SUVA, 25 FEBRUARY 2026 (PMN) — The arrest of British Fijian publisher Charlie Charters has pushed Fiji’s anti-corruption watchdog into fresh controversy. Charters’ arrest by police last weekend has raised sharp questions about whistleblowers, due process, and political pressure in the Pacific Island nation. The 57-year-old appeared in the Suva Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged […]
Category: Pacific News
Posted inPacific News
Australia welcomes decision to host pre-COP in Fiji and Tuvalu
CANBERRA, 26 FEBRUARY 2026 (AUST GOVT) — Australia welcomes the Pacific Islands Forum announcement that Fiji and Tuvalu will bring the world to the Pacific as part of the pre-COP climate events to be held later this year. Fiji will host the pre-COP meetings, while Tuvalu will have a special leaders’ component – ensuring that […]
Posted inPacific News
Blacklisting squeeze hits Vanuatu families and businesses, the regulator VFSC warns
PORT VILA, 20 FEBRUARY 2026 (PMN) — Vanuatu’s place on international financial blacklists is not just a political issue, it is making life harder for families, businesses, and workers across the country. The Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC) says global pressure and tighter banking rules are slowing investment, making simple bank processes more complex, and […]
Posted inPacific News
Marshall Islands launches first universal basic income scheme to stop outward migration
MAJURO, 23 FEBRUARY 2026 (ABC PACIFIC) — Iohaan Anjolok remembers when a bowl of ramen and a bottle of water together cost just US1$.50 in the Marshall Islands. “Now the boiled egg alone is a dollar apiece,” he said. “It used to be 10c.” The pre-COVID-19 prices feel like a distant memory for Anjolok, who […]
Posted inPacific News
Fiji anti-corruption body urged release Charters, apply UNCAC protection for whistleblowers—PFF
HONIARA/SUVA, 23 FEBRUARY 2026 (PFF) — The Fiji anti-corruption body, FICAC is being urged by the Pacific Freedom Forum, PFF, to release former journalist Charles Charters from remand. The PFF also want to see Fiji support its UNCAC commitments to protect whistleblowers and those who publish their information. PFF Chair Robert Iroga of the Solomon […]
Posted inPacific News
Rising costs hit Pacific families hard as interest rate decision nears
AUCKLAND, 18 FEBRUARY 2026 (PMN)—For Pacific families, rising bills aren’t just numbers, they’re trade-offs between feeding the children, paying rent, and keeping cultural obligations alive. Pasifika households are juggling higher bills, cultural responsibilities, and family support. And the Reserve Bank’s first interest rate decision of the year could make things even harder. “Food, power, rent, […]