PINA

By Megha Mohan and Yousef Eldin There are fewer women in politics in the Pacific Islands than in any other part of the world, according to UN Women. But this year Samoa elected a woman as its head of government - only the second Pacific Island nation to do so - thanks in part to a network of women...

Lawyers of the petitioners demanding the postponement of the auto-determination referendum of New Caledonia on 12 December has filed an urgent appeal at the France’s highest court in Paris. “On 03 December 2021, Bourdon and Associes introduced a petition for the protection of fundamental liberties (référé-liberté) at the Council of state, France's highest admonitive court, on behalf of 146 individuals...

A dramatic new development in the race for the prime ministership in Tonga. The incumbent, Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa, has pulled out and there are now two contenders. The caretaker education minister, Siaosi Sovaleni, is facing 'Aisake Eke, who won re-election last month after losing in his seat in the 2017 poll. RNZ Pacific's correspondent, Kalafi Moala, said it appears that Tu'i'onetoa is backing...

A plan to pass a Digital Residency Identification law this weekend did not succeed when the bill failed to get majority votes in the Palau Senate. The votes were split even with 6 No and 6 Yes. The bill was rushed through both House and Senate, with an expressed goal of having it take effect by 14 December. The rush to...

By Nic Maclellan Many New Caledonians will go to church this Sunday, or visit family or go fishing, and some of them will also drop into the local town hall to vote in a referendum to decide New Caledonia’s political status. But tens of thousands of independence supporters — mainly indigenous Kanak — won’t turn out to vote, challenging...

By Ian Fry For many, the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, was a significant disappointment. Much had been promised by the UK Government, but last-minute ructions over the reference to the phase out of coal left many with a sour taste in their mouth. Glasgow was an opportunity to steer the global community towards the Paris Agreement...

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape is expected to announce a major Cabinet reshuffle leading into the festive season and the 2022 National General Elections (NGE). The reshuffle could see major changes with senior ministers reaching out to the Post-Courier expressing their concerns over a leaked interim list that even the Prime Minister’s office maintained it as speculation. Concerned on...

New Zealand has deployed a navy ship to the Solomon Islands to help peacekeeping efforts after political unrest in the capital, Honiara. The decision to deploy the HMNZS Wellington to the mission was not formally announced by the Government or the Defence Force. The armed offshore patrol vessel left the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland just before 7:30pm on Monday with...

Fiji's Ministry of Health says finding the Omicron variant in travellers in border quarantine is not unexpected, given how quickly it has spread worldwide. Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong said it is a sharp reminder that the key to avoiding restrictions and lockdowns is for Fijians to remain cautious about how they engage in the greater freedom they...

An application by the United Liberation Movement of West Papua to become a full member of Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has been re-activated. Last year, the ULMWP announced itself as a provisional government in exile for West Papua, as it pushes for a referendum on independence from Indonesia. Several years ago, the ULMWP applied for full membership status at the sub-regional...