Archive

Pacific

CoveragePost

Why Trump’s ‘fantasy’ obsession with Kharg Island may lead to disaster

April 1, 2026

COMMENTARY: By Lim Tean US President Donald Trump has been obsessed with seizing Iran’s Kharg Island for more than 35 years — way before he became a politician. In 1990, he wrote in an American newspaper that the United States should seize Kharg. Trump thinks that by seizing Kharg, he would get hold of Iranian ... <a title="Why Trump’s ‘fantasy’ obsession with Kharg Island may lead to disaster" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/01/why-trumps-fantasy-obsession-with-kharg-island-may-lead-to-disaster/" aria-label="Read more about Why Trump’s ‘fantasy’ obsession with Kharg Island may lead to disaster">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

Māori radio network says funding cuts threaten survival of iwi stations

March 31, 2026

By Pokere Paewai, RNZ Māori issues reporter New Zealand’s national Māori radio network, Te Whakaruruhau o Ngā Reo Irirangi Māori o Aotearoa, is considering litigation over a potential loss of government funding which it says threatens the survivability of iwi radio stations. Chairperson Peter-Lucas Jones (Ngāti Kahu, Te Rārawa, Ngāi Takoto, Te Aupōuri) — who ... <a title="Māori radio network says funding cuts threaten survival of iwi stations" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/31/maori-radio-network-says-funding-cuts-threaten-survival-of-iwi-stations/" aria-label="Read more about Māori radio network says funding cuts threaten survival of iwi stations">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

‘We’re doing something about it’ – Fiji’s health minister defends HIV response

March 31, 2026

By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Fiji’s Health Minister Dr Ratu Antonio Lalabalavu has defended the government’s handling of the country’s HIV crisis. HIV is surging in Fiji with at least 9000 people — or nearly one percent of the population — reported to be now infected. There are concerns that the real figure ... <a title="‘We’re doing something about it’ – Fiji’s health minister defends HIV response" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/31/were-doing-something-about-it-fijis-health-minister-defends-hiv-response/" aria-label="Read more about ‘We’re doing something about it’ – Fiji’s health minister defends HIV response">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

Israel passes extreme death penalty law targeting only Palestinians

March 31, 2026

By Minnah Arshad of Zeteo Israel’s Parliament has approved a one-sided death penalty measure to execute Palestinians. It is one of the most extreme laws in the nation’s history, and will exacerbate the far-right government’s illegal system of apartheid. Some members of the Knesset, including ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, were seen wearing noose ... <a title="Israel passes extreme death penalty law targeting only Palestinians" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/31/israel-passes-extreme-death-penalty-law-targeting-only-palestinians/" aria-label="Read more about Israel passes extreme death penalty law targeting only Palestinians">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

Regime change: What Americans can learn from other nonviolent civil activism movements

March 30, 2026

ANALYSIS: Introduced by Robert Reich From time to time, I post transcripts I’ve come across of particularly insightful conversations. Here’s one that’s particularly relevant to the US “No Kings” Day protests at the weekend. Recently, The Conversation hosted a webinar in which executive editor and general manager Beth Daley interviewed John Shattuck, professor of practice ... <a title="Regime change: What Americans can learn from other nonviolent civil activism movements" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/30/regime-change-what-americans-can-learn-from-other-nonviolent-civil-activism-movements/" aria-label="Read more about Regime change: What Americans can learn from other nonviolent civil activism movements">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

USP academic calls for better press freedom protections in face of Fiji’s declining media trust

March 30, 2026

By Cheerieann Wilson in Suva Public trust in Fiji’s mainstream media has significantly declined, a journalism academic has told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, citing decades of political upheaval, censorship and institutional pressure. At its third expert hearing in Suva, the commission heard from University of the South Pacific’s associate professor of journalism Shailendra Singh, ... <a title="USP academic calls for better press freedom protections in face of Fiji’s declining media trust" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/30/usp-academic-calls-for-better-press-freedom-protections-in-face-of-fijis-declining-media-trust/" aria-label="Read more about USP academic calls for better press freedom protections in face of Fiji’s declining media trust">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

