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

Cook Islands engages in regional dialogue on social impacts of labour mobility
Cook Islands participated in the Regional Workshop on the Social Impacts of Labour Mobility, held in Apia, Samoa, last week from June 23-26. MFAI/25063025 Cook Islands, led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, participated in a...

Cook Islands super fund surpasses $300 million as withdrawal concerns linger
Cook Islands National Superannuation Fund CEO Damien Beddoes. PHOTO: AL WILLIAMS/22101430 The Cook Islands superannuation fund has surpassed $300 million in total market value of investments, but its 25 per cent lump sum withdrawal limit at...

Cook Islands swimmers make golden splash at Pacific Mini Games
Team Cook Islands is making waves at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau. Swimmer Jacob Story, middle, dubbed the team’s “golden boy,” claimed gold in the 200m breaststroke final and followed it up with a silver in the 100m individual medley...

Pacific Nations Cup underway at Tafuna Tennis Courts
Governor Pulaalii Nikolao Pula delivered the first serve to open the Pacific Nations Cup at the tennis courts in Tafuna Monday morning. More than 65 tennis players, coaches, and officials from 11 countries are competing in the tournament, which...

Saving the Cook Islands Māori language
The top three students from the Tateni Kōrero Apii Tuātai (Primary Schools Māori Speech Competition) held yesterday at Te Are Karioi Nui (National Auditorium). Pictured from left: Ana-Nui Wichman – Apii Takitumu (3rd place), Hinamoana Olah – Apii...

Don't Stop Flying, It Is Good For Climate Change And Local Economies
Young Asian woman carrying suitcase, walking by the window at airport terminal.getty Has flying become the ultimate climate sin? Air travel is often cast as a scapegoat when it comes to tourism, but the numbers may tell a different story. Only 11%...
2025 Pacific Mini Games day two: Tahiti continues dominance, baseball 'field is not playable'
Va'a V6 women's 500m medallists: gold: Team Tahiti; silver: Team Fiji; bronze: Team Palau Photo: Palau 2025 Pacific Mini Games/Facebook All baseball competition matches at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau in the last two days have been put on...

American Samoa hosting 2025 Pacific Nations Cup
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — American Samoa Tennis Association (ASTA) along with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) / Oceania Tennis Federation (OTF) is excited to host the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup, where over 65 athletes and coaching...

Pacific Ocean Commissioner: Op -ED – Ripples to Waves:
By Dr Filimon Manoni, Pacific Ocean Commissioner KOROR, 30 JUNE 2025 (PIFS) — It’s been two weeks since the curtains fell on the third UN Ocean Conference. At this largest ever ocean summit, the Pacific voice echoed as a collective, calling for...

EU rattles its purse and AI datacenter builders come running
It's pork barrel time in Europe for Nvidia (and possibly AMD) as corporations bid for a slice of the €20 billion ($23.6 billion) fund to build proposed AI Gigafactories to advance the EU's AI credentials. The European Commission (EC) says it has...

Now travel abroad without visa: Countries you can visit with just a passport
38 Image Credit : Freepik Many countries now offer visa-free travel for Indians. These include Cook Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Oman, Qatar, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Bhutan, Nepal,...

Pacific Mini Games 2025 draws regional viewership, offers wide access to sports coverage
By: Eustoria Marie Borja KOROR, Palau (July 1, 2025) — The Pacific Mini Games 2025 opened with vibrant color, traditional dances, and a dazzling fireworks display on Sunday, marking the Games’ return to Palau after 20 years. Despite a rain shower,...

Cook Islands launches first-ever National Awards system: Te Tango Raumaire o Avaiki
Prime Minister Mark Brown. SUPPLIED. The Office of the Prime Minister is proud to announce the establishment of Te Tango Raumaire o Avaiki: The Cook Islands National Awards, an historic milestone to recognise and honour outstanding service,...

Cook Islands Cabinet approves significant increase in tobacco tax
Cook Islands Cabinet has approved a significant increase in tobacco tax, aiming to reduce smoking rates and combat non-communicable diseases. The Cabinet has recently approved the initiative set by Ministry of Health to increase the tobacco tax by...
The Tree of Life: Honouring the Coconut Tree's Sacred Place in the Cook Islands Culture
You’ve seen it in nearly every photo of our little paradise — the iconic coconut tree. It’s the unmistakable symbol of tropical life, a mark that you’ve arrived somewhere truly special. But in the Cook Islands, the coconut is more than just a...
Pacific news in brief for 1 July
Niue government buildings Photo: RNZ/ Sally Round Niue - budget Health, education, social welfare and government salaries have receives a boost in the Niue government's new NZ$12.5 million (US$7.6m) deficit budget. Last week, the island's finance...

Tahiti leads Medal tally on Day 1 of Pacific Mini Games
KOROR, Palau — Tahiti surged ahead on the opening day of the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, topping the medal table with 9 gold, 7 silver and 2 bronze medals, thanks to dominant performances in swimming and Va’a. Tahiti made waves in the pool, claiming...

Day 1, 0 medal: Guam swimmers, paddlers, softball players push through at Pacific Mini Games
Tahiti claimed 21 medals, including 12 gold, on Day 1 of the 2025 Pacific Mini Games on Monday in Palau. Guam was ranked 16 of 24 participating island nations on Day 1, which saw water sports, softball and others kicking things off. These are...

Tjibaou on New Caledonia talks in Paris: “We want to resolve this now”
Koror, Palau-It’s been two weeks since the curtains fell on the third UN Ocean Conference. At this largest ever ocean summit, the Pacific voice echoed as a collective, calling for more global ocean accountability, and offering transformational...

2025 Pacific Mini Games: flag bearers journey
The 2025 Pacific Mini Games opening ceremony in Palau, which took place on Saturday (Cook Islands time), featured Alanna Smith and Brendon Heath, team Cook Islands flag bearers, alongside the aquatics team, Talissa Koteka, who is competing as an...