Pacific Islands News Roundup – Jan. 10-16, 2025

Political Leadership, Regionalism, Peace and Security

• New Cabinet ministers in?Samoa?sworn-in to replace those dismissed by Samoa PM (RNZ)?
• Ruling FAST Party ousts Samoa PM and original members (Samoa Observer)?
• Earthquake cannot derail Vanuatu’s snap election (CT/AAP)?
• Mass killing and ‘cannibalism’ video mar start of PNG’s 50th anniversary year (PACNEWS/Benar News)?
• In Paris, French Polynesia president to take stock of the agreements between Polynesia and the State (TNTV)?
• New French PM wants?New Caledonia?talks to resume this month (RNZ)?
• Fiji PM: Opposition G9 ministers and assistant ministers to now vote for govt (Fiji Village)?
• Australia violated?human rights?treaty with?Nauru?detainees, UN committee finds (ABC Australia)?
• Indian minister to attend presidential ceremony in?Palau, strengthen bilateral ties (Island Times)?
• Tongans looking for King's influence on new Cabinet (RNZ)?
• 'Is this really fale pili?' Tuvaluans raise concerns about treaty (PMN)?
• Elected delegates for Guam, CNMI sworn into office in US Congress (KUAM News)?
• North Korean launch of ‘new’ missile fires up Guam security debate (PACNEWS/Benar News)?
• US Air Force: Pivot to Indo-Pacific tempered by Ukraine, Middle East commitment (Marianas Press)?
• American Samoa constitutional amendments bill signed into law (Samoa News)?
• Two US territorial governors announce plans to join Republican Party (RNZ)?

People-Centered Development?

• More assaults of women since Vanuatu earthquake - police chief (RNZ)?
• Women candidates challenge Vanuatu’s male-dominated politics at snap election (PACNEWS/Benar News)?
• Vanuatu parents face financial struggles ahead of school year after earthquake (VBTC)?
• Guam missile defense system impacts housing crisis, homelessness (KUAM News)?
• Miss?Pacific Islands?Pageant 2025 set to begin in Honiara (Tavuli News)?
• Solomon Islands medical and dental board under scrutiny (Solomon Star)?
• Fiji?launches pilot Chinese language program (FBC News)?
• 956 cases of domestic violence reported to Fiji’s Women Crisis Center in 2024 (Fiji Village)?
• PNG public servants question govt life insurance policy (Post-Courier)?
• Training homegrown healthcare professionals on Molokai (Molokai Dispatch)?
• Ice: Creation of the citizen federation for the fight against drugs and drug addiction in French Polynesia (TNTV)?
• Palau’s non-communicable disease challenge (Island Times)?

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

• US Supreme Court denies oil companies' bid to block Honolulu's climate cases (HPR)?
• Recovery efforts begin in Port Vila CBD, but over 200 businesses still affected (Vanuatu Daily Post)?
• Port Vila faces potential exodus, after devastating earthquake (RNZ)?
• La Ni?a possibility drives up cyclone risk in Pacific Islands (RNZ)?
• Manawanui fuel extraction delayed, locals want answers (PMN)?
• Remembering violent Tonga eruption three years on (RNZ)?
• Pacific youth leaders unite to tackle ocean health challenges (PMN)?
• Two years after Mawar: Guam's disaster relief center aiming to aid more storm victims before program ends in May (Pacific Island Times)?
• US Environmental Protection Agency on making Hawai?i's ports greener and working with the new president (HPR)?
• Aitutaki community re-establishes traditional ra’ui (temporary fishing ban) to protect marine life (Cook Islands News)??

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

• Passport index shows Pacific Island nations' rankings (RNZ)?
• Asian Development Bank to help fund Vanuatu’s second subsea cable (Vanuatu Daily Post)?
• GVB: Jeju Air crash cuts 5,000 airline seats for Guam in next 3 months (Guam PDN)?
• Headwinds and tailwinds in 2025:?Guam’s economic outlook against the backdrop of?geopolitics, Trump policies (Pacific Island Times)?
• Tax exemptions to be a ‘thing of the past’ after 2026: Solomon Islands finance minister (Island Sun)?
• Solomon Islands?may miss graduation from LDC status: Foreign affairs minister (Island Sun)?
• PNG's PM promising progress on Porgera landowners' deal (PNG National/RNZ)?
• PNG’s capital to face water disruption for 27 days (PNG NBC)?
• Palau tourism minister optimistic about 2025 growth (Island Times)?

Latest Content from the Pacific Islands Report

• Climate and Food (In)Security in Micronesia: Do Traditional Food Crops Hold Answers? (Visions & Voices)

Call for Submissions: Visions & Voices Quarterly Publication

The Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) invites students, scholars, researchers, and professionals to submit work to Visions & Voices, a quarterly publication dedicated to the Pacific Islands region.

Submissions of essays, articles, commentaries, and concise pieces that pertain to the Pacific Islands are welcomed.

Next Deadline: March 31

We welcome essays, articles, and commentaries (800-1,200 words) exploring how Pacific communities and governments are addressing global challenges. Contributions focusing on climate resilience—as emphasized in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent—are especially encouraged, though submissions on other Pacific Islands topics are also welcome.

For detailed submission guidelines, visit: www.pireport.org/submissions

The Pacific Islands Report (PIR) is a project of the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center and?the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS) at the University of Hawai?i at Mānoa.

This non-exhaustive news roundup, featuring open-access information, is organized with the thematic areas of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its implementation plan.

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