Monthly Archives: February 2016
‘Stick together,’ PM tells nation as Cyclone Winston strikes Fiji
Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama appealed to the nation today as tropical cyclone Winston hit the country.
"We must stick together as a people and...
President Widodo greeted by protests over Bali plan in San Francisco
By Lazuardhi Utama and Bobby Andalan in Bali
A group of people calling themselves the "Californians Against Reclamation in Benoa Bay-Bali" have held a demonstration...
Solomon Islands crush Fiji to seal place in Futsal World Cup
By Simon Abana in Suva
Solomon Islands Futsal side sealed their place at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Colombia after they overcome hosts Fiji...
ANZ customers in Vanuatu lose heavily in illegal money transfers
By Dan McGarry in Port Vila
Angry ANZ customers have told the Vanuatu Daily Post that they have lost a total of more than 2...
Indonesian human rights agency slams chemical castration for sex crimes
By Nani Afrida in Jakarta
Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has taken a firm stance in formally opposing the government’s plan to...
PNG police call on Lihir islanders to report marijuana cultivators
By Annette Kora in Kavieng
A police chief on the small tropical volcanic island of Lihir in Papua New Guinea's New Ireland province has launched...
Mystery of the 1983 Vanuatu ‘nuclear free’ girl finally solved
June Keitadi -- as a five-year-old -- in the 1983 Huarere video "Nuclear Free". She is seen at 1m08.
By David Robie in Auckland
So the...
Paris climate summit ‘positive – but not enough for Pacific’, says SPREP chief
By Thomas Leaycraft of Scoop
Last year's COP21 Paris agreement on climate change was "a positive outcome' but did nowhere near enough to address the...
New kava legal challenge in Germany over drugs institute ruling
By Jane Joshua in Port Vila
A court case has been filed against the Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM/German Federal Institute for Drugs and...
Fiji may change mind over PACER Plus if labour mobility issues ironed out
By Tevita Vuibau in Suva
Fiji may just change its mind and agree to the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus -- contrary...
Phil Robertson: Eroding human rights in Australian foreign policy
By Phil Robertson
The scene happens every day in capitals across south-east Asia: a strategy session in an ambassador’s ornate sitting room over coffee with...
Fiji becomes world’s first country to ratify Paris climate agreement
By Cole Mellino
Fiji has become the first country in the world to formally approve the UN climate deal adopted by 195 nations in Paris in December...
Bennett admits ‘collective’ action needed to take on climate change
By Thomas Leaycraft of Scoop
Paula Bennett, New Zealand's Minister for Climate Change, has acknowledged that widespread action is needed to tackle climate change.
Making brief...
Climate change action faces ‘fight’ with Big Oil, says McKibben
By Thomas Leaycraft of Scoop
Climate change activists have to be prepared for a confrontation with oil companies that will "flat out lie", says environmental...
Climate Warrior: ‘It’s scary … you’ve seen what they do to activists’
By Thomas Leaycraft of Scoop
Praying for action on climate change and a kava ceremony in the heart of the Catholic Church were all part...
Tess Newton Cain: How to turn democracy into autocracy
OPINION: By Tess Newton Cain in Port Vila
In September 2014, after 8 years of military rule, the people of Fiji went to the polls.
The...
Russians hand over equipment to Fiji military
By Mere Naleba in Suva
The Russian Ambassador to Fiji, Vladimir Morozov, and Russia's head of the Missile Artillery Chief Directorate, Lieutenant-General Nikolay Parshin, have...
Indigenous rights lawyer tells of ‘early zero-emissions’ lifestyle
By Thomas Leaycraft of Scoop
Pacific Island peoples could be "early reclaimers" of a zero-emissions lifestyle, while also urging the international community to take "extreme"...
Vanuatu PM says election result shows people want change
By Godwin Ligo in Port Vila
New Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai has dedicated the sequence of events leading to his surprise election as the...
Pacific nations need to ‘weave together’ – act now over climate, says Laban
Pacific nations need to weave together and act now to avoid tragedy as the effects of climate change take their toll on the region,...
Vanuatu police chief files protest lawsuit over car crash suspension
By Thompson Marango in Port Vila
Vanuatu's Commissioner of Police, John Taleo, has filed a constitutional case against the Police Service Commission over his suspension...
Catastrophic glacial meltdown big global risk, says researcher
By Thomas Leaycraft of Scoop
The "window of possibility" for less than 2 degree C temperature rise will close in the next 10 years, says...