More Top Stories
Cook Islands passport proposal
6 January 2025
Top cop position advertised
7 December 2024
Police need numbers and bigger budget
9 December 2024
Niki Rattle: A call for stronger human rights protections
10 December 2024
Solid and Hazardous Waste Bill referred to Parliament committee
10 December 2024
DPM defends CIIC finance and travel policies
6 December 2024
Cook Islands has its first mosque
14 November 2024
CI Muslim opens up about her faith and journey
16 November 2024
RAC to address mosque legality
19 November 2024
I don’t expect much change: PM Brown on US Elections
6 November 2024
Fifth weekly Sydney flight to Rarotonga announced
23 October 2024
CIIC directors seek $350,000 in damages over defamatory claims
21 October 2024
Man found guilty of rape, burglary
24 September 2024
Tenants face water bill burden
8 October 2024
Concerns over Minister’s role in inmate work releases: PAC
5 October 2024
Tourism contribution set to surpass half-billion dollar mark
25 September 2024
Parliament Clerk sparks outrage over deep sea mining statement
23 September 2024
Deep sea dilemma: Cook Islanders weigh the cost of mineral riches
21 September 2024
Anxiety on the rise: Cook Islands faces mental health challenge
7 September 2024
Cook Islands deep sea mining poll sparks controversy
7 September 2024
MCI rejects ‘dark fleet’ label
3 August 2024
Rising seas, rising costs: Climate impacts on Cook Islands economy
2 September 2024
Inflation eases but concerns remain
31 August 2024
Prime Minister defends $659,000 MPs travel bill
23 August 2024
Taxpayers foot $659,000 bill for MPs travel and allowance
22 August 2024
Corruption report exposes ‘bribe and sexual favours’
17 January 2023
PM Brown eager to hand over Forum chair role to Tonga
13 August 2024
Challenging ‘rape culture’
8 July 2024
Pacific
Government ready to assist Vanuatu community fundraising
Cook Islands Government has expressed its willingness to assist Rarotonga’s Vanuatu community in their fundraising efforts following the recent devastating earthquake in Port Vila.
Fears for families as Vanuatu reels from deadly earthquake
The devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Vanuatu on Monday, claiming the lives of at least 14 people and injuring more than 200, has sent shockwaves around the world, with Ni-Vanuatuans residing in Rarotonga praying for the safety of their loved ones at home.
Flooding across the Pacific
PACIFIC – Heavy rains continue to fall across the South Pacific, causing flooding from Papua New Guinea to Samoa.
Asylum seekers offered 'bribes' to go home
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Asylum seekers in the Australian detention centre on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island have been offered bribes to return to their countries of origin.
Kiribati island lease plan well advanced
KIRIBATI – A Russian millionaire is in advanced talks with the Kiribati government to lease three uninhabited islands and establish an alternative Russia and revive the monarchy.
Ancient landslide discovered on Barrier Reef
AUSTRALIA – Queensland scientists working on the Great Barrier Reef have helped discover the remnants of an ancient undersea landslide more than 30 times the volume of Uluru.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 10/2/2017
Australia sells military vehicles to Fiji FIJI – Australia has agreed to sell 10 refurbished military vehicles to Fiji.
Fishermen rescued by cruise ship
TONGA – Four marine search and rescue operations have saved 20 people in Tonga in recent days, while one life was lost.
In court for damaging St Mary
SAMOA – A man accused of stealing a statue of the Virgin Mary from inside a church in Samoa and damaging it in the process has appeared in court.
Confiscated tabua to be repatriated
FIJI – New Zealand’s Department of Conservation will repatriate to Fiji more than 100 cultural items from the country which have been seized over the past 15 years.
Medical marijuana access eased
NEW ZEALAND – Seriously ill patients in New Zealand seeking medicinal cannabis to ease their symptoms will no longer have to take their cause right the way to the top, but access to the drugs will remain tightly controlled.
South Island lakes showing signs of stress
NEW ZEALAND – A veteran water quality campaigner says even deep, clean South Island lakes such as Lake Wanaka are showing signs of stress.
Hitchhiking backpacker dumped and ripped off by motorist
NEW ZEALAND – Before arriving in New Zealand a German backpacker never expected a hitchhiking experience could turn so horribly wrong.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 9/2/2017
SEVERE weather across the pacific PACIFIC –Wet weather is now causing strife in several Pacific nations.
Heavy rain warning remains for Fiji
FIJI – A heavy rain warning remains in force for the whole of Fiji and people around the country have been put on alert for further extensive flooding.
Hydro power boost from China
Papua New Guinea – Papua New Guinea’s electricity provider hopes it can provide uninterrupted power supply to the country’s capital city Port Moresby
Veteran adamant he sprayed Agent Orange
GUAM – A Vietnam War veteran, who says he used Agent Orange on Guam during the war, says the people of Guam deserve to know the truth.
Tonga tourism chasing ambitious targets
TONGA – Tonga’s government has doubled the earnings goals for the tourism sector in the hope that it will play a bigger part in building a strong economy.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 8/2/2017
FUGITIVE US SAILOR TO BE EXTRADITED TONGA – The federal court in Honolulu has allowed the extradition of an American man wanted for the murder of his wife in Tonga.
168 asylum seekers to be deported - PNG starts arrangements to send non-refugees home
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The Papua New Guinea government is finalising arrangements to deport 168 asylum seekers from the Australian run camp on Manus Island back to their home countries.
Media ban remains in force
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A ban on local and international journalists having access to the Manus Regional Processing Centre and the Manus Transit Centre is still in place, Acting Immigration chief migration officer Solomon Kantha said.
PNG cabinet ministers accused of fraud
Papua NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has announced that two of his cabinet ministers are standing aside pending a probe into their involvement in alleged fraud.