Regional

HONG KONG (Reuters) — Revenues at China’s giant military firms fell last year as corruption purges slowed arms contracts and procurement, according to a study released on Monday by a leading conflict think tank.

MAJURO — The Marshall Islands launched a world-first universal basic income program this week that is providing a quarterly payment to every citizen in this western Pacific nation.

TOKYO (Reuters) — President Donald Trump urged Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to avoid further escalation in a dispute with China during a call this week, two Japanese government sources with knowledge of the matter said.

HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Leon Guerrero administration is working to address persistent questions about transparency and community input as Guam’s military buildup accelerates, with officials defending their coordination efforts while legislators and residents continue pressing for …

KOROR (BBC/Pacnews) — The air above Palau’s pristine waters smells of salt and breadfruit, and on calm mornings in Koror, Palau’s commercial center, the whirr of dive boat engines echoes across the bay.

SUVA (Islands Business/Pacnews) — Rising diabetes rates in Fiji have sparked and urgent public health initiatives as experts emphasize the critical link between diet, lifestyle, and insulin resistance.

(Press Release) — Bradley Eichelberger, chairman of the Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council, said Pacific Island countries are facing increasingly greater challenges that need urgent attention.

KOROR (Island Times/Pacnews) — President Surangel Whipps Jr. has received the United States’ $20 million grant for Palau’s struggling Civil Service Pension Plan, but the funds come with a key condition: Palau must enact pension reform within one year. The update was announced at a  Nov. 19 press co…

(Press Release) — The 2025 Pacific Islands GIS and Remote Sensing User Conference, to be held Nov. 24-27 at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji is bringing together about 300 scientists, companies, policymakers and regional users, creating a crucial hub for regional growth.

KOROR, Palau (TNC) — The Nature Conservancy Micronesia and Polynesia, together with local fishing communities and fisheries management agencies, has expanded the use of coastal Fish Aggregating Devices or FADs across Micronesia. Over the past year, more than 10 new FADs were installed in Palau, the…