Independent Analysis and Reportage
From June 24-July 31, dozens of countries will be taking part in the latest edition of the massive RIMPAC military exercises that take place every two years — including New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Belgium, Ecuador, Norway, and Vietnam. The carbon emissions alone are staggering. Eugene Doyle outlines the high stakes involved in the second of
COMMENTARY: By Jeremy Rose On February 18 of this year, the United States launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Travelling at speeds of more than 24,000 km/h, it landed near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, 6700 kilometres away, 24 minutes later. Minuteman III missiles can
By Qassam Muaddi On June 10, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya appeared on a screen before Israel’s Supreme Court via video link. He looked gaunt, visibly emaciated, and his hands and feet were bound. It was one of the few times the public had seen the doctor since Israeli soldiers took him from Kamal Adwan Hospital
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific New Zealand says China’s testing of nuclear-capable weapons into the South Pacific is at odds with peace and stability in the Islands region. China briefed regional governments on Monday of its intention to fire a long-range, nuclear-capable missile with a dummy warhead into the South Pacific Ocean. According to
ANALYSIS: Drop Site News Since President Donald Trump’s self-congratulatory tour for “ending” the Israeli war on Gaza last October, followed by a UN Security Council endorsement of his Gaza plan, negotiations over Gaza’s future have been stuck in a diplomatic netherworld. While Hamas handed over all of its captives and ceased its military operations, Israel
ANALYSIS: By Mike Treen The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has issued a stark warning in its annual report. The central bank for central banks warned that the current AI investment boom is unsustainable. The five largest “hyperscaler” tech firms plan to spend more than a trillion dollars on AI-related capital expenditure from 2025 through
From June 24-July 31, dozens of countries will be taking part in the latest edition of the massive RIMPAC military exercises that take place every two years — including New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Belgium, Ecuador, Norway, and Vietnam. The carbon emissions alone are staggering. Eugene Doyle outlines the high stakes involved in the first of
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific The new US Ambassador to New Zealand is introducing Donald Trump’s agenda of “disruption” to the Pacific. Jared Novelly arrived in Wellington last week, and is expected to travel to Niue, the Cook Islands and Samoa within the next month to present his credentials. A businessman and sports team
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Indonesia has defended the high number of military personnel it has deployed to West Papua, which dwarfs the size of deployments to other parts of the republic. But under Indonesian president Subianto Prabowo, a former military strongman, militarisation of Papua is changing gears and being shaped by a type
OPEN LETTER: By John Minto It is hard not to feel the deepest sense of shame as a New Zealander following the United Nations Independent Commission report released last week. (UN report details the “overwhelming” scale of children killed in Gaza). This report details Israel’s direct targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza and the Occupied
By Iliesa Tora of RNZ Pacific It was physical, a bloody battle befitting the start of the new Nations Championship competition. In the end the All Blacks hung on to win 34-32 at the new One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch in front of almost 30,000 fans. That marked the start of the Dave Rennie
Asia Pacific Report Pro-Palestine and anti-war protesters gathered at the US Consulate in downtown Auckland today to mark July 4 — but they were not celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, they were condemning “liberation with bombs”. Several speakers criticised US global and military policies in this the 144th week