Australia hands over Blackrock as China concerns re-emerge
The opening of the Blackrock Camp in Nadi this month signified the culmination of “close to a A$100 million investment” by the Australian government designed to support Fiji’s peacekeeping and humanitarian
Movers and Shakers
Leonard Louma is the new Director General of the MSG Secretariat. Louma is a seasoned PNG diplomat, with postings to the UN, France and China, and was involved in several regional initiatives, including the Pacific
Samoa COVID-19 positive cases on the rise
Samoa’s total number of active COVID-19 cases has increased to 196, with the government confirming 192 cases in Upolu and four cases in Savai’i. The Government Press Secretariat’s community transmission update
“Our ocean is not a nuclear dumpster” – USP students call for a nuclear free Pacific
Hundreds of students at the University of the South Pacific in Suva rallied to remember nuclear survivors around the region on 1 March, the anniversary of the US Bravo nuclear test on Bikini Atoll. Marching through
Pacific Elders call halt to seabed mining
Pacific Elders’ Voice (PEV) calls for a halt in seabed mining until “proper regulatory instruments can be put in place,” and recommends a regional expert body be created to provide expert advice to Pacific Island
America engages the Pacific
After a 38-year break from Fiji and a 10-year break from the Pacific, a United States Secretary of State has visited the region, committing to “a free and open Pacific” with promises to “respect core
Switching on renewables
The ambitious renewable energy targets set by many Pacific Island nations may be running behind schedule, but there is still a lot of activity and investment in the sector, pandemic
The track to the Paris 2024 Olympics
Pacific athletes are on track for the next Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. They will be hoping it is an easier path than the one they took to the delayed Tokyo Games, although top officials have concerns about the
A new Pacific consciousness
Kaliopate Tavola argues that the Pacific Elders Voice has the "soul of the region"
Pacific Islands Forum solidarity may survive yet
There has been a reprieve for Pacific regionalism and the unity of the Pacific Islands Forum. And U.S. Secretary of States, Antony Blinken who is currently in Fiji, has welcomed the decision of the Forum’s
