The Latest Breaking News from Pacific islands

Blinken to visit Papua New Guinea and sign defense, maritime agreements

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Papua New Guinea on May 21-22, sign bilateral defense and maritime security agreements and meet with Pacific Islands Forum leaders, the State Department said on Thursday, after President Joe Biden pulled out of a planned visit.

Reuters · May 18, 2023

Biden, India's Modi to meet Pacific island leaders, Papua New Guinea PM says

U.S. President Joe Biden and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, will join Pacific Islands leaders next month for a "historic" future-oriented meeting, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said on Sunday.

Reuters · Apr 30, 2023

Biden to make historic visit to Papua New Guinea next month - PNG officials

U.S. President Joe Biden will briefly visit Papua New Guinea (PNG) on May 22, officials from the Pacific island nation said on Thursday, as Washington seeks to counter growing Chinese influence in the strategically important region.

Reuters · Apr 27, 2023

Australia and US take realist approach to regional influence

Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III for the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Washington, DC, on December 6.

The Conversation · Dec 7, 2022

Pacific Island countries fight to ensure future before rising sea levels swallow them up

Although they contribute less than 0.03% of the world’s total carbon emissions, the Pacific Islands are at the front line of the climate crisis. Entire countries could be submerged under water within the next two to three decades. How are these island states fighting for their survival?

France 24 · Nov 24, 2022

Tuvalu first to call for fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty at Cop27

Pacific islands nation, which is acutely vulnerable to sea level rises, joins nearby Vanuatu in seeking phase-out of coal, oil and gas

The Guardian - UK · Nov 8, 2022

'Teaching our children from books, not the sea': how climate change is eroding human rights in Vanuatu

There’s a lot at stake over the next fortnight as nations gather at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt. But the stakes are perhaps highest for the Pacific islands and their people.

The Conversation · Nov 7, 2022

Australia's borders are open, so where are all the backpackers?

Backpackers on working holiday maker visas have been a crucial source of farm labour for decades, alongside smaller numbers of temporary migrants from the Pacific Islands, international students, and Australians.

The Conversation · Nov 3, 2022

Samoa thumps France at Rugby League World Cup to set up quarterfinal clash with Tonga

Samoa's shocking loss to England remains the headline of the World Cup, but there is still a chance for the star-studded Pacific Islands nation to relegate it to a footnote, writes Nick Campton.

ABC News · Oct 30, 2022

Aid spending soared to record level in Pacific islands as COVID-19 hit

A record $3.3 billion in aid flowed to the Pacific islands in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a 33% increase on the previous year, according to a report released by the Lowy Institute think-tank on Monday.

Reuters · Oct 30, 2022