WELLINGTON, 30 JULY 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC) —A Pacific geopolitical expert there is a risk that Pacific Islands’ priorities and security concerns are being sidelined by increased geopolitical competition and tensions in the region. This comes amid a growing number of security alliances being formed between Australia and Pacific countries, as well as new regional security […]
Category: In Focus
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China as a future hegemon? Easier said than done
By Graham Fletcher SYDNEY, 16 JULY 2026 (LOWY INSTITUTE) —Donald Trump’s communication style might not lend itself to the use of terms like “hegemony” to describe the strong political and military foothold the United States maintains in the Western Pacific. Yet for all the unpredictability that characterises Washington these days, it is difficult to imagine […]
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Southwest Pacific’s last tropical glacier could vanish within months
GENEVA, 08 JULY 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) — The Southwest Pacific is facing mounting climate risks as its vast ocean expanse becomes hotter, more acidic and more dangerous for coastal communities, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said in a report published on Tuesday. The latest State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific report found that 2025 […]
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Behind every typhoon name is a country and a culture
By Bryan Manabat HAGATNA/SAIPAN, 06 JULY 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES) — When a tropical storm forms somewhere in the vast stretch of ocean between Guam, Japan, and Vietnam, the first question island residents often ask is simple: What’s its name? For decades, those names — Pamela, Omar, Karen— felt familiar, almost local. But around the […]
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Children are turning to AI for homework – and life advice
GENEVA, 01 JULY 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) — Millions of children across the globe are already using artificial intelligence to learn, solve problems and even seek advice about personal worries, while safeguards are failing to keep pace with the technology’s rapid adoption. Based on new data from 10 countries, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates […]
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Tiny Pacific Nation Applies for Global Nicotine Ban. Who’s Behind It?
Kiran Sidhu June 24, 2026 https://filtermag.org/palau-global-nicotine-ban-who/amp One of the smallest countries in the world has set its sights on radically restricting—effectively banning—the global community’s access to nicotine. On June 10, the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the Western Pacific with a population of 18,000, formally applied for a World Health Organization review of […]