News Roundup

Pacific Islands News Roundup – October 10 – 16, 2025

Editor’s Note: We are undergoing a web host migration process and may need to make necessary modifications to our format and frequency over the next several weeks. Thank you in advance for your understanding. 

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security

  • ‘We want peace:’ Pacific island leaders seek to steer clear of geopolitics (Pacific Island Times)
  • Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General to Attend World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings (Pacific Islands Forum)
  • Marape backs biometric reforms ‘to safeguard democracy Before 2027 NGE (The PNG Bulletin)
  • Kaloran to Government: Don’t Let Wallet Diplomacy Weaken Vanuatu’s Stand on West Papua (Daily Post)
  • Japan Association of Marine Safety and Embassy Collaborate to Boost Palau’s Maritime Security (Island Times)
  • People are sticking to the status quo – Nauru elections (Pacific Beat RNZ)
  • New French Overseas Minister’s appointment causes concern in New Caledonia (RNZ)
  • SPC meetings open in Nuku’alofa: “United for a resilient future” (Matangi Tonga)

People-Centered Development

  • ‘Be of service to each other’: Attorney Julian Aguon receives Guam’s top honor for his work on climate, social justice (Pacific Daily News)
  • 4th case of whooping cough on Guam this year (Pacific Daily News)
  • Chinese naval hospital ship offers free medical services in Tonga (Matangi Tonga)
  • Announcement: passing of Pesi Fonua, publisher-editor of Matangi Tonga (Matangi Tonga)
  • Religious Waivers Soar For Child Vaccines On Kauaʻi (Civil Beat)
  • 1 In 4 Hawai‘i Students Are Chronically Absent From School (Civil Beat)
  • Pasifika, Māori called to reclaim ocean tradition and safety culture to reduce drowning rates (RNZ)
  • 27 Dead, 44 Living with HIV in Solomon Islands (Solomon Business Magazine)
  • Teachers’ union proposes ‘leather belt’ discipline, Fiji government emphasises child rights (RNZ)
  • Pacific islanders face discriminatory migration policies in NZ (Islands Business)
  • Menopause is not a Choice for Women – Break the Silence and Let’s Talk About It! (Island Business)

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

  • A Japanese ‘ghost fleet’ of rusting WWII wrecks is poisoning this Pacific paradise (Island Times)
  • Fiji Champions Biodiversity Mainstreaming on Global Stage (Fiji One News)
  • Agriculture Department kicks off Arbor Month 2025 with tree plantings and fire prevention activities (Kuam News)
  • Alternative Nobel’ goes to activists who made climate change a matter of international law (Island Times)
  • Palolo season is here (Talanei)
  • Why loss and damage matter in the Pacific (Talanoa ‘O Tonga)
  • ‘Someone needs to be held accountable’: Records show high dieldrin levels in Yigo well since 2008, GovGuam notice since 2012 (Pacific Daily News)
  • Waimapuru’s land being logged (Solomon Star) 
  • ​Notes rassurantes sur la radioactivité selon l’Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection (Tahiti Infos)
  • Up to nine tropical cyclones forecast for Pacific this season (Samoa News)
  • Teens Who Sued Hawai‘i Say State’s Climate Plan For Aviation Doesn’t Fly (Civil Beat)

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

  • Can Hawaiʻi Afford To Keep Not Taxing REITs? (Civil Beat)
  • Green Says 64,000 New Affordable Homes Are In The Pipeline. Can He Deliver? (Civil Beat)
  • Farmers want limit on rice imports to boost local production (Daily Post)
  • American Samoa looks at food safety gaps (Samoa News)
  • Palau’s Wage Hike May Spur Short-Term Price Rises, Economic Advisory Report Warns (Island Times)
  • Wusi villagers gain safe water and jobs (Daily Post)
  • Solomon Islanders Call for Sustainable, Community-Driven Tourism (Pacific Tourism Organisation)
  • Taiwan–Fiji partnership bears fruit across key sectors (Islands Business)
  • Military service members paid, but federal shutdown continues (The Guam Daily Post)

Latest Content from the Pacific Islands Report

  • Pacific Islands Security In the Era of US-China Competition (Visions & Voices)
  • Abandonment of Soft Power, Neglect of Climate Change, and the Shifting Geopolitical Landscape of the Pacific (Visions & Voices)
  • Tackling Systemic Inequities in The Solomon Islands Healthcare System: The Race-Health-Governance Nexus (Visions & Voices)
  • The Watchdogs of the Blue Pacific: Media Accountability in Regional Security (Visions & Voices)

The Pacific Islands Report (PIR) is a project of the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center and the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

This non-exhaustive news roundup, featuring open-access information, is organized with the thematic areas of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its implementation plan.

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