11 h. ago Pacific Islands Forum rolls out strategic plan for partner engagement

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat says a new engagement and advocacy plan will shape how the region works with its partners. Deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi says the plan will guide engagement at all levels while strengthening advocacy on climate change, security, and other regional priorities. He adds that a messaging guide will ensure the […]

Politics

58 h. ago Pacific Islands Forum prioritizes climate resilience and regional unity

Climate change resilience remains a central goal for Pacific Island nations as they face its severe impacts. Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa says these initiatives are key priorities for the 2050 Strategy and the region’s future. He adds that external engagement and advocacy will be guided by the 2026 Leaders’ Policy to ensure […]

Politics

5 d. ago Municipalities urged to conduct drainage work and not wait for relevant ministries

The recent heavy rains have raised serious questions about the lack of proper drainage in towns, cities, and urban areas around the country. Furthermore, with the Fiji Meteorological Service forecasting two tropical cyclones to pass through the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, with one having a high chance of intensifying to a Category 3 system, government […]

Politics

1 week ago First climate migrants arrive in Australia from sinking Tuvalu in South Pacific

The first climate migrants to leave the remote Pacific island nation of Tuvalu have arrived in Australia, hoping to preserve links to their sinking island home, foreign affairs officials said on Thursday. More than one-third of Tuvalu’s 11,000 population applied for a climate visa to migrate to Australia, under a deal struck between the two […]

Events

1 week ago Heavy rains trigger widespread flooding, evacuations in Pacific Northwest

Heavy rains drenching the Pacific Northwest triggered flooding on Thursday across much of the Pacific Northwest from Oregon north through Washington state and into British Columbia, closing dozens of roads and prompting widespread evacuations. The intense downpours began earlier in the week, swept into the region by a storm system meteorologists call an atmospheric river, […]

Events

1 week ago Barrett warns Pacific facing rising transnational crime threat

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says transnational crime is no longer a problem faced by just one country, it is a growing threat that now stretches across the entire Pacific. Barrett made the comment when asked about the KVT gang, after three Fijian nationals linked to the syndicate were arrested in Western Sydney this […]

Events

1 week ago Bulitavu urges action as Pacific faces rising climate pressures

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Mosese Bulitavu says Pacific Island nations are confronting increasingly severe environmental threats from eroding coastlines and declining fish stocks to the growing crisis of plastic pollution. Speaking at the Seventh United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Bulitavu said that despite these mounting challenges, the Pacific continues to lead with […]

Events

1 week ago Indonesia says more than $3 billion in recovery funds required after Sumatra floods

Indonesia’s Sumatra island will require 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.11 billion) in reconstruction and recovery funds following a series of deadly floods, senior government officials said. The death toll from the cyclone-induced floods and landslides reached 950 as of Monday, with 274 people still missing, according to official data. The storms also killed about 200 people […]

Events

1 week ago India’s IndiGo battles passenger fury over luggage lost in chaos

India’s IndiGo (INGL.NS), opens new tab is battling growing passenger fury over delays in finding and delivering thousands of stranded bags, with social media flooded with photos of luggage piling up at airports after last week’s large-scale flight disruptions. IndiGo, which has 65% of the domestic market, has apologised after cancelling more than 2,000 flights […]

Events

1 week ago Calls to strengthen Fiji’s early warning system after sudden floods

Fiji’s early warning system is under renewed scrutiny after several families in the Central Division were caught off guard by sudden flooding on Sunday night. The incident has reignited concerns about the country’s preparedness as climate change continues to intensify storms, flooding, and other extreme weather events. UNDP Resident Representative Munkhtuya Altengerel says timely alerts […]

Events

2 w. ago ADB, World Bank launch Pacific islands projects under new cofinancing model

The Asian Development Bank and the World Bank on Thursday launched two Pacific islands projects under a first-of-its-kind cofinancing model that aims to streamline processes and speed up delivery. The Full Mutual Reliance Framework, approved earlier this year, allows one institution to act as lead lender, cutting duplication and freeing up resources for implementation. The […]

Economics

2 w. ago Hill’s title fight tomorrow a significant milestone for local boxing

Fiji Boxing Commission chairman Adi Nayaran says Winston Hill’s Pan Pacific welterweight title fight tomorrow marks a significant milestone for local boxing. Nayaran says the commission is proud to see one of Fiji’s own competing on one of the biggest stages in world boxing. He adds that young and aspiring fighters across the country should […]

Sport

2 w. ago PALM workers face job loss and visa uncertainty in Australia

When Susan Pinu was pregnant with her daughter, she was far from her home in Solomon Islands and found herself wandering an Australian town looking for help. It was not what she expected when she joined the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme in 2021, hoping to build a house and support her family back […]

Politics

2 w. ago Sri Lanka cyclone survivors afraid to go home, stuck in relief centres

Residents of Kithulbadde village in central Sri Lanka say they have been left in the lurch after last week’s deadly cyclone and many are stuck in relief centres as damaged infrastructure has made them wary of returning home. About 479 people were killed in the storm, which brought intense winds and the worst floods in […]

Sport

2 w. ago Hill to battle for vacant Pana Pacific Super Welterweight title

Fijian Olympian Winston Hill is gearing up for one of the biggest fights of his professional career as he seeks out the vacant IBF Pan Pacific Super Welterweight Championship this weekend. Hill will be taking on Australia’s Ben Mahoney at the Ring Magazine Cruiserweight World Titles event. The bout will be held this Saturday at […]

Events

2 w. ago UN hopeful Grynspan vows to rebuild trust after Trump criticism

One of the candidates to become the U.N.’s first female secretary-general, senior U.N. official Rebeca Grynspan, has pledged to restore trust in the organisation as it faces heavy criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump. The process to elect the next U.N. chief formally kicked off last week as member states were asked to nominate candidates […]

Politics

2 w. ago Leptospirosis kills two, warning issued for Northern Division

The Ministry of Health is urging people in the Northern Division to take extra precautions after two recent deaths linked to leptospirosis. While current case numbers remain low, the Ministry warns the disease is still deadly especially after heavy rain and flooding, when infections are known to increase. Leptospirosis is preventable and treatable if caught […]

Events

2 w. ago Cyclone Ditwah kills 410, leaves hundreds missing in Sri Lanka

Nawaz Nashra recalls grabbing her three-year-old daughter, wrapping her in a bedsheet and running out of their home in central Sri Lanka as a landslide struck, triggered by a deadly cyclone that killed 410 people in the worst floods in a decade. Nashra and her pregnant sister, who lived with her, spent the next 20 […]

Events

2 w. ago Southeast Asia storm deaths near 800 as scale of disaster revealed

The death toll from cyclone-induced floods and landslides in Indonesia passed 600 as rescuers battled to clear roads and improved weather conditions revealed the scale of a disaster that has killed nearly 800 people in Southeast Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have suffered devastation after a rare tropical storm formed in the Malacca Strait unleashed […]

Events

3 w. ago ‘I saw them driving over injured people’ – the terrifying escape from war in Sudan

Abdulqadir Abdullah Ali suffered serious nerve damage to his leg during the long siege of the Sudanese city of el-Fasher because he could not get medicine for his diabetes. The 62-year-old walks with a heavy limp, but he was so panicked when fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) finally captured the city in […]

Events