News Roundup

Pacific Islands News Roundup – November 14 – 21, 2025

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security

  • FSM mourns the passing of Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin S. Robert (Kaselehlie Press)
  • Australia’s green energy push, Pacific ties face setback from COP31 impasse (PACNEWS/Reuters)
  • PM bans Samoa Observer, says will extend ban to cabinet ministers (Samoa Observer)
  • Supreme Court justices say Constitution does not grant Congress “plenary power” over US territories (Talanei)
  • Japan and Fiji raise concerns over rapid military buildup in the region (Fiji Times)
  • Fractured relationship between NZ-Cook Islands dealt another blow over Cook Islands cryptocurrency bill (Island Times/1News)
  • New Caledonia’s pro-independence split widens, another party quits FLNKS (RNZ)
  • New Zealand assures Niue relationship remains unaffected despite Cook Islands funding row (RNZ)
  • Over 8,000 foreigners overstaying in Fiji (FBC News)
  • Pacific nations push to modernise colonial-era laws before political change erases progress (PMN)
  • Vanuatu PM supports full probe into diplomatic passport sales allegations (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  • SI, Fiji partnership strengthens in justice sector (Solomon Star News)
  • Fiji returns to Pacific region’s human rights forum after 19 years (PMN)

People-Centered Development

  • Anchored in history: Hōkūleʻa returns to Auckland after 40yrs (PMN)
  • No quick fix for soaring child obesity in Polynesia – Pacific health leader (RNZ)
  • Two-Thirds of Palauans Affected by Diabetes or Prediabetes, Government Calls for Awareness (Island Times)
  • Mental health key in Fiji diabetes campaign (FBC News)
  • Food insecurity in Hawaiʻi is trending upward, new study finds (HPR)
  • Creation of a fund to combat the high cost of living in French Polynesia (Tahiti News)
  • Samoa requires travelers to be vaccinated against measles (Talanei)
  • ‘Start selling Guam for its uniqueness’: Inaugural cultural festival preserves, perpetuates CHamoru traditions (Guam PDN)
  • Consumption of kava by civil servants must be regulated, says Fiji PM (Fiji Times)
  • Guam to be reimbursed for local food assistance as shutdown ends (Guam Daily Post)

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

  • Pacific Pushes for Stronger Loss and Damage Action as COP30 Negotiations Intensify in Belém (In-Depth Solomons)
  • Deforestation in West Papua is out of control: Global MPs warn at COP30 (PACNEWS)
  • FSM unveils ambitious NDC 3.0 and methane roadmap at COP30 (Islands Business)
  • Palau launches largest-ever reef fish life history study (Kaselehlie Press/The Nature Conservancy)
  • Cook Islands delays seabed mining decision, extends exploration to 2032 (Samoa News)
  • Rate of sea level rise in SI among highest in the world; needs intervention (The Island Sun)
  • PNG Chief Secretary calls for nationwide effort to plant 30,000 mangroves by 2030 (NBC PNG News)
  • Pacific Islands bring action on ocean acidification to COP30 through powerful short film (Kaselehlie Press/Ocean Alliance)
  • Non-profit calls for stronger action on illegal fishing and high seas transhipment (RNZ)
  • State responds to 2nd confirmed case of avian influenza in Hawaii (The Garden Island)

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

  • US advances offshore mineral plans in American Samoa, Northern Marianas (RNZ)
  • Kiribati committed to resilient development pathway for its outer islands (PACNEWS/SPREP/PR)
  • Remittances in Solomon Islands from Seasonal Workers Drop by 21% (Solomons Business Magazine)
  • Vanuatu airspace revenue unclear as Fiji maintains control (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  • Guam Bill would raise minimum wage above $11 (Guam PDN)
  • Reinstatement of de minimis protection proposed for US territories (Pacific Island Times)
  • Housing development in Fiji threatened by imported supplies (FBC News)
  • Fiji showcases rural electrification success at COP30 (FBC News)
  • Palau’s COFA Trust Fund Reaches $437.9M; Board Advises Government to ‘Stay the Course’ (Island Times)
  • Noem: DHS weighs Guam-CNMI visa waiver, including proposal to add Philippines (Guam PDN)

Disclaimer:

The PIR seeks to include news coverage from news outlets across the Pacific, representing a diversity of coverage in the region. Please note that the inclusion of article links does not represent PIR or PIDP endorsement of the information presented in the articles.

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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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