Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
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...
Cook Islands Cabinet approves significant increase in tobacco tax
Talanoa 'O Tonga
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June 30, 2025
Cook Islands Cabinet has approved a significant increase in tobacco tax, aiming to reduce smoking rates and combat non-communicable diseases. The Cabinet has recently approved the initiative set by Ministry of Health to increase the tobacco tax by...
Pakistanis now eligible for travel visa-free to 32 countries, here's a list
Dunya News
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Pakistan Pakistan Pakistanis now eligible for travel visa-free to 32 countries, here's a list Close Pakistan’s passport now ranks 100th, it marks an improvement from its 113th position in 2021 Updated On: Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:37:34 PKT ISLAMABAD...
Pakistan passport rises to 100th; visa-free travel now possible to 32 countries
Daily Times
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June 30, 2025
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani passport holders can now travel visa-free or get visa on arrival in 32 countries, following a rise in Pakistan’s passport ranking in the 2025 Henley Passport Index. This marks a notable improvement from the 113th position...
Niue: Tally of nations with anti-homosexuality laws drops to 65
Erasing 76 Crimes
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June 23, 2025
South Pacific island nation of Niue repeals law it inherited from New Zealand Pride marcher in New Zealand poses with the flag of the tiny island nation Niue. (Claire-Eastham-Farrelly photo courtesy of NZTV) The South Pacific island nation of Niue...
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,...
Here's a list of countries where Pakistanis can now travel without visa
GEO TV
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June 29, 2025
Pakistani passport holders can now travel to 32 countries either visa-free or with visa-on-arrival following an improvement in the country's passport ranking. According to the latest figures released by Henley & Partners, an international...
Pakistanis can travel to 32 countries without visa
The News International
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June 29, 2025
Pakistani passport holders can now visit 32 countries without a visa or with visa-on-arrival following an improvement in the country's position on the Henley passport index. The latest data from Henley & Partners, a global citizenship advisory...
Pacific Islands Countries Push For Action at UN Ocean Conference
The Diplomat
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June 20, 2025
Last week, more than 60 world leaders convened in Nice, France, for the third – and the most-attended – United Nations Ocean Conference. There was cause for celebration: during the week-long conference, 19 countries ratified the Agreement on...
New List of Countries you can Travel Visa-Free with Pakistani Passport in 2025
Daily Pakistan
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June 27, 2025
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani passport holders can now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 30 countries, marking a notable improvement in the country’s global travel standing. According to the latest data released by Henley & Partners,...
Palau signs Landmark Security MOU with 12 Pacific Nations for Pacific Mini Games
Island Times
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June 27, 2025
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang KOROR, Palau — The Republic of Palau has signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 12 Pacific Island nations to enhance regional security cooperation during the 2025 Pacific Mini Games (PMG), marking...
A drop in the ocean? Pacific nations tap local know-how for marine conservation
South China Morning Post
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June 27, 2025
Pacific island nations are racing to enhance marine conservation, establishing sweeping “no-take” zones and pledging to sustainably manage vast swathes of their territorial waters despite facing limited resources and geopolitical pressure. Among...
Building Pacific capacities to support trade and market access
Pacific Community (SPC)
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To strengthen the skills of Pacific biosecurity, border control, exporter representatives and relevant stakeholders in using Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) databases and platforms, a regional capacity-building workshop is underway in...
Letter: New Zealand aid
Cook Island News
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June 26, 2025
Dear Editor, There is a claim by some doing the rounds, that New Zealand’s economy is struggling, and the aid freeze is just a convenient excuse to pull back funding. TBH (to be honest) think it through, that’s highly unlikely, budgeted foreign...
Paradise lost? One in three want to leave sinking islands behind
The Times
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They live among their gardens on tropical islands where the average temperature is a clement 28C but almost a third of people in the Pacific nation of Tuvalu want to flee by using a climate change escape visa. Australia has been offering the visas...
China in the Pacific – Joint statement of the Third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
The Fiji Times
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June 26, 2025
FROM May 28 to 29, 2025, the People’s Republic of China and Pacific Island Countries having diplomatic relations with China (hereinafter referred to as “All parties”) held the third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The...
ADB’s Director General for Pacific in Honiara
Solomon Star
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June 25, 2025
Director General (DG) of the Pacific Department within the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) is on a five-day visit to the Solomons. Emma Veve who was appointed to the position in late February 2025 arrived in Honiara on Monday and has been visiting...
Niue, the tiny island selling the sea to save it from destru...
Modern Ghana
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On a remote raised coral atoll in the South Pacific, the tiny island nation of Niue is quietly protecting one of the world's most ambitious marine reserves. While global leaders at the UN oceans gathering in Nice debate how to scale up efforts to...
NZ may help Pacific Islanders in the Middle East 'where feasible'
Samoa News
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June 24, 2025
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A spokesperson for New Zealand's minister of foreign affairs says where feasible, they may assist Pacific Islanders in the Middle East. The Defense Force is sending a plane to the Middle East to assist any New...
Fiji and Japan sign agreement on project for improving cyber security capability in the Pacific
Fijivillage
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Fiji and Japan sign agreement on project for improving cyber security capability in the Pacific Permanent Secretary of Policing Berenado Daveta and JICA Fiji Office Resident Representative Satoshi Wakasugi signed an agreement on the record of...