The Latest Breaking News from Pacific Island

An exodus of over-qualified Pacific Island nurses who are taking up aged care jobs in countries such as Australia has experts concerned the "brain drain" is leaving critical gaps in the region's healthcare systems.

A campaign by the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu for the world's top court to take a stance on protecting people from climate change gained momentum on Friday, winning the support of almost half the nearly 200 countries at a global summit.

South Pacific defence ministers will meet in Tonga on Tuesday, with Australia seeking a closer military relationship with the three island nations that have defence forces to counter China's security push in the region.

With a litany of logistical and legal hurdles between the vision for Satoshi Island and its reality, experts fear the project may eventually fall flat or run foul of local Vanuatu laws.

A week after the US and the Pacific signed a historic joint-partnership declaration, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says China had a "different approach to engaging with the Pacific" to the US, while an expert says Beijing will not be deterred from pushing for influence in the region.

The United States concedes it let its relationship with Pacific Island nations "drift" before reaching a historic new partnership agreement with the region.

The Biden administration will pay for $130 million in new climate initiatives for Pacific Island nations by reallocating money that originally been earmarked for military assistance for Egypt

When and if an island nation fully submerges due to climate change, what happens to the nationalities of its citizens

The United States and Pacific island nations vowed to strengthen their partnership in a declaration released on Thursday, the second day of a summit, as Washington tried to address their needs amid its concerns over China's role in the region.