Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

Pacific airlines team up for pilot cadetships, four countries sign new trade and healthy food deal
The airlines said the programme would include “rigorous training, structured mentorship, and professional development to produce a pilot workforce trained to operate in complex and remote Pacific environments”. The two airlines said they would...

Michelle Grattan: Free speech fight reignites as sparks fly in Australian politics
Political and news cycles often work in a certain and predictable way. Issues flare like bushfires, then rage for weeks or even months, until they are finally extinguished by action or fade by being overtaken by the next big thing. On two very...

Swimmer Amaya Bollinger wins silver in 200M butterfly
Guam earned its first swimming medal at the 12th Pacific Mini Games on Thursday in Koror, Palau. Amaya Bollinger delivered a standout performance in the 200-meter butterfly, capturing silver - on her 17th birthday - in 2 minutes 24.77 seconds....

Super Power Rivalry In The Pacific! China Says No Plans To Build Military Base; Blames Media For “False Narratives”
China’s embassy in Fiji has insisted that Beijing is not seeking a military base in the South Pacific, stating that aid pledged to developing island nations comes with “no political strings attached.” Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka warned...

'Southern Frontier': Australia’s cold pursuit of empire and identity
A new book uncovers the overlooked history of Australia’s deep entanglement with Antarctica, a story of ambition, exploration and national self-definition. Jim Kable reviews The Southern Frontier: Australia, Antarctica and Empire in the Southern...

New visa offers lifeline for Tuvaluans amid global climate crisis
Pacific Islanders, especially those from the climate-threatened nation of Tuvalu, are taking advantage of Australia’s new resettlement aimed at helping people affected by climate change. The move is part of a special agreement called the Falepili...

Wrestlers win two more gold medals in Palau
American Samoa’s national anthem was played twice on the 3rd day of competition after our wrestlers won two more gold medals at the Pacific Mini Games in Palau. Latana Sopa clinched gold in the Beach Wresting 90 kg and Amo Loe also captured gold...

China says no ambition to build South Pacific military base
China’s embassy in Fiji has insisted Beijing is not seeking a military base in the South Pacific, saying aid pledged to developing island nations came with “no political strings attached”. Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka warned this week...

Hot-button issues lose their media heat
Political columnist MICHELLE GRATTAN reflects on how two once hot-button issues this week barely sparked media and political interest. Political and news cycles often work in a certain and predictable way. Issues flare like bushfires, then rage...

Cook Islands soars past previous medal count
Thursday 3 July 2025 | Written by webmaster | Published in Cook Islands swimming sensation Mia Laban, 18, claimed a bronze medal in the women’s 200-metre backstroke final with a time of 2:18.94 minutes on day three of the Pacific Mini Games on...
The issues that once caused political storms barely registered this week
Political and news cycles often work in a certain and predictable way. Issues flare like bushfires, then rage for weeks or even months, until they are finally extinguished by action or fade by being overtaken by the next big thing. On two very...

Fiji’s PM Sitiveni Rabuka says China’s military bases are ‘not welcome’ in the Pacific
Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has delivered a blow to China’s security ambitions in the Pacific, declaring his country would “not welcome” any Chinese military bases in the region. But Rabuka has also stressed he doesn’t believe that China...

Bush, Wong, and Pacific aid: The real defence gap
Bush, Bono, Obama — and now Wong. The Pacific aid vacuum is growing, and Canberra’s response might just be the real national security test. Private Media/Zennie It’s not every day you hear former US president George W. Bush on the same page as...

Day 4 at Pacific Mini Games: No new medals but Guam sees some wins
Guam’s baseball and softball teams both won games at the Pacific Mini Games in Palau on the fourth day of the competition on Thursday, though no new medal was added to the three they got on Day 3 from weightlifter Chloe Santos. Santos got one gold...
Tahiti's golden run continues at Palau Mini Games
PNG’s weightlifting queen, Dika Toua, has claimed 2 Gold and 1 Silver in the Women’s 53kg category on 2 July. Photo: Team PNG Facebook The Tahitians have opened a wider gap between themselves and the rest of the pack on the medal table at the...

Grattan on Friday: how two once hot-button issues this week barely sparked media and political interest
Political and news cycles often work in a certain and predictable way. Issues flare like bushfires, then rage for weeks or even months, until they are finally extinguished by action or fade by being overtaken by the next big thing. On two very...
'The arts minister walks into a studio' sounds like a joke. Tony Burke's week was anything but
Welcome back to your weekly federal politics update, where Brett Worthington gets you up to speed on the happenings from Parliament House. The minister walked into a studio. Add in his three portfolios and on the surface it's classic joke...
Medal haul begins
RAKA Meisi has claimed third place at the Pacific Games in Palau in the V1 Men’s Marathon, making him Papua New Guinea’s first-ever V1 medalist in history at the Pacific Mini Games. Raka finished with a time of 1:39.11, coming in behind Wallis &...
Fiji Says Chinese Military Base, Missiles Not Welcome In Pacific
The tiny South Pacific archipelago country of Fiji has come out firmly against China establishing a military base in the Pacific Islands, according to a statement of Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka issued Wednesday. He emphasized that China has no...

China base not welcome, Fijian prime minister says
Fiji’s prime minister yesterday said that China should not be allowed to gain a permanent military foothold in the strategically contested South Pacific region, adding that a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait would impact Pacific islands....