Independent Analysis and Reportage
RNZ Pacific reporters Samoa’s opposition leader, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi has been arrested and charged with defamation towards Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt. Local media is reporting that the charges relate to allegations made by Tuilaepa during a media conference last week. During the conference he called the prime minister a liar and also alleged he
The New Zealand government faces legal action over allegations its space technology may have supported Israel’s military operations during the Gaza genocide, reports The New Arab. By Ibrahim Othman New Zealand’s government is facing a historic lawsuit before the High Court at Wellington, with activists and lawyers seeking to overturn judicial reviews and licences granted
By Tiana Haxton of RNZ Pacific Preliminary results are starting to come in for the Cook Islands general election. As of 10pm local time, preliminary results indicated the incumbent Prime Minister and Cook Islands Party leader Mark Brown had easily won the Takuvaine-Tutakimoa seat. Brown had 269 votes, while the next best placed was Davina
Pacific Media Watch A court struggle featuring Daily Blog editor and media freedom defender Martyn Bradbury has taken a surprise turn, with Free Speech Union (FSU) board member and political commentator Ani O’Brien being revealed as the complainant behind “secret” proceedings, reports Radia Waatea. Bradbury, who is a regular commentator on Radio Waatea covering politics
By Tiana Haxton of RNZ Pacific Polling is open in the Cook Islands where 11,000 registered voters will elect their leaders for the next four years. Voting stations opened at 9am on Wednesday morning, Cook Islands time (7am Thursday NZT) and will close at 6pm. There are 24 constituencies, 10 on the main island of
How Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese built an unelected censorship apparatus for Jillian Segal without a vote, a bill or a debate, while the Coalition demanded more was covered in Part One. It ended with a question polite Australia refuses to ask. Today, in Part Two is the answer. Andrew Brown reports for Michael West
RNZ Pacific reporters Tributes have flowed in for the renowned Solomon Islands journalist George Atkin, who has died. As well as being a former correspondent for the then-RNZ International and ABC Pacific, Atkin was a leading figure in journalism in Solomon Islands and in the Pacific Islands region. He was the first president of the
Asia Pacific Report Lawyers for two Palestinian advocates with strong family ties to the Nakba in Gaza and a Māori medical doctor critical of the “colonial violence” in the occupied territories have filed a lawsuit today against New Zealand government support for BlackSky spy satellite launchings from the Rocket Lab site in Māhia. Their lawsuit
By Tiana Haxton of RNZ Pacific The Cook Islands goes to the polls this week for its four-yearly general election. Like all countries in the region, the Cooks has had its fair share of challenges due to global shocks in recent years, and there’s a sense that voters are looking for some stability, particularly around
While the public is encouraged to blame immigrants, Muslims, the left, or “Israel haters”, the UK state is racing to erect a scaffolding of control to protect itself before we wake up to the deception, writes Jonathan Cook. ANALYSIS: By Jonathan Cook When is it possible to declare that a society has moved from liberal
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has sought further dialogue with the United States over its new visa bond policy. In a statement, Marape acknowledged that the US had copped them with a “substantial” US$20,000 visa bond for ordinary business and tourism travel to the US, saying Papua
By Rashneel Kumar, editor of the Cook Islands News An exclusive poll reveals a tight election with no clear winner, as the surging Cook Islands United Party (CIUP) challenges the governing Cook Islands Party (CIP) while cost-of-living concerns dominate voter focus. With just two days to go before the country heads to the elections on