Pacific Islands focus: health and gender inequities, climate updates, and some hope for marine biodiversity

Introduction by Croakey: In breaking news on Thursday, Papua New Guinea’s cabinet has approved a landmark defence agreement with Australia. PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape said the agreement, known as the PukPuk treaty, “will elevate the two...

Australian government extends use of Nauru as a refugee prison

Without any prior public notification or scrutiny, the Australian Labor government has just extended a contract for the running of an asylum seeker prison on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru until at least 2027. Accommodation in the Nauru offshore...

Morning Mail: Alarm at Nauru detention contract price rise; LIV golf course plan threatens Indigenous site; Albanese backs Starmer

Good morning. We lead today with revelations that a US private prisons operator will be paid $790m to hold just over 100 people on Nauru after the government expanded its contract in a decision called “absurd” by critics. In South Australia, a...

‘We had to be bold and innovative to save our economy’: Nauru president

YAREN (Nauru Government/Pacnews) — Nauru President David Adeang has revealed for the first time that when he was elected president three years ago, he received advice from the government’s finance department that the nation was in “serious...

Nauru Airlines back in Suva

WHEN pre-eminent leaders of Fiji and Nauru – the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and Hammer de Roburt – shook hands some 50-plus years ago, ongoing flight connections between the two island nations were established, and continues unabated to this day....

Japan boosts Pacific alliances as global confidence in U.S wanes

TOKYO (PMN)—As trust in the United States fades globally, one of its closest allies, Japan, is actively seeking to strengthen its ties with countries in the Pacific and Asia regions. Concerns over trade disagreements, security pressures, and...

10 Least Known Countries: Nauru, Tuvalu, Comoros, and More

Most people can rattle off the names of big tourist hotspots. But ask them about the least known countries, and you’ll probably get a blank stare. (And rightfully so: That's a pretty weird question to ask.) These places exist well outside the...

‘We are Micronesia’ declared as Nauru prepares for inaugural Micronesia Festival

Miss Nauru - Charlei Deiye YAREN — Nauru is set to host a celebration of Micronesia through music and pageantry at the inaugural Micronesia Musical Festival and Miss Micronesia Pageant that will run from Oct. 6 to 9, 2025. The major cultural event...

NZYQ member could be sent to Nauru within weeks after fourth visa granted

A fourth member of the so-called NZYQ cohort is back in immigration detention after being issued a Nauruan visa, as the government steams ahead with its plan to deport hundreds of convicted criminals to the tiny island nation. They were taken into...

The perfect storm: Why immigration has become the scapegoat for our age of crisis

We are living through an age of disruption. The post-war consensus that liberal democracy, free markets and open societies were the “only game in town” has been steadily eroded by crisis after crisis. The 9/11 terrorist attack crushed Western...

Phosphate mining ruined Nauru. Can it find its way again?

Imagine being one of the world’s richest countries – but amassing all of that wealth by exploiting a single resource that’s soon to run out. That was the conundrum facing the Pacific island nation of Nauru in the 1970s. Once the world’s top...

Exile to a vanishing shore: human rights, climate and the Nauru ‘solution’

The recently announced deal to send hundreds of refugees to Nauru raises serious questions about human rights and environmental obligations. Alison Battisson and Janet Pelly explain. The Nauru deal was triggered by a 2023 High Court judgment,...

Pacific Islands News Roundup – September 26 – October 2, 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,...

Nauru sells citizenship to wealthy while 'poor' refugees remain in detention, advocate says

The entrance to Regional Processing Centre, one or RPC1, currently holding around 90 asylum seekers on Nauru. Photo: Caleb Fotheringham A refugee advocate in Australia says Nauru's citizenship initiative is "a national pariah". Nauru is enticing...

‘It’s visceral’: Albanese’s fear of anti-immigration rhetoric

Few headlines make Anthony Albanese anxious the way headlines about race and immigration do. He learnt that lesson as a senior minister during the Rudd and Gillard governments, after the dismantling of the Howard government’s controversial...

Pacific makes powerful impact at World Expo

The Pacific region is making a strong impression at this year's World Expo in Japan. Countries represented include Papua New Guinea, Sāmoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, the Solomon...

Around World, Migrants Are Being Deported At Alarming Rates – How Did This Become Normalised?

Under President Donald Trump, the United States is expanding its efforts to detain and deport non-citizens at an alarming rate. In recent months, the Trump administration made deals with a number of third states to receive deported non-citizens....

Nauru charts bold path toward 2028 Micronesia Games

Micronesian Games Council officials and members pose for a photo with Nauru government and sports officials during a meeting to discuss the 2028 Micronesian Games. Contributed photo YAREN, Nauru — On Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, the Republic of Nauru...

Skipping classes is not condoned: Nauru launches education reform to build a 'smart nation'

By Pacific Island Times News Staff Nauru’s government is beefing up the enforcement of compulsory class attendance while encouraging parents to get involved in their children’s education. Mandatory presence in school and parental engagement are...

Some Liberals believe Australia is letting in the wrong immigrants

The unedifying fight about Indian immigrants in the Liberal Party seems to have morphed into a proxy war on Sussan Ley's leadership, but at its heart, it is a battle over where the party wants to position itself. Just like the parallel debate...