Stories by RNZ Pacific

Fiji police say 18 people were arrested on drugs charges in the first five days of the year.

The British High Commission in Port Vila has given GDP£400,000 to UNICEF Pacific, to support children.

An active trough of low pressure hoovering over the Fiji group has brought with it heavy rain, causing major flooding in parts of the country.

The twenty-six members of the Tongan Legislative Assembly will choose the country's new Prime Minister, through secret ballot, in a special sitting in Nuku'alofa on Christmas Eve.

Viliame Gavoka revealed on Thursday there were no illicit substances or methanol found in the ingredients and liquor samples.

The company said it had been unable to clarify the extent of this security risk and made the decision in the best interest of customer safety.

The report says data from the past 70 years show striking climatic changes that have put SIDS at particular risk of heat stress, drought, vector-borne diseases, and food insecurity.

The ICJ said 96 states and 11 international organizations presented oral statements. Audio

The Oceania Football Confederation says that it "respects and supports FIFA's decision-making processes and its commitment to its Human Rights Policy." Audio

The island's first international underwater communications cable landed in the capital Funafuti this week.

Opposition MP Praveen Bala says about 200,000 people live in informal settlements and the "insecure living environment contributes significantly to poverty levels".

HIV infections in Fiji rose 241 percent between 2010 and 2023.

Fuimaono Dylan Asafo placed the blame on "our international legal system" for "the climate crisis we face today", urging legal reforms to address the climate crisis.

The USP alumni statement released on Thursday included a "summary of major decisions", including the appointment of a new vice-chancellor.

The Cook Islands has announced border checks in response to whooping cough cases in the wider region.

The visit by the Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to Tuvalu has "significantly strengthened" bilateral relations between the two countries, the Tuvalu government says.

A new report from Australia's Lowy Institute highlights growing concerns about debt related development funding in the Pacific.

Acting chief health inspector of the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Luke Vonotabua, said to put an end to dengue outbreaks there needs to be collaboration. Audio

Local engineering company CR Engineering is seeking public assistance to locate the whereabouts of the absconding Bangladeshi nationals.

The United Nations climate change summit COP29 has "once again ignored" the Pacific Islands, a group of regional climate advocacy organisations say.

If tabled, this will be the second motion of no confidence brought against Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni by Dr Aisake 'Eke.

A UN Women report says the prevalence of reported physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence - taking place in the previous 12 months - is 30 percent in Melanesia.

The country's health ministry said it continues to observe a high number of severe acute respiratory illnesses presenting to the hospitals. Audio

Charan Jeet Singh, also a millionaire businessman, described delegates attending the United Nations climate summit Azerbaijan as a "financial burden to their respective countries".

The former Nauru president also said the Pacific is at the forefront of the climate crisis, and "For this reason, our leaders welcome the opportunity to co-host a Pacific COP31 in Australia."