Dubravka Voloder

The worst hit areas are Yap state and parts of the northern Marshall Islands.

Yap state is one of the areas hardest hit. It has some water reservoirs, but outer islands rely solely on rainwater, and supplies are dwindling.

It comes as the US Drought Monitor has upgraded conditions on Wotje in the Marshall Islands and on Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia from severe to extreme.

Cook Islands is bolstering its fight against single-use plastics by investing millions of dollars into a project aimed primarily at the hospitality, food and tourism sectors.

There’s confusion in the Samoan diaspora after a constitutional change extended the right to vote to overseas Samoans.

The father of two and former Auckland mayoral candidate was raising money to bring safe drinking water to children in the Pacific region, before he suffered a medical incident.

Cook Islands’ environmentalists are tackling the plastics problem in their remote environment by asking schoolchildren for help.

This week, world leaders are meeting in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to attend the world’s most important climate meeting, COP28.

A not-for-profit is calling on Australian academics to volunteer and share their expertise with Pacific universities.

Pacific aid experts say the fight against climate change and the inclusion of local communities in decision-making should be on top of the agenda for future development planning.

Many Pacific nations face similar conditions to Maui, where flammable African grasses have overtaken land cleared for agriculture. In New Caledonia, communities are now planting fire-resistant trees that can act as green fire breaks and slow the spread of blazes.

Women of migrant backgrounds are more at risk of developing some pregnancy complications, which can limit their choices for their pregnancy care and lead to more medical interventions during birth.

Changes to Australia’s Pacific Labour Mobility scheme will allow eligible workers to bring their families over, access free medical care and gain new skills. Here’s what we know about the changes so far.

Activists say discrimination against LGBTQI people is a massive problem on the islands, where homosexual relationship can still carry jail-time.

It may be an ancient art form, but tapa, or barkcloth, is being showcased in Australia’s contemporary art world.

As Australia recruits more workers under its labour mobility scheme, Pacific countries are losing qualified nurses from their hospitals.

With language barriers affecting prenatal care for mothers from non-English speaking backgrounds, there are calls for interpreters to become permanent members of staff at Australian hospitals.

Fiji’s High Court has ruled in favour of a bid by the United States government and Fijian authorities to seize a Russian-owned superyacht.

Fiji and the United States are embroiled in a court case over a superyacht allegedly belonging to a sanctioned Russian oligarch. The fate of the luxury vessel is expected to be handed down tomorrow.

The US military is investigating an online video purportedly showing Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.