Independent Analysis and Reportage
By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Samoa police have launched an investigation into a bizarre international case involving two Samoan men who have appeared on Vietnamese television confessing to the murder of a Sydney gang leader in Ho Chi Minh City. The Samoa Observer reported that Joseph Vaa, 27, admitted gunning down suspected “Coconut
As the Bondi Royal Commission continues, one major campaigner against antisemitism demonstrates its vehement opposition to social cohesion. Wendy Bacon reports for Michael West Media. ANALYSIS: By Wendy Bacon Sheina Gutnick, whose father Reuben Morrison was killed in the Bondi Massacre, was the first witness at the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. She
ANALYSIS: Global Sumud Flotilla As testimonies from the 428 participants illegally kidnapped by the Israeli regime continue to surface, the United States critical role in the abuses and torture of humanitarian volunteers and journalists has become undeniable. This role goes beyond the US State Department’s diplomatic shielding and the US Embassy’s refusal to assist American
By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A West Papuan independence activist says AI-generated fake footage of her and her words has been used to spread disinformation on social media. Koteka Wenda, daughter of the leader of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Benny Wenda, said the Instagram video reel by an Indonesian
By Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific senior bulletin editor Moana Pasifika captain Miracle Fai’ilagi says he still hopes the franchise will be saved. Shareholders of Moana Pasifika have voted to appoint liquidators to the franchise’s holding company. The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) said it could no longer continue funding the team and it was “deeply disappointed”
Asia Pacific Report One of the three New Zealanders on the Global Sumud Flotilla who were among the hundreds kidnapped by the Israeli military illegally on international waters this month and abducted to Israel has described his brutal treatment after returning home. Speaking in a TV3 news report last night, Hāhona Ormsby (Ngāti Maniapoto), 56,
RNZ Pacific The head of the United Nations body mandated to develop regulations for seabed mining in international waters says Pacific countries are playing a big role in shaping the regulations that will govern the future industry. International Seabed Authority (ISA) Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho was in Fiji last week conducting training for Pacific Island nations
By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Indonesian filmmaker says the crackdown by authorities on his West Papua documentary in some parts of the country is a threat to democracy. The Pesta Babi (Pig Feast) documentary looks at the social and environmental impacts of land seizures for big agri-business ventures in Papua — and
COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone The empire’s war on activism and journalism continues to escalate as the Trump administration targets leftwing streamer Hasan Piker and antiwar activist Medea Benjamin for the “crime” of bringing humanitarian aid to Cuba. This is yet another act of aggression in the same onslaught that has seen inconvenient truth-telling and expressions
The failure of Australia and Western governments to hold Israel to account has enabled the abuse of Gaza flotilla detainees, including New Zealanders, argues Jerusalem Peace Prize recipient Stuart Rees in Michael West Media. ANALYSIS: By Professor Stuart Rees If bullies notice that no one intervenes to stop their behaviour, they may interpret such non-intervention
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape was on an official visit to France last week, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and held a number of important meetings to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Topping
COMMENTARY: By Jeremy Rose In 2015, the John Key government announced a cooperation agreement that would see NZ Aid pay for Cuban doctors to be taught English in New Zealand before their deployment to the Pacific Islands as part of the communist island’s Medical Brigades. Cuba, a country of just 11 million people that has