Pacific Islands News Roundup – May 28 – June 3, 2026
Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security
- PNG Parliament to vote on Bougainville independence on August 30 (Pacific Beat/Audio)
- Pacific youth are worried but want to engage (Islands Business)
- PM Marape: Papua LNG, Wafi-Golpu and future energy projects to drive PNG’s next decade of growth (The PNG Bulletin)
- Fiji’s National Referendum Bill: what it says, what it restricts, and why it matters (Fiji Political Review)
- French Constitutional Council approves changes to New Caledonia’s electoral roll (RNZ)
- PM Laauli says youth being ‘used’ by drug cartels after Samoans charged in Vietnam killing (RNZ)
- Concern over organised crime networks in Pacific after Vietnam killing (1News)
- Drugs mar RMI, Pacific (Marshall Islands Journal)
- Fijian PM Rabuka rejects criticism over new Israeli embassy (RNZ)
- Dilu demands proof if IMF reforms are working (PNG Bulletin)
- Vanuatu joins Pacific customs leaders to strengthen border security and trade (Vanuatu Daily Post)
- Military buildup triggers housing crisis in Guam, outpricing residents (Radio Free Asia)
People-Centered Development
- Conference addresses New Caledonia’s struggling health sector (Islands Business/les Nouvelles Caledoniennes)
- Oral Cavity Cancer could become PNG’s next health crisis by 2043, warns Dr. James Naipao (PNG Bulletin)
- Solomon Islands opens door for more Vanuatu nursing students (Vanuatu Daily Post)
- When needs must: Medical evacuation in a crisis (Marianas Business Journal)
- Hawaiʻi is the only state not tracking abuse in childcare (Civil Beat)
- Typhoon Sinlaku exposes fragile NMI supply chains already strained before super typhoon (Marianas Business Journal)
- Solomon Island’s MEHRD in partners with UNESCO Launch 2026 STEM Education Project (Sunday Isles)
- French Polynesia: The Senate unanimously agrees on better compensation for victims of nuclear tests (les Nouvelles Caledoniennes)
- Filipino national sentenced to 18 months in CNMI prison work permit fraud scheme (RNZ)
- Teens Suing Kamehameha Schools Didn’t Have Scores To Get In, Lawyer Says (Civil Beat)
- Fiji-American artist starts Niue youth mural initiative (Islands Business)
Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment
- Big El Niño looms (Marshall Islands Journal)
- Fiji Launches Initiative to Strengthen Early Warning Systems for All (Island Business)
- Palau Reinforces Climate Resilience with PICRA 2.0 Amid Rising Climate Threats (Island Times)
- First Tuvalu migrants arrive in Australia under historic climate-linked visa (Pacific Beat/Audio)
- Western Australia Showing the Pacific the Way on Renewable Energy (Tonga Independent News)
- Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology shores up Moku o Loʻe against climate change (HPR)
- Pacific nations unite to strengthen fisheries surveillance through Operation Tui Moana (Matangi Tonga Online)
- Palau to Co-Chair First Global Island States Ocean Summit in Tokyo (Island Times)
- Palau Participates in 51st U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting, Strengthening International Collaborations and Reef Resilience (Island Times)
- Scientists set to return deep sea expedition discoveries to Marshall Islands community (Pacific Media Network)
- Hōkūleʻa: Reconnecting Oceania (Ka Wai Ola)
Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity
- Fuel prices still on the up; diesel run out on Cook Islands Penrhyn Island (RNZ)
- Rising electricity bills drive residents in Northern Mariana Islands toward off-grid solar power (RNZ)
- New Caledonia’s kava bars fear price surge could hurt industry (RNZ)
- Vodafone Kiribati: Driving Digital Connectivity and Inclusion in the Pacific (Islands Business)
- Nauru introduces one-day tobacco sale and import ban under new law (RNZ)
- Cruise tourism returns to Yasawa-i-Rara, Fiji, highlighting a model for remote tourism growth (Islands Business)
- Cessna’s use limited in RMI (Marshall Islands Journal)
- Solomon Islands: Communities share internet burden (Islands Business)
- Tonga: Domestic market key, says Lulutai Airlines CEO (Islands Business)
- Reserve Bank of Fiji stands ready amid economic downturn (Islands Business)
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.
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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