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

Fear and speculation mount after another tanker is hit by unexplained blast
INSIDE the flooded engine room of Vilamoura (IMO: 9529293), crew members have documented several shrapnel holes left in the deck after an explosion ripped through the tanker on Friday. The blast left the suezmax, operated by George Economou’s TMS...

RMI ‘no’ to deep sea mining
The Marshall Islands has joined a growing number of nations saying “no” to deep sea mining. At the Oceans Conference last week in Nice, France, President Hilda Heine announced that the RMI would join the countries calling for a moratorium on all...
Reinforcing the links between the law and Pacific fisheries' sectors
The Judicial Symposium 2025 opened on Wednesday in Honiara, bringing together Regional Chief Justices of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Photo: Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Justice experts and fisheries...
John Mahama joins Global Climate Adaptation Board
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) has announced that President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, is now a member of its Board, joining other world leaders like the Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, the Marshall Islands, and the Prime Minister of...

China's Ballistic Missile Launch Site Discovered by Researchers
Researchers claimed on Wednesday that they have geolocated the launch site of a rare, publicized test of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in China. On September 25, the Chinese military launched a DF-31AG ICBM carrying a...

State’s medical research deserves more funding, National Institutes of Health director says during Northwest Arkansas visit
More federal grants for medical research need to go to states with the greatest health needs, medical providers and researchers in Springdale and Bentonville told Monica Bertagnolli, the director of the National Institutes of Health, on Tuesday....

UAMS Researchers Find Culturally Adapted Pediatric Care Can Help Marshallese Moms Overcome Breastfeeding Barriers
View Larger Image Oct. 22, 2024 | FAYETTEVILLE — Culturally adapted group pediatric care can help Marshallese mothers in the United States overcome barriers to exclusive breastfeeding to improve nutrition and prevent childhood obesity among...

Ukraine Says Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker Suffered Explosion Off Libyan Coast
A Russian-linked oil tanker, part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet,” was damaged in an explosion in the Mediterranean Sea on June 27, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported. Between 2023 and 2024, Moscow assembled a covert fleet...
Helen Clark warns in new Pacific book renewed nuclear tensions pose ‘existential threat to humanity’
David Robie also blogs at Café Pacific From: Asia Pacific Report Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark has warned the country needs to maintain its nuclear-free policy as a “fundamental tenet” of its independent foreign policy in the face...

Oil Tanker Explodes Off Libyan Coast
An oil tanker has suffered an explosion off Libya’s coast, without causing any injuries or pollution, the vessel operator said on Monday, adding that the cause of the explosion is not clear yet. The ship that carried about 1 million barrels of...

Japan can help the Pacific become more resilient
Australia’s 2024 national defence strategy describes Japan as an ‘indispensable partner’ for achieving regional peace and security. But the prominence of the growing defence relationship between Japan and Australia, while vital, risks obscuring...

2 UOG students present research at prestigious cancer conference
University of Guam students Reina Evangelista and Gian Paras recently showcased their cancer research projects at the 17th American Association for Cancer Research Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities...

What these Tahitian women want you to know about France's nuclear testing
Although France conducted nearly 200 nuclear tests in the South Pacific during the 20th century, few Tahitians have received compensation to this day. That's unlike the Marshall Islands, which has a treaty with the United States that allows...

Shanel: Ocean expedition crucial for scientific data collection
The Solomon Islands lack sufficient data for effective ocean management, despite possessing a vast 1.5 million square kilometers of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), according to Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Peter Shanel Agovaka....

Our voyage to Statehood, 60 years on: understanding the nature and practice of free-association as we reflect on our development journey
Prime Minister Mark Brown. SUPPLIED. This year, the Cook Islands marks 60 years of self-governance, an historic milestone in our voyage to statehood, by Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. In 1965, our people chose to shape our own...

Regional research agenda series: Meet our peer reviewers, Mr Jack and Dr Molimau-Samasoni
This month, we are pleased to introduce more exceptional peer reviewers from our team. Mr Randon J. Jack Mr Randon J. Jack is the Chief of Forestry at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce in Majuro, Marshall Islands. He holds a Bachelor...

TNC partners with MICS to protect resilient reefs in Majuro
The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which has worked in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) for over a decade, is collaborating with the Marshall Islands Conservation Society (MICS) to help protect coral reefs that are more resilient to climate...

‘Reimaanlok’ puts Indigenous voices at the heart of ocean conservation
The Republic of the Marshall Islands was once used by the United States as a convenient place to explode nuclear bombs, with little regard for local interests. But these days, the expectations of the islands’ Indigenous residents is the standard...

Clark warns in new Pacific book renewed nuclear tensions pose ‘existential threat to humanity’
Asia Pacific Report Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark has warned the country needs to maintain its nuclear-free policy as a “fundamental tenet” of its independent foreign policy in the face of gathering global storm clouds. Writing in...

SNAP Cuts Could Leave 300,000 Families Facing Hunger
Republicans' 'Big Beautiful Bill' will prove to be very ugly for New York families. Republicans have told us from the start they planned to cut aid for New York working families to give billionaires tax cuts, and they plan on making good on their...