Kiribati

Kiribati has commemorated the 79th anniversary of the Battle of Tarawa in a solemn dawn ceremony at the US World War II memorial in Betio, South Tarawa. The Battle of Tarawa was one of the first battles in the Pacific...

Fears of malnutrition and other illnesses are mounting in Kiribati as the country grapples with an ongoing drought. The Kiribati government in June declared a state of disaster after the discovery of high salinity levels in monitoring wells and very...

A New Zealand Air Force Hercules is delivering crucial water infrastructure to help Kiribati cope with a severe drought. This comes after the Kiribati Government declared a state of disaster seven weeks ago, with the entire country of around 120,000...

The Kiribati Health Ministry has confirmed that the atoll island has surpassed 100 Covid-19 cases after it recorded 37 new positive infections on Wednesday. There are 116 people infected on the island - 36 imported and 80 local cases. Nine new cases have been found in Butaritari Island, prompting the government to advise local authorities to enforce a lockdown.

As the people of the Kiribati island of Banaba again plead for a reliable water supply, New Zealand says it stands ready to help. Banaba, which frequently experiences drought conditions, has no sources of water apart from rainfall. This year alone it has been through two dry spells, the most recent happening now.

Taneti Maamau has been re-elected president of Kiribati by more than 8,000 votes, cementing the country's relations with China. The switch to Beijing from Taiwan in September brought protesters out into the streets, and whether to align with China or Taiwan became the main dividing issue between the two presidential candidates.

The people of Kiribati will go to the polls today to vote in a presidential election. Whether the country has relations with China or Taiwan is the main dividing issue between the two candidates. Taneti Maamau is the incumbent who controversially switched allegiance from Taipei to Beijing last year. He is going up against Banuera Berina, a former close ally who fell out with Mr Maamau over the switch, and is campaigning to re-establish ties with Taiwan.

A partnership has been launched between Kiribati, the European Union and UNICEF to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in the Line and Phoenix Groups. About 11,000 people live in the group, including 4000 children, who attend 12 schools and 28 kindergartens. The EU will provide about $US7 million during the four-and-a-half year project to install and repair infrastructure, and to promote hygiene.