Palau

The organisers described the opening day as an "exciting start" filled with "incredible energy and sportsmanship".

Monday's action begins at 8:30am local time (11:30 NZT) and includes baseball, softball, swimming, va'a, volleyball and wrestling. Audio

Twenty-four countries are going to be represented at the event, with athletes competing across 12 sports.

"We face profound socioeconomic vulnerability and we cannot let GDP alone determine our eligibility for support."

Palau will have the largest team among the 22 participating Pacific nations.

Palau's president says the US order to fast-track deep sea mining is not a good idea.

Twenty-four countries are going to be represented at the event, where athletes will compete across 12 sports.

A nine-member weightlifting team will represent Team New Zealand at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau.

President Surangel Whipps Jr fully supports a Australia-led Pacific United Nations climate change conference (COP31) next year.

Christa Toribiong, the wife of former Palau President Johnson Toribiong, was detained in Saipan due to an outstanding arrest warrant on the United States mainland.

Surangel Whipps Jr says he would "love" Donald Trump to visit Palau and even go snorkelling to see firsthand the impacts of climate change. Audio

President Surangel Whipps Jr says countries will continue their reliance on fossil fuels, but "what's most important is what are we doing to transition away from that".

The Palauan president has clinched another term in office, decisively defeating former President Tommy Remengesau Jr, in a race that initially seemed poised for a close finish.

Unofficial results show Whipps ahead of former four-term President Tommy Remengesau Jr by more than 1000 votes, with around 1600 votes yet to be counted.

The association's president Kalafi Moala said the role of the media as defenders of democracy is more crucial now than ever before.

According to the Palau Election Commission, the total number of registered voters as of 15 July 2024 was 16,627.

Pacific Freedom Forum said it is concerned that a defamation suit taken by the nation's largest private sector employer against the national newspaper will threaten public trust in media.

Island Times editor warns lawsuit is "intimidation" tactic targeting media freedom.

In exchange for economic assistance under the Compact of Free Association, the US gets exclusive rights to use Palau's waters, air and land.