Fiji’s former President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau dies at 84

March 30, 2026

RNZ Pacific Former Fijian President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau died on Thursday, aged 84. Ratu Epeli, a chief and former Fiji military commander, served as president from 2009 to 2015. He also served as Speaker of Parliament from 2019 to 2022. Local media reported Ratu Epeli died at the Suva Private Hospital after being admitted earlier ... <a title="Fiji’s former President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau dies at 84" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/30/fijis-former-president-ratu-epeli-nailatikau-dies-at-84/" aria-label="Read more about Fiji’s former President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau dies at 84">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

How the US, Israel and Iran are controlling their media narratives

March 30, 2026

In the ongoing United States and Israel war on Iran, it appears that all the countries agree on “controlling” the media. Despite differences in their political systems, all three governments follow an approach that prioritises “national morale” and “operational security” over press freedom and the flow of information. This approach redefines the concept of fake ... <a title="How the US, Israel and Iran are controlling their media narratives" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/30/how-the-us-israel-and-iran-are-controlling-their-media-narratives/" aria-label="Read more about How the US, Israel and Iran are controlling their media narratives">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

New Caledonia’s domestic airline AirCal files for bankruptcy

March 29, 2026

By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific Desk New Caledonia’s domestic airline Air Calédonie filed for bankruptcy on Friday, following almost a month of blockades by customers in the French Pacific territory’s outer islands. The protest movement had been initiated by groups of angry outer islands customers who intended to oppose the company’s decision ... <a title="New Caledonia’s domestic airline AirCal files for bankruptcy" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/29/new-caledonias-domestic-airline-aircal-files-for-bankruptcy/" aria-label="Read more about New Caledonia’s domestic airline AirCal files for bankruptcy">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

War on Iran: The French senator who said what everybody was thinking

March 29, 2026

COMMENTARY: Pacific Media Watch A French senator walked into the Luxembourg Palace, opened his mouth, and basically set the whole room on fire. Politely. In a suit. Claude Malhuret didn’t yell nor wave his arms. He just listed things… calmly, methodically, like a doctor reading a very long and very depressing diagnosis. And by the ... <a title="War on Iran: The French senator who said what everybody was thinking" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/29/war-on-iran-the-french-senator-who-said-what-everybody-was-thinking/" aria-label="Read more about War on Iran: The French senator who said what everybody was thinking">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

Jonathan Cook: Does the tail wag the dog? How both sides are missing the bigger picture

March 29, 2026

ANALYSIS: By Jonathan CookThe joint US-Israeli war on Iran has thrust back into the spotlight a divisive debate about whether the dog wags the tail, or the tail wags the dog. Who is in charge of this war: Israel or the United States? One side believes Israel lured Trump into a trap from which he ... <a title="Jonathan Cook: Does the tail wag the dog? How both sides are missing the bigger picture" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/29/jonathan-cook-does-the-tail-wag-the-dog-how-both-sides-are-missing-the-bigger-picture/" aria-label="Read more about Jonathan Cook: Does the tail wag the dog? How both sides are missing the bigger picture">Read more</a>

CoveragePost

Cuban envoy makes strong plea for his country defying US blockade

March 28, 2026

Asia Pacific Report Cuba’s Ambassador to New Zealand, Luis Morejón Rodríguez, last night made a passionate plea for his country’s sovereignty in defiance of the illegal US-led fuel blockade of the Caribbean nation. Speaking at a packed Auckland Trades Hall, he warned that the three-month oil blockade and energy blackouts threatened the country’s public health ... <a title="Cuban envoy makes strong plea for his country defying US blockade" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/28/cuban-envoy-makes-strong-plea-for-his-country-defying-us-blockade/" aria-label="Read more about Cuban envoy makes strong plea for his country defying US blockade">Read more</a>