as help on foreign affairs and defence read more New...

New Zealand halts aid to Cook Islands over China deals
WELLINGTON — New Zealand's government halted aid to close partner the Cook Islands on Thursday because of a row over agreements the Pacific island nation struck with China. New Zealand "paused" the payments and would not resume them until the Cook...
NZ’s furious act towards tiny island nation
New Zealand’s government halted aid to close partner the Cook Islands on Thursday because of a row over agreements the Pacific island nation struck with China. New Zealand “paused” the payments and would not resume them until the Cook Islands took...

‘I saw the flash’: How US nuclear tests changed life on this Pacific idyll forever
McDiarmid and Haazen returned to Mejatto a year after the 1985 evacuation, and stayed for three months. When we land this time, there is a joyful reunion between the pair and several locals, including “aunties” now in their 40s and 50s who were...

New Zealand cuts funding for Cook Islands in response to China deals
New Zealand has cut millions of dollars in aid to the Cook Islands in retaliation over the Pacific nation’s deepening ties with China. Relations between Wellington and Avarua, the capital of the Cook Islands, which is 1,800 miles northeast of New...

NZ halts Cook Islands aid over PRC row
New Zealand has suspended millions of dollars in budget funding to the Cook Islands, it said yesterday, as the relationship between the two constitutionally linked countries continues to deteriorate amid the island group’s deepening ties with...

Funding for Cook Islands halted over China row
WELLINGTON — New Zealand announced on Thursday that it was suspending NZ$18.2 million ($10.97 million) in budget funding to the Cook Islands, as the relationship between the two constitutionally linked countries continues to deteriorate amid the...

New Zealand stops funding to Cook Islands in row over China
New Zealand has suspended millions of dollars in budget funding to the Cook Islands, it said on Thursday, as the relationship between the two constitutionally-linked countries continues to deteriorate amid the island group’s deepening ties with...

Letters to the Editor | June 20, 2025
Strong finish! The historic first Women in Media (WiM) conference ended on a high note at the Grand Pacific Hotel (GPH) in Suva. A strong call was made for regional collaboration, inclusive partnerships, and sustainable funding support for...

New Zealand Halts Funding To Cook Islands Over China Ties
Home China New Zealand Halts Funding To Cook Islands Over China Ties A spokesperson for New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement that the country's core sector support funding relies on a high trust bilateral relationship...

New Zealand halts Cook Islands funding over China row
By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand announced on Thursday it was suspending NZ$18.2 million ($10.97 million) in budget funding to the Cook Islands, as the relationship between the two constitutionally linked countries continues to...

Decades of climate uncertainty: Cook Islands grower speaks
After more than 30 years of farming on her Takuvaine plantation, Jean Tekura Mason says climate change has disrupted everything she understood about farming. “I’ve been a planter, gardener for over 30 years basically and what I’ve noticed over...

WB's Palestinians are trapped between Israel-Iran crossfire
This picture shows Iranian rocket trails in the sky above Ramallah city in the occupied West Bank on 18 June 2025. [Getty] Palestinian lives in the occupied West Bank face extreme risk from falling Iranian and Yemeni missiles or shrapnel from...

Pacific Economic Update: Slowing Growth Highlights Need for More Inclusive Workforce
HONIARA, June 17, 2025 — Economic growth is slowing across the Pacific as countries face weak global growth, natural hazards and climate related shocks. The World Bank’s flagship Pacific Economic Update, released today in Honiara, projects...

Pacific Islands need to boost women in jobs: World Bank
Less than half of working age women are employed across the Pacific Islands due to outdated laws and other barriers, the World Bank said in a new report yesterday, adding that closing the gender gap could boost economic growth. The World Bank...

Slowing growth faces Pacific, need for more inclusive workforce highlighted
HONIARA — Economic growth is slowing across the Pacific as countries face weak global growth, natural hazards and climate related shocks. The World Bank’s flagship Pacific Economic Update, released on Tuesday in Honiara, projects regional growth...

TOT program for ‘Knowledge Progress’ held in Gizo
A new Training of Trainers (TOT) program was held in Saeragi, West Gizo last week aimed at building climate-resilient food systems through community-based knowledge sharing. The training was part of a regional effort led by WWF Solomon Islands....