What to know about Vanuatu, the Pacific island nation struggling to recover from a massive quake

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A search expanded on Thursday for those killed or trapped alive by an earthquake in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, as rescue workers arriving from abroad fanned out through the capital, Port Vila, encountering flattened buildings that had not yet been...

Rescuers dig for survivors of Vanuatu earthquake with no water and unclear death toll

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Vanuatu's capital was without water on Wednesday, a day after reservoirs were destroyed by a violent magnitude 7.3 earthquake that wrought havoc on the South Pacific island nation, with the number of people killed and injured expected to rise. The...

14 dead and hundreds injured in magnitude 7.3 quake in Vanuatu. Some people are trapped in rubble

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A magnitude 7.3 earthquake that struck off Vanuatu killed at least 14 people, injured hundreds more and caused widespread damage across the South Pacific island nation, officials said early Wednesday. Frantic rescue efforts got underway after the...

7 foreign tourists hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Seven foreign tourists were hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar, Fijian authorities said on Monday. The cause of their illness was not known and officials said it was too soon to know if tainted alcohol was involved. ...

New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand immigration official has overturned a ban on the U.S. conservative political commentator Candace Owens entering the country, citing “the importance of free speech," a spokesperson for the official said Thursday. Owens is scheduled to...

Greyhound racing is increasingly rare worldwide. New Zealand now plans to outlaw the practice

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand plans to outlaw greyhound racing because too many dogs are hurt or killed, the government said Tuesday, spelling an end to the practice in one of the few countries where it still operates. The racing of greyhounds as a betting sport was...

Tonga's prime minister quits moments ahead of no-confidence motion in parliament

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni abruptly resigned in parliament on Monday ahead of a planned no-confidence vote in his leadership, capping a period of fraught relations between his government and Tonga’s king. Sovaleni, who took office in...

Australian police arrest 13 people and seize a record 2.3 tons of cocaine from a fishing boat

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Australian police seized a record 2.3 tons of cocaine and arrested 13 people in raids after the suspects' boat broke down off the coast of Queensland, authorities said Monday. The drugs had a sale value of 760 million Australian dollars ($494 million)...

Military inquiry finds human error caused the sinking of a New Zealand navy ship off the coast of Samoa in October

Conservative US influencer Candace Owens is barred from New Zealand weeks after a ban from Australia

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The U.S. conservative political commentor Candace Owens was refused a visa to enter New Zealand for a speaking engagement because she had been banned from another country, immigration officials said Thursday. News of the ruling came weeks after...