Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
Philippines, France start VFA talks in Paris
Philippine STAR
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June 27, 2025
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and France have formally started discussing the establishment of a visiting forces agreement that would allow both countries to stage joint military exercises in each other's territory. The first round of VFA...
Why the UN Ocean Conference 2025 Was Make-or-Break for Marine Protected Areas
The National Interest - Washington D.C.
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June 24, 2025
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference put Marine Protected Areas at the heart of global ocean action, but global progress hinges on whether the United States steps up to lead. From June 9–13, Nice, France, hosted the third United Nations Ocean Conference,...
Pacific leaders call for peace amid Middle East tensions as Melanesia eyes regional solidarity
Pacific Media Network
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Pacific leaders have voiced their worries about the ongoing political unrest around the world, especially the conflicts involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. The concerns were shared during a meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group...
GRACELIN BASKARAN: G7 a significant moment for multilateral co-operation
BusinessLIVE
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The G7 Summit held in Canada last week marked a significant moment for multilateral co-operation — arguably the most consequential in recent years. As SA prepares to host the upcoming G20 there may be valuable lessons to draw from this renewed...
Drug traffickers targeting Pacific waterways: Oceania Customs
Talanoa 'O Tonga
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June 25, 2025
Pacific nations must urgently strengthen maritime enforcement as criminal networks deliberately exploit geographic vulnerabilities, generating unprecedented trafficking drugs across the region. The Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) says detection...
Pacific Island Nations Announce Plans for Indigenous-Led Melanesian Ocean Reserve, a World First
EcoWatch
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June 16, 2025
The Melanesian Ocean Reserve, led by the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu governments with the Islands Knowledge Institute and Nia Tero. The Melanesian Ocean Reserve Why you can trust us Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper,...
Solomon Islands Reaffirms Commitment to Melanesian Unity at 23rd MSG Leaders’ Summit
Tavuli News
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June 25, 2025
Tuesday, 24 June 2025 — In a world of increasing uncertainty and shifting alliances, Solomon Islands continues to stand alongside its Melanesian partners to protect shared interests, promote peaceful coexistence, and uphold a collective voice on...
Exercise series means extended stay for US Marines in the Philippines
Stars and Stripes - Washington D.C
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Members of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit walk down a pier during the Archipelagic Costal Defense exercise at San Vicente in Palawan, Philippines, May 18, 2024. (Donald Holbert/U.S. Marine Corps) Members of a Marine Corps rotational force are...
Brussels’ ‘foreign agents’ fight
EurActiv
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June 25, 2025
Welcome to the Capitals, your concise and comprehensive summary of European news from Eddy Wax and Nicoletta Ionta in Brussels. We welcome feedback and tips here. You can sign up here. In today’s edition: A divisive post-Qatargate lobbying...
United Nations Ocean Conference: Indigenous peoples and local communities dialogue in the framework of the Ocean Decade
Pacific Community (SPC)
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During the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025, various traditional knowledge experts and representatives from Indigenous communities gathered for a workshop to shape key objectives for the second half of the United Nations Decade of Ocean...
Pacific news in brief for 25 June
RNZ
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June 25, 2025
Photo: 123rf American Samoa - mining Leaders in the American Samoa government have expressed their opposition to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's proposed commercial leasing of the territory's exclusive economic zone. They said this was in...
Vanuatu leads charge for world’s largest Indigenous-led marine reserve at UN summit
Pacific Media Network
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Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, is urging Pacific nations to support a vast cross-border marine sanctuary that could cover over six million square kilometres. He hopes the Melanesian Ocean Reserve will be a model for other...
Fiji advocacy group slams Indonesian role in MSG as a ‘disgrace’
Asia Pacific Report
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June 24, 2025
Asia Pacific Report A Fiji-based advocacy group has condemned the participation of Indonesia in the Melanesian Spearhead Group which is meeting in Suva this week, saying it is a “profound disgrace” that the Indonesian Embassy continues to “operate...
China irks NZ as its influence spreads in the South Pacific
The Tribune (Chandigarh)
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June 23, 2025
Hong Kong, June 23 (ANI): The Pacific Islands are considered a point of vulnerability for Chinese encroachment and influence peddling, and the Cook Islands is following in the footsteps of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands in signing strategic deals...
PM Manele Reaffirms Solomon Islands’ Commitment to Melanesian Unity and Regional Strength at 23rd MSG Leaders’ Summit
Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation
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June 24, 2025
Tuesday 24 June 2025 —In a world of increasing uncertainty and shifting alliances, Solomon Islands stands firm alongside its Melanesian partners to protect shared interests, promote peaceful coexistence, and uphold our collective voice on the...
Felicity Roxburgh Appointed Executive Director Of The New Zealand International Business Forum
Scoop
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Wednesday, 25 June 2025, 10:07 am Press Release: NZIBF The New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Felicity Roxburgh as its new Executive Director. She will officially take up the role on 7 July...
World News | China Irks NZ as Its Influence Spreads in the South Pacific
Latestly
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June 23, 2025
Hong Kong, June 23 (ANI): The Pacific Islands are considered a point of vulnerability for Chinese encroachment and influence peddling, and the Cook Islands is following in the footsteps of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands in signing strategic deals...
New Zealand withdraws millions in aid from Cook Islands
World Socialist Web Site
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June 24, 2025
New Zealand has abruptly halted nearly $NZ20 million ($US11 million) in funding to the Cook Islands in retaliation for a partnership agreement the tiny Pacific Island nation concluded with China in February without consulting Wellington. NZ...
Pacific News Briefs: Award-Winning Māori Short Film
Samoa News
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June 23, 2025
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — An award-winning short film, which honors the resilience of Māori youth, has been named a finalist at the New Zealand International Film Festival. Written and directed by Aroha Awarau (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Porou, Niue,...
U.S. Rolled Back, While Small Island Nations Propose the Largest Ocean Reserve in History
The Victoria Advocate - Texas
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June 23, 2025
As of June 2025, just 2.7% of the global ocean is classified as fully or highly protected, according to The Marine Protection Atlas, while total marine protection is only 8.4%. The rollback of U.S. protections in April 2025, most notably the...