Briefs

Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Twenty-nine resident species are now protected under the US Endangered Species Act. The species include bats, birds, turtles, reptiles, invertebrates, and rare plants across

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Dutton brushes off PNG minister’s Labor endorsement

The Pacific nation's foreign minister, Justin Tkatchenko, has given Anthony Albanese's government a rare election endorsement from an overseas

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Government set to agree fees for ships that miss green targets

Government negotiators at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London this week look set to agree that, from 2028, the owners or operators of ships that fail to meet targets to reduce emissions from their

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Cook Islands prime minister wants to rework ties to NZ to be more independent

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says he will only re-work constitutional ties with New Zealand if the new agreement makes it clear his country is now “more independent” — risking a fresh brawl with

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Poll position: What Australia’s election holds for the Pacific

Australia’s policies toward the Pacific will continue to be primarily driven by China’s resurgence, no matter who is elected.  Commentary by Tess Newton Cain  When Solomon Islands and China signed a

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Walande, climate displacement and human rights

Over decades, the small community of Walande has seen their offshore home in Solomon Islands battered by cyclones, storm surges and sea level rise. Relocating to the mainland of Malaita—the nation’s most populous

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Briefs

American Samoa The American Senate has unanimously passed a bill removing the 10% cap on local investments by the American Samoa Government Employees Retirement Fund (ASGERF). Supporters argue it will strengthen the

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Wellington eyes strategic denial in the Cook Islands

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ row with the Cook Islands government in February was every bit as odd as his January quarrel with the President of Kiribati. It arose after the Cook Islands Prime Minister,

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Fiji urged to accelerate BBNJ ratification

Regional partners are calling on Fiji to speed up its ratification of the BBNJ Agreement as other countries move forward with their commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.  The BBNJ

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The tide turns: Fresh approach to regional education

On a bush track in the interior of Fiji’s mani island, Viti Levu, three weary colleagues trudge toward a village, barely visible through the mist. The team from the Regional Institute for Leadership Development is on

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Briefs

American SamoaThe Department of Human and Social Services (DHSS) in American Samoa is investigating Samoans who have returned to Samoa but continue to receive food stamp benefits. DHSS Director Panisia Neueli told a

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Movers and Shakers

Jotham Napat has been elected as Vanuatu’s new Prime Minister, securing the top post unopposed. Former Prime Minister Charlot Salwai, leader of the Reunification Movement for Change, nominated Napat, the MP for Tanna.

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