Indonesia President Joko’s Papua visit sparks fresh hope in hostage saga of NZ pilot
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo will visit the far-eastern province of Papua this week after flagging his government is working to secure the release of a New Zealand pilot detained for five months. Philip Mark
Governments set to fail to plot shipping industry course for 1.5C
A campaign by climate-vulnerable Pacific islands to raise governments’ ambition on emissions-cutting for the global shipping industry looks set to fail at talks in London. With just over a day of negotiations left at
Australian diplomats convinced ICAC to censor Pacific nations where Maguire schemed. It didn’t work.
Federal Australian officials successfully persuaded the NSW corruption watchdog to “de-identify” a group of Pacific countries mentioned in last week’s report on Gladys Berejiklian’s and Daryl Maguire’s
Opinion: Pacific treaties must be built with care and nurtured once they’re in place
Security agreements are an increasingly hot topic in the Pacific as Australia, the U.S, China and New Zealand seek broad arrangements across the region. Melanesian countries have attracted the most attention; over the
Opinion: Who will dare break the vicious cycle of corruption in the Pacific?
“When you don’t take a stand against corruption you tacitly support it.” ― Kamal Haasa The first instinct of a person responsible for the care of their loved ones in a modern-day Pacific society is to survive by
New Zealand pushes back on Pacific-wide free movement
New Zealand cabinet ministers have considered, but dismissed for now, a Pacific proposal for easier movement of people around the region. Pacific Islanders are subject to tougher entry conditions when they try to visit
Fukushima plan to release water into ocean approved by UN watchdog IAEA
The UN’s nuclear watchdog has approved plans by Japan to release more than 1m tonnes of water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, despite objections from local fishing
Opinion: You can’t mine the seabed without proper rules
Mining the seabed without proper regulations seems outlandish. But it could happen sooner than we think. 10 July, 2023 is shaping as D-Day for the world’s oceans. That is the day after a two-year deadline placed on
PNG Kina overvalued
Papua New Guinea foreign exchange (FX) shortages have repeatedly been identified by business leaders in PNG as the most serious impediment to private sector development in the country, according to the International
Samoa Supreme Court voids former PM Tuilaepa and Lealailepule suspension
The Samoa Supreme Court today ruled that the suspension of former Prime Minister the leader of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) Tuilaepa Sailele Malilegaoi and party secretary Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi for two
Niue’s only newspaper turns 30
Last month marks the 30th anniversary since the first issue of Niue Star was published on the 11th of June 1993. The family owned newspaper is the pride of Michael and Halosi Jackson of Hakupu. BCN News spoke
Port Moresby suppresses West Papua flag raising ahead of Indonesian president’s visit
Authorities in Papua New Guinea have clamped down on displays of the West Papuan independence flag ahead of the Indonesian president’s visit to the Pacific island country this week. Papua New Guinea, which has a
Israel frees Fijian UN peacekeepers cleared of drug smuggling suspicion
Israel has released three Fijian UN peacekeepers arrested for drug smuggling, after it emerged the suspicious substance they were carrying across the border was not liquid cocaine, police said Sunday. The three
We Say: Fukushima issue shows Pacific Islands Forum cracks
Since 2021, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has been engaged in slow but steady diplomacy to delay and ultimately halt the planned ocean dumping of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
We Say: Fiji’s budget a test of unity
In the leadup to the coalition government’s 2023-2024 budget, citizens were warned by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Finance Minister Biman Prasad, the Fiscal Review Committee and international financial institutions
Navigating sustainable transport: Waan Aelõñ in Majel
Sustainable sea transport for Alson Kelen is not just about getting down to zero emissions. “We have to understand that sustainable sea transport also means helping with non-communicable disease, helping education,
Heart of the spirit: Aboard the Uto ni Yalo
When the Uto ni Yalo docks on any wharf, it demands attention; its double-hull and magnificent traditional design set it proudly apart from modern boats. Wherever this siren of the sea goes, you can’t help but be
Whispers
Tkatchenko returns? Former Papua New Guinea foreign Minister and Moresby South MP, Justin Tkatchenko, is now the minister for national events, reports PNG media. Tkatchenko stepped aside as the minister for foreign
Opinion: We have run out of time
Why Pacific feminists and climate justice activists are boycotting COP28 “COP28 is this year so heavily compromised that a grassroots-led group like DIVA for Equality would be betraying the constituency by
Pacific climate diplomacy moves beyond COPs
As negotiations stutter and stall with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Pacific Island governments and communities are ramping up diplomatic efforts to call for urgent action on fossil fuels.
Not Too Late: Thelma Young-Lutunatabua
Not Too Late is the name, and the message of a new book edited by a woman with strong Fiji connections, for people concerned about climate change. Thelma Young-Lutunatabua and her collaborator, Rebecca Solnit, wrote the
Science and data for ocean prosperity
The Blue Prosperity expedition programme to collect data on ocean health in Fiji is already showing very mixed results at different sites. The programme is a collaborative effort led by the Fiji government and supported
Opinion: FIPIC reaffirms silver lining
The Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) held its third summit in May in Port Moresby, after a postponement. Papua New Guinea’s Post Courier highlighted the meeting by reporting that the
