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

G7 ends without joint statement on Ukraine, after Israel-Iran talks dominate agenda
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will leave the Group of Seven summit on Tuesday with new aid from host Canada for its war against Russia but without a joint statement of support from members or a chance to meet US President Donald Trump....
From curries to climate hero
In the sweltering midday heat of Chennai in southern India, the roadside vendor cracks open a green coconut with two swift blows from his hooked knife. As he hands it off to locals on their daily lunch break, its cool, fresh taste almost makes...

Seven things we learned at the UN Ocean Conference (and one we didn’t)
The French port of Nice was overrun last week with politicians and diplomats sweltering in suits, cooler representatives from NGOs and local communities, and a staggering number of police. More heads of state, governments and members of civil...

Progress and frustration mark the UN’s third Ocean Conference
Delegates from around the world convened in Nice, France, last week to discuss a range of ocean priorities, including the implementation of a recently finalized “high seas treaty” to protect the two-thirds of the oceans that lie outside countries’...

Pacific Economic Update: Slowing Growth Highlights Need for More Inclusive Workforce
HONIARA, June 17, 2025 — Economic growth is slowing across the Pacific as countries face weak global growth, natural hazards and climate related shocks. The World Bank’s flagship Pacific Economic Update, released today in Honiara, projects...

Pacific Islands need to boost women in jobs: World Bank
Less than half of working age women are employed across the Pacific Islands due to outdated laws and other barriers, the World Bank said in a new report yesterday, adding that closing the gender gap could boost economic growth. The World Bank...

Slowing growth faces Pacific, need for more inclusive workforce highlighted
HONIARA — Economic growth is slowing across the Pacific as countries face weak global growth, natural hazards and climate related shocks. The World Bank’s flagship Pacific Economic Update, released on Tuesday in Honiara, projects regional growth...

17th Climate Change & Business Conference: Where Ambition Meets Action
Aotearoa New Zealand’s premier Climate Change and Business Conference returns in 2025, bringing together global and local leaders to accelerate climate action and business innovation. The conference is taking place on 8-9 September at the Viaduct...

A Turning Point for Agrifood Investment in Asia and the Pacific
KPL From the mountains of Bhutan to the shores of Tuvalu, countries across Asia and the Pacific are confronting a common challenge: transforming their agrifood systems to meet growing demands while safeguarding natural resources for future...

Kapa haka practises for first-ever public performance in Kerikeri
This article was first published on RNZ. A kapa with a difference is practising furiously for its first-ever public performance in Kerikeri this Matariki weekend. Ngāti Rēhia Community Kapa Haka is unusual in that most of its 40-odd members have...

What could a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty look like?
The 2015 Paris Agreement to tackle climate change famously does not name the controversial root cause of the very problem it is intended to solve: fossil fuels. In the year of its 10th anniversary, Gillian Cooper, political director of the Fossil...

Bridging the AI Education Gap: How African schools can leapfrog into the future
Africa stands at a crucial crossroads. With more than 200 million young people poised to enter education systems and the workforce over the coming decade, the continent faces both an unprecedented opportunity and a formidable challenge to prepare...
Kapa haka group practises for first-ever public performance in Kerikeri
Sophia Thomas and Rawi Pere lead the group in a practice session. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf A kapa group with a difference is practising furiously for its first-ever public performance in Kerikeri this Matariki weekend. Ngāti Rēhia Community...

Calls to close gender gap in Pacific Island employment
Less than half of working age women are employed across the Pacific Islands due to outdated laws and other barriers, the World Bank said in a new report on Tuesday, and said closing the gender gap could boost economic growth. The World Bank...

As economic growth slows, Pacific Islands should boost women in jobs, says World Bank
By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -Less than half of working age women are employed across the Pacific Islands due to outdated laws and other barriers, the World Bank said in a new report on Tuesday, and said closing the gender gap could boost...

Hundreds of Young Tourists Evacuated by Cruise Ship From Israel
For Jewish young adults, the opportunity to visit Israel and see the land of their history and heritage is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel that began on Friday, June 13, 2025, that opportunity...

Australia overtakes China in the Pacific as America vacates the lane
Something interesting is happening in how Australians think about their own country’s influence in the Pacific. According to the Lowy Institute’s 2025 poll, 39 per cent of Australians now see Australia as the most influential power in the Pacific...
Nigerian Foreign Minister Woos US Govt With Mineral Resources In Exchange For Visa Access For Government Officials, Businessmen
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has signalled a strategic offer to the United States: access to critical earth minerals in exchange for easing visa restrictions on government officials. Speaking during the 54th...

Pacific news in brief for 16 June
More than 20,000 malicious IP addresses have been taken down as part of Interpol's Operation Secure. Photo: Unsplash / RNZ Nauru - Interpol Two people have been arrested in Nauru in connection to a massive cyber info-stealer bust. More than 20,000...
4 Caribbean islands face potential US visa restrictions
WASHINGTON D.C., USA- According to a leaked United States (US) State Department memo, four Caribbean islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia, are being considered for travel restrictions as part of the US'...