Oceania

9.646 births were registered in Estonia last year, 1.075 fewer than in 2023, according to the demography department of the Ministry of the Interior

Ferry services between the islands resumed after halts due to bad weather that brought strong winds and high waves; many travellers between Upolu and Savaii were stranded for up to two days

Faced with what law enforcement officials described as a drug crisis, President Surangel Whipps Jr. identified the fight against illegal drugs as a top priority, pledging to toughen penalties for related crimes and offenders

The FSM will receive the official visit of India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, from 14-21 January 2025

The UN Human Rights Committee has ruled that Australia has violated the rights of asylum seekers held in migrant centres set up by its government in neighbouring countries, in breach of its international treaty obligations

The Centre for iTaukei Studies at University of Fiji stands as the only centre to preserve and celebrate iTaukei culture in the country; for 2025, center’s educational activities will be expanded to Levuka, where traditional chiefs will be the professors

Representatives of the Federated States of Micronesia and the United States recently signed an extension of the Humanitarian Assistance Annex - FSM to the Military Use and Operational Rights Agreement until 30 September 2043

The government has announced that it will continue in 'interim mode' under the leadership of the interim prime minister, Samiu Kuita Vaipulu, and the current cabinet ministers until a new cabinet is announced in a few weeks' time

Total international arrivals for Q3 2024 were 13.966, an increase of 11,5% over the previous quarter, Q2 2024, according to Solomon Islands National Bureau of Statistics

In 2025, all the islands of Tuvalu will have tide forecasts available after the Tuvalu Meteorological Service delivered the calendars to island council representatives for distribution to the islands in December

Duncan Gabi, the leading climate change activist in Papua New Guinea, has estimated that tens of thousands of people have been displaced from the area around Pariva beach due to rising seas, describing it as a 'humanitarian crisis'

2024 saw a decline in house property value in most of the country, with over -6% reached in bigger cities due to overall market low and high mortgage rates; as lower rates are starting to work through the system, the value decline could be nearing its end

President Surangel Whipps Jr. signed into law RPPL 11-40, a comprehensive amendment to the government wage structure, which introduces a 10% across-the-board wage increase for all public and contract employees which will be in force from 1 October 2025