JD Vance - Republicans falsely tie shutdown to Democrats wanting health care for immigrants illegally in the US

As the U.S. headed for a government shutdown, Republicans repeatedly accused Democrats of forcing the closure because they want to give health care access to immigrants in the U.S. illegally. "Democrats are threatening to shut down the entire...

Passport people get new home

GIFF JOHNSON Marshall Islands Immigration and the RMI Passport Office have a new home that was officially opened Monday this week. And, specifically speaking, the RMI Passport Office actually has two new offices, the second of which will be opened...

My voyage to explore how Marshallese sailors find their way at sea without technology

One of the biggest navigation challenges is knowing where you are in the open ocean without tools or devices. This remarkable skill is exemplified by the ancient techniques once used by expert navigators of the Marshall Islands, a chain of...

“Our land is our mind”: The trauma facing indigenous and coastal women

For cyclone survivors in Bangladesh’s coastal villages, their memories of the storms are still fresh. “The tide was three to five times higher compared to other storms. Everything was washed away. I was floating on wood [a raft] in chest-deep...

From Mānoa to Majuro: Lessons in healthcare and culture

Reading time: 2 minutesJABSOM students with the staff at Majuro Hospital. For University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa medical student Kalpana Balaraman, a summer spent in the Republic of the Marshall Islands offered a transformative lesson in health care...

The great LNG scam: the IMO’s climate credibility is on the line

Elissama Menezes and Andrew Dumbrille, directors of Equal Routes, write for Splash ahead of this month’s crunch green vote at the International Maritime Organization. In the face of the upcoming International Maritime Organization. (IMO) Net-Zero...

A human rights approach to nuclear regimes: lessons from the legacy of nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands

A traditional approach to nuclear weapons tends to focus on State security matters and does not lend itself easily to a human rights lens. A new initiative undertaken within the Human Rights Council is changing that by offering a transitional...

Can Lai’s Taiwan Hold on to Its Diplomatic Allies?

During Tsai Ing-wen’s presidency, Taiwan lost ten official diplomatic partners to China, which utilized its economic power to peel away the democracy’s allies. Since President Lai Ching-te took office in May 2024, however, Taiwan has managed to...

Guam, CNMI and Micronesia: Collateral damage of federal shutdown

Inside the Reef By Joyce McClure In Washington, a government shutdown is often framed as political theater. But on Guam and across Micronesia, it translates into missed meals, delayed medical care and strained trust in U.S. commitments. A mother...

Pacific makes powerful impact at World Expo

The Pacific region is making a strong impression at this year's World Expo in Japan. Countries represented include Papua New Guinea, Sāmoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, the Solomon...

Pacific Islands News Roundup – September 26 – October 2, 2025

Editor’s Note: We are undergoing a web host migration process and may need to make necessary modifications to our format and frequency over the next several weeks. Thank you in advance for your understanding. Political Leadership and Regionalism,...

These countries require a 6-month passport validity for travellers

The rules are in place so that foreign travellers do not stay beyond the period specified on their visas, unintentionally due to sudden passport expiration. Sudden expiration results in unnecessary complications if they get stranded in a foreign...

Kazakh Activists Shine a Light on Nuclear Fallout

Kazakhstan is surrounded by nuclear neighbors — Russia to the north and west, China to the east, and India and Pakistan to the south. Until 1995, when it completed a year’s long multi-nation effort to disassemble and remove the Soviet nuclear...

Countdown to the search for Amelia Earhart’s plane begins  

WEST LAFAYETTE — In 30 days, Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation will join an Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) expedition to the South Pacific, attempting to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance during her...

World leaders place women’s empowerment and gender equality at the heart of multilateralism as UNGA80 High-level Week opens

In this historic context, leaders from around the world gathered at the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women at the beginning of UNGA80 High-Level Week to celebrate the...

Editorial: Bill closes adoptee citizenship age gap

Immigration law is complex and tricky, fueling a demand for busy lawyers — but babies can’t hire a lawyer, and babies adopted from other countries shouldn’t be penalized for faulty paperwork. That’s the basic argument for a new bill to clean up...

Belgian LNG Terminal Blocked by Greenpeace Protestors

The Fluxys LNG terminal at the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, is once again being blockaded by Greenpeace protestors. The group estimates as many as 70 activists took to small boats, rafts, and kayaks to call attention to its demands to end Russian...

UN must adapt to Blue Pacific, not the other way around...

Pacific leaders took the 2050 Strategy to the UN, calling for climate justice, fair finance, and security defined by peace and solidarity. By Renate Rivers Pacific Island leaders addressed the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) 80th session...

Older Immigrants and Medicare – Justice in Aging

We gratefully acknowledge Georgia Burke, formerly Justice in Aging’s Director of Medicare Advocacy, for authoring the first edition of this issue brief in 2019. We would also like to thank Nancy Lorenz of Greater Boston Legal Services and Vicky...

One month out: Countdown to the search for Amelia Earhart’s plane begins   

Purdue joins Archaeological Legacy Institute in exploring Pacific island’s lagoon for plane wreckage WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In 30 days, Purdue University and Purdue Research Foundation will join an Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) expedition...