Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

HSI task force conducts drug, immigration raid in Garapan
A HOMELAND Security Investigations or HSI multi-agency task force executed arrest warrants for multiple individuals at Smile Massage and Bar in Garapan on Tuesday morning. The operation was described as a “drug bust” and “immigration enforcement”...

As Immigrant Arrests Rise, Hawaiʻi Political Leaders Condemn ICE Tactics
Rep. Ed Case, the lone holdout, said criticisms didn’t capture his or constituents’ views on immigration. With the arrests of immigrants surging, most of Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation accuse federal immigration agents of creating “fear and...

A celebration of Chuukese Catholic faith and heritage
by Deacon Ryan C. Pope MILAN, Minn. – Nestled in the Saint Isidore the Farmer Area Faith Community (AFC) in the small western Minnesota town of Milan, a jubilant celebration of faith and heritage unfolded on Saturday, May 3, 2025, as the Chuukese...

Building resilient education systems: Shifting from deficit-driven to strengths-based approaches to resilience
In recent years, education systems around the globe have grappled with unprecedented disruptions, ranging from pandemics and natural disasters to climate change, political instability, wars, and migration. These challenges have exposed the...

Grove Farm awards $66,000 in scholarships
LIHUE — The Grove Farm Foundation for 2025 awarded nine scholarships totalling $66,000 to graduating high school students. This is the 16th consecutive year the Grove Farm Foundation has presented three Grove Farm Scholars with a $20,000...

Alina Basics: A Polynesian Clothing Brand Reviving Island Culture Through Fashion And Storytelling
(MENAFN- GetNews) In a world increasingly shaped by fast fashion and fleeting trends, Alina Basics distinguishes itself with a mission grounded in meaning: celebrating and preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Pacific Islands through...

Sakai Liberal High School students share Japanese culture in Friendship Recital
Students from Sakai Liberal High School in Osaka, Japan, returned to Guam for the second consecutive year as part of a growing tradition of international cultural exchange through the performing arts. On Friday, 39 students from the all-girls high...

Japan's Sakai Liberal High School to perform on Friday at Micronesia Mall
Students from Sakai Liberal High School in Osaka, Japan will return to the Micronesia Mall Center Court for a special Friendship Recital from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, June 20. This highly anticipated performance kicks off the weekend...

From Hong Kong to the world: Luen Thai's 60-year legacy of overseas Chinese patriotism and business wisdom
Dr. Tan Siu Lin, founder and chairman of Luen Thai Group Photo: Courtesy of Luen Thai GroupAs the bells of Hong Kong's return to the motherland rang alongside Luen Thai's cargo ships, a 60-year journey unfolded - rooted in Hong Kong, connecting...

Easter Island may have influenced Polynesia more than once believed
Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island in the world, located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, about 2,300 miles west of the South American continent. Now, surprising new findings have emerged about its history since it was first...

Governor drums up regional support for her Guam hospital project
Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero with Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Guam The 27th Micronesian Islands Forum has adopted a resolution supporting the development of a regional medical complex on...

The Traitors star Parvati gets in drag as Boston Rob to lip-sync 'Shallow'
A new drag king has entered the villa – erm, Scottish castle! Reality TV queen Parvati Shallow, who turned up the heat in season 2 of The Traitors, and a winner of the Emmy-winning Survivor, has now delivered an iconic drag performance dressed as...

Palau, the remote Pacific idyll that habours big ambitions
In American Caesar, his epic biography of General MacArthur, who commanded the USA’s Pacific campaign in the Second World War, William Manchester points out that among many challenges that the US troops faced besides the enemy – earthquakes,...

NZ visa for Pacific Forum countries allows longer stays
New immigration changes introduced by the New Zealand Government July 6, allowing Pacific Islanders to be issued with a two year multiple entry visa has been welcomed by Samoans and fellow Pacific Islanders. Under the change they are now able to...

Pacific islands push back against growing climate threats
The Cook Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia are separated by around 6,000 kilometres of Pacific Ocean. Despite the vast stretch of water between them, the two small island nations share a common challenge: how to protect their people...

Eased NZ travel rules welcomed
Samoans are excited and optimistic about New Zealand’s new immigration changes, which allow Pacific Island citizens to be issued a two-year multiple-entry visa. The changes, which came into effect on 6 July 2025, have sparked positive responses...
In our 50s, we moved to a remote Pacific island. We know we'll need better healthcare someday, but for now, it's paradise.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Buz Moffett, 63, who moved from Hawaii to Pohnpei, an island in the Pacific Ocean that's part of the Federated States of Micronesia, with his wife in 2018. It has been edited for length and...

Micronesian Islander Community breaks grounds on new affordable apartment building
Dozens of people gathered Monday at the future site of a new apartment complex which will include a colorful community center for Salem’s vibrant and growing Micronesian Islander community. Voyagers Village, the new four-story 45,000 square-foot...

Why Jonny Fairplay Should Have Been Cast In Survivor 50: In The Hands Of The Fans
Even though Survivor attracts new fans every year who have to figure out which seasons to watch first, Jeff Probst's beloved reality show has loads of dedicated viewers. Survivor's most passionate fans know a lot about the show's medical...

ICE is now hunting for clergy members willing to work in Guantánamo Bay
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...