The Pacific Tourism Organisation Hosts Two-Week Research Training for PNGTPA to Strengthen Tourism Data Capacity

From 16 to 30 September 2025, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) hosted a two-week research training program for the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNGTPA), aimed at strengthening PNGTPA’s capacity to manage and deliver...

The Torres Strait Islands and Niue come together in new mural

The Torres Strait Islands and the island nation of Niue have a long shared history and their connection is now permanently showcased as part of a new mural at the island's broadcast studios. Tori-Jay Mordey, an accomplished mural artist and...

The Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP) Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Journey: What are we doing differently?

The Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP), being implemented across 15 participating countries1, provided a rare opportunity to reimagine how MERL can meaningfully contribute to ensuring sovereign warehouse storage and response...

SHIPPING TIMES | Marine protection symposium

A five-day regional symposium focused on strengthening marine pollution emergency response and environmental resilience is being held in Suva this week. The symposium has brought regional and international partners to Fiji to look at best...

Sister Lashes wins big, paving the way for future Pacific representation in the lash industry

Sister Lashes owner, Zandalee Matene pictured with her TAIEA award (R). Photos: Provided. Ann-Tauilo Motuga | Reporter/Videographer Sister Lashes owner, Zandalee Matene made history at the 2025 NZ Lash Industry Awards, becoming the first Pacific...

Fiji moves to secure more Tuna supply for PAFCO, says Fisheries…

Fiji is making headway in talks with Pacific neighbours to ensure steady tuna supply for the Pacific Fishing Company (PAFCO) in Levuka, Fisheries Minister Alitia Bainivalu told Parliament. Responding to an oral question from Opposition MP Faiyaz...

UTOPIA Washington’s MANAFest 2025 creates “home away from home” for Queer and Trans Pacific Islanders

“My hands, my feet; my hands, my feet. My hands and feet, to uplift the village.” Singing in her native language, Phylesha Brown-Acton recited the song written by her uncle about their home and community. Hailing from Niue, a small, self-governing...

Stronger border controls

BIOSECURITY officers from around the region met in Nadi to validate four years of training that has strengthened the Pacific’s defence against pests and diseases threatening agriculture, biodiversity and trade. At a workshop earlier this month,...

Growth in the Pacific to accelerate to 4.1 percent in 2025,...

Economic growth in the Pacific is projected to accelerate to 4.1 percent in 2025 and moderate to 3.4 percent in 2026, according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) September 2025, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) flagship economic...

Top US Military Officers Ordered to Pentagon Summit

Posted by Java Joe on Monday, September 29, 2025 · Leave a Comment Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect...

Inside the secret world of Kiwis working on billionaires’ superyachts

Normally, for a dinner with that many courses, Collé would have been up at 5am to begin preparation. She was the only chef on board the boat. Instead, she frantically grabbed crew members to help and descended into a panic-laced frenzy of cooking...

Ultra-Processed Foods Are Driving a Global Childhood Obesity Epidemic, UNICEF Finds

A new UNICEF report finds that more school-age children are now obese than underweight, with 188 million affected worldwide. Rates of childhood obesity have more than tripled since 2000, driven largely by ultra-processed foods replacing...

Indigenous knowledge steers new protections for the high seas

For centuries prior to modern conservation efforts, indigenous communities cared for the oceans with a fundamentally different philosophy – treating marine environments as family rather than a commodity. With the UN High Seas Treaty set to come...

Marshall Islands leader demands apology from UN for allowing nuke tests in the Pacific nation

Leaders of the Marshall Islands and Kiribati have pressed world leaders to achieve a nuclear-free Pacific in separate remarks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Marshall Islands President Dr. Hilda Heine also called on the...

UNICEF blames global childhood obesity epidemic on trend toward ultra-processed foods

Key Points A new UNICEF report finds that more school-age children are now obese than underweight, with 188 million affected worldwide. Rates of childhood obesity have more than tripled since 2000, driven largely by ultra-processed foods replacing...

More children now living with obesity — UNICE

One in five children and adolescents aged five to 19 years globally, numbering 391 million, are overweight, with a large proportion of them now classified as living with obesity, UNICEF has warned in a new report. The Child Nutrition Report 2025,...

Pacific countries review impact of biosecurity capacity building programmes

Biosecurity officers from across the Pacific met in Fiji recently to review the impact of biosecurity training programmes delivered under the Safe Agricultural Trade Facilitation through Economic Integration in the Pacific (SAFE Pacific) project...

Time for a new playbook? CEOs call for bold strategy as Luxon rating falls

“Hopefully New Zealand is turning the corner and has already been through the worst of the economic reset,” said Morrison CEO Paul Newfield. “The biggest risk is that, as a small open economy, we are knocked off course by the general deterioration...

Obesity overtakes underweight among school-age children globally – UNICEF 

By Solomon Gumah Tamale, Sept. 16, GNA – Obesity has overtaken underweight as the most common form of malnutrition among school-aged children and adolescents worldwide, placing millions at risk of serious health complications, the United Nations...

Exploring Vanuatu’s Vibrant Seascape in Support of Ocean Protection

National Geographic Pristine Seas will study Vanuatu’s ocean ecosystems — which are known for their high biodiversity and at-risk species — in a bid to safeguard one of the most climate vulnerable regions in the world. National Geographic Pristine...