Showing 1 - 10 of 244
'Backyard fireworks' of WWII bombs still litter Solomon Islands
AFP, Published on 10/10/2025
» HONIARA — Solomon Islander Dennis Phillip was ploughing his soil by hand when he heard an unusual clunk -- one of the countless unexploded bombs still scattered across the small Pacific nation decades after World War II.
Postal services still lead the way
Oped, Published on 09/10/2025
» World Post Day, observed every year on Oct 9, was proclaimed by the 1969 Universal Postal Congress in Tokyo to mark the anniversary of the founding of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in Berne. Across 192 UPU member countries, the day is celebrated through the launch of new products, the opening of postal facilities, employee recognition, and community engagement.
Tiny Vanuatu steps up to protect the climate
Oped, Published on 28/08/2025
» Although the International Court of Justice (ICJ) turned 80 this year, there is a sense in which it has never felt younger. In a David-versus-Goliath moment, the tiny Pacific Island state of Vanuatu recently changed international law forever by bringing the world's most important issue before its highest court. The result is an ICJ advisory opinion on "the legal obligations of states in respect of climate change", as requested -- at Vanuatu's urging -- by the UN General Assembly (with 132 states co-sponsoring the resolution).
Developing nations face 'tidal wave' of China debt: report
AFP, Published on 27/05/2025
» SYDNEY — The world's poorest nations face a "tidal wave of debt" as repayments to China hit record highs in 2025, an Australian think tank warned Tuesday in a new report.
This is how Asia Pacific is responding to US reciprocal tariffs
Published on 07/04/2025
» President Donald Trump’s 10% baseline tariffs on US trading partners around the world came into effect on Saturday.
Why China may face 'scrutiny' over using police diplomacy to help developing world
Published on 24/02/2025
» On Thursday, 200 Chinese nationals rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar were repatriated to China, while hundreds more are expected to arrive in China in the coming days, according to Beijing's Ministry of Public Security.
Rescuers fly in to join search for Vanuatu quake survivors
AFP, Published on 19/12/2024
» PORT VILA (VANUATU) - Foreign rescuers joined a hunt for survivors in the rubble of shattered buildings in earthquake-rocked Vanuatu on Thursday, with officials saying the toll of nine dead is set to rise.
New Caledonia pragmatism pips nationalism
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 03/09/2024
» With the sole exception of the fifty people on Pitcairn Island, the United Kingdom (once known as the British Empire) liquidated its holdings in the Pacific Ocean long ago. France, by contrast, has a half million citizens in the Pacific (and another two million living in other bits of its former empire on islands in all the world's major oceans).
Lower-income nations' jab lessons
Oped, Published on 24/01/2024
» There was a global sigh of relief when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared in May 2023 that Covid-19 was no longer a public-health emergency of international concern. But there is no room for complacency. The pandemic has represented an urgent warning about weak health systems and has served as an impetus to strengthen them ahead of a possible new variant or the emergence of a new pathogen.
Australia, Papua New Guinea announce security deal
AFP, Published on 07/12/2023
» SYDNEY - Australia clinched a security deal with Papua New Guinea on Thursday, bolstering ties to a key Pacific neighbour that has been courted persistently by China.