Drones and balloons cause wave of panic in Nato countries

At Munich airport, staff spent two nights laying out hundreds of camp beds and air mattresses for passengers whose bank holiday flights had been cancelled. More than 700 miles away to the northeast, hundreds of people were grounded at Vilnius...

Why is China funding the Russian War Machine?

For the first two years of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China presented itself as an independent arbiter. In 2023 it even proposed a 12-point peace plan that was mainly commerce-orientated. Practical goals such as protecting civilians and...

Pacific Islands focus: health and gender inequities, climate updates, and some hope for marine biodiversity

Introduction by Croakey: In breaking news on Thursday, Papua New Guinea’s cabinet has approved a landmark defence agreement with Australia. PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape said the agreement, known as the PukPuk treaty, “will elevate the two...

Pacific islands bound by climate change, divided by deep-sea mining: Nauru…

“The climate crisis is not up for debate,” Micronesian President Wesley Simina said. “The only question is whether we will act with the urgency it demands.” Pacific island leaders agreed. At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly...

Making waves in America

How the Velella Project sets new rules for U.S. aquaculture Last June when anti-aquaculture groups appealed a key U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit for Ocean Era’s Velella Epsilon demonstration project in the Gulf of Mexico, CEO...

Pacific islands bound by climate change, divided by deep-sea mining: Nauru swimming against the tide

Deep-sea mining equipment. Photo courtesy of Impossible Metals “The climate crisis is not up for debate,” Micronesian President Wesley Simina said. “The only question is whether we will act with the urgency it demands.” Pacific island leaders...

FASANOC | Kaiwai builds credentials

Former Fiji women’s cricket captain Ruci Kaiwai is attending the ICC 100 per cent Cricket Future Leaders Level 2 Workshop at Albert Park, Suva, from 4–7 September. She is representing Fiji in a cohort of coaches from 10 countries: Fiji, Papua New...

Remote islands lead in Cooks national tuna management plan consultation

Cook Islands Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) officials began an eight-week national tuna management plan consultation this week, with the first round of sessions happening in the most remote parts of the nation – te pa enua Tokerau. The...

Submarine cable security is all at sea, and UK govt 'too timid' to act, says report

Feature The first transatlantic cable, laid in 1858, delivered a little over 700 messages before promptly dying a few weeks later. 167 years on, the undersea cables connecting the UK to the outside world process £220 billion in daily financial...

Lost in Space: The Limits of Geolocation in a Satellite-Connected World

“Where are you?” is not an easy question to answer on the Internet. The telephone system’s address plan embedded a certain amount of physical location information in the fixed-line network, and a full E.164 telephone number indicated your location...

Supplies from across the sea

Apii Nassau students holding their new polo shirts and their custom-made pencil cases with their names on them. 25090506 Students at Apii Nassau, a small school in the northern group of the Cook Islands, received a variety of much-needed school...

Sink or swim: Can island states survive the climate crisis?

Small island nations across the world are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, and their problems have been accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely affected their economies, and their capacity to protect themselves from...

Airai State launches collaborative review of PAN Management Plan with Capacity building focus

Airai State, Palau – September 19, 2025 – Airai State officially launched the Working Group for the review and revision of its Protected Area Network (PAN) Management Plan today at the Airai State Office. This initiative marks a critical step...

With global powers barred, can Pacific nations find unity at their annual summit?

It’s been a testing time for Pacific regional unity. So far this year, there have been rifts between Cook Islands and New Zealand over security arrangements with China; New Caledonia and France over independence for the French territory; and among...

Cambodia and Saint Lucia Forge Diplomatic Relations

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Saint Lucia's Minister of External Affairs Alva Baptiste sign a communique on September 26 at the UN Headquarters in New York. Photo from Cambodian Foreign Ministry:Facebook PHNOM PENH – Cambodia and...

Fairness of children’s book funded by deep sea mining company questioned

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A children's book exploring the idea of deep sea nodules was paid for by a charity established and funded by a Cook Islands seabed mining company. "I know of a treasure. It's ancient and old. A treasure of marvels and...

Pukapuka-Nassau embraces Tuna Plan as a pathway to youth employment

The Ministry of Marine Resources officials with Pukapuka executives during the Tuna Management and Development Plan consultation on Saturday. Lisa Williams/MMR/ 25083103 In the northernmost reaches of the Cook Islands, the islands of...

Cocobots launch $30k campaign for Robotics Challenge in Panama

The Cook Islands’ youth robotics team, the Cocobots, is preparing to compete on the world stage at the FIRST Global Robotics Challenge in Panama City, October 27 – November 1, 2025. Pictured (from left): Lathaniel Rau Atuatika, Elsie Epi,...

Sharks biting into Pa Enua fisheries

Tauhunu-based Jean-Marie Williams shares frustration over sharks turning the catch of the day into carcasses and running up replacement costs for ruined gear. MMR/25082926/ 25082927/25082928 Northern Cook Islands fishers from the most remote...

Pearl Culture: A remarkable achievement of Cotton University

Silpi Sikha Borah (The writer is a doctoral scholar and an ex-Cottonian from the Department of Zoology.) The Zoology Department of Cotton University, under the leadership of Dr Akalesh Kumar Verma, has been actively engaged in harvesting pearls...