French Senate votes yes on New Caledonia law, but opposition grows LEGISLATION to implement a new political statute for New Caledonia has passed its first hurdle

Legislation for a new political statute for New Caledonia has passed its first hurdle, adopted by the French Senate in a 215 – 41 vote. However, my Islands Business report shows increasing criticism of the proposed reform, as it now heads to the National Assembly.
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“Violent, often disproportionate repression” in New Caledonia • Inside Story A new report documents France’s abuses of human rights during 2024’s unrest in the Pacific territory

My report for Inside Story looks at the new report from France’s national human rights body CNCDH, which details violations of human rights and “violent, often disproportionate repression” by French security forces during the 2024 crisis in New Caledonia.
insidestory.org.au/violent-ofte...

Looking south: Marshall Islands president visits Australia MARSHALL Islands President Dr. Hilda C. Heine has made a state visit to Australia, the first by a Marshallese leader in more than three decades.

Donald Trump withdraws the US Ambassador from the Marshall Islands and quits the UNFCCC, GCF and IPCC. So it's no surprise that RMI President Hilda Heine is strengthening other partnerships. My Islands Business report looks at Heine's state visit to Australia.
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New Caledonia agreement signed in Paris AFTER four days of talks in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron and five parliamentary groups from New Caledonia have signed the Elysée-Oudinot Accord – an agreement on constitutional and economic...

The Elysée-Oudinot Accord, a new agreement on constitutional change for New Caledonia, has been signed in Paris. My Islands Business report looks at key elements of the deal, the ongoing opposition of the FLNKS and the lengthy timetable for implementation in law.
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France delays New Caledonia referendum BOWING to reality, the French government has abandoned plans to hold a referendum on March 15 to consider a new political statute.

Bowing to reality, the French government has abandoned plans to hold a referendum on 15 March for a new political statute for New Caledonia. My report for Islands Business looks at shifting French policy, which has divided legislatures in Paris and Noumea.
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Pacific leaders have begun to adopt Oceanic diplomacy to solve contemporary problems in international relations. Now, a long-awaited book brings together an amazing collection of articles on Pacific diplomacy, drawing on history, culture and negotiation.
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Minister’s New Caledonia tour leaves unanswered questions WHEN France’s new Overseas Minister Naïma Moutchou toured New Caledonia last week, New Caledonians hoped that her visit would end uncertainty over political and economic reforms. Instead, Moutchou fle...

My Islands Business report looks at last week's visit to #NewCaledonia by France’s Overseas Minister Naïma Moutchou. Locals had hoped that her visit would end uncertainty over political and economic reforms, but she flew home leaving many unanswered questions.
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Honoured that my essay “Reporting the Nuclear Pacific” has been included in the inaugural edition of the new journal Pacific Media (the successor to the long running Pacific Journalism Review). It looks at the ethics and challenges of working with affected communities.
ojs.aut.ac.nz/pacific-medi...

Manoeuvring in Paris delays decision on New Caledonia elections Legislation to defer New Caledonia’s provincial elections has been delayed until next week, as parliamentary manoeuvring in Paris

Legislation to defer New Caledonia’s provincial elections has been deferred to a committee, avoiding debate in the National Assembly. My report for Islands Business @IBIupdate looks at parliamentary manoeuvring in Paris to push through the Bougival Accord.
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Palestine and the Pacific • Nic Maclellan Why have island nations been so prominent among supporters of Israel?

Last month, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka opened Fiji’s new embassy in Jerusalem. My Inside Story report looks at recent Pacific diplomatic support for Israel - a sharp contrast to international condemnation of Israeli policy in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
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Another Paris earthquake sends tsunamis to the Pacific ACROSS the Pacific Islands, people know that earthquakes can trigger tsunamis that travel across vast distances.

The resignation of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is the latest political earthquake in Paris - but it’s sending tsunamis as far as the Pacific islands. My report for Islands Business looks at the implications for #NewCaledonia and #FrenchPolynesia.
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Ten years after the publication of ‘The New Pacific Diplomacy’ (ANU Press, 2015), Greg Fry and Sandra Tarte have a new article revisiting the role of diplomacy by Pacific island states on key issues such as climate change, law of the sea, and regional security.
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During six months of conflict last year, the health sector in #NewCaledonia suffered major staff turnover, with many French doctors, nurses and paramedics leaving the islands. My Islands Business feature looks at efforts to rebuild and renew health for all.
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In New Caledonia, the independence coalition Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) has formally rejected the Bougival Accord. The FLNKS has called for direct talks with the French State, to develop a pathway to full and sovereign independence.
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New Caledonia’s Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste #FLNKS will hold an extraordinary Congress next Saturday, 9 August, amid growing opposition to the Bougival agreement. My Pacnews feature looks at decolonisation debates within the independence movement.
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Tip of the spear • Nic Maclellan Eighty years on, America prepares for war in the Pacific

In the last days of the Pacific War, US bombers flew from the island of Tinian to drop atomic weapons on #Hiroshima and #Nagasaki. My report for Inside Story shows, on the 80th anniversary of the bombings, that the United States is again readying Tinian for war.
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To unpack New Caledonia’s Bougival Accord, I speak with ‘Pacific Mornings’ in Aotearoa. In the interview, I outline many steps still needed to implement the deal: persuading supporters, legislative change in Paris, and a referendum in New Caledonia next February. www.facebook.com/watch/?v=192...

Devil in the detail of New Caledonia's "historic" agreement Meeting in France, New Caledonian political leaders have signed an agreement on the political and economic future of the French dependency.

With New Caledonia’s new political agreement, the devil’s in the detail. My feature for Islands Business magazine looks at the Bougival Accord, signed on 12 July, and the long (and likely contested) process to implement its provisions.
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Tjibaou on New Caledonia talks in Paris: “We want to resolve this now” “We want to resolve this now, and that is why I am committed to dialogue.” That's Emmanuel Tjiabaou, President of the Independance Party UC.

Emmanuel Tjibaou, president of New Caledonia’s Union Calédonienne party, says the FLNKS will join political status talks this week in Paris. Before leaving for France, Tjibaou told me that “we want to resolve this now, and that is why I am committed to dialogue.”
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Turkey tussles with Australia to host 2026 UN climate talks Turkey on Wednesday doubled down on its pitch to host 2026 UN climate talks, defying calls to step aside and let rival candidate Australia stage the high-profile global event.

Australia’s bid to host the 31st UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP31) in 2026 is still not locked in. Türkiye – the other bidder from the Western European and Other States group – has just ramped its campaign to host next year’s climate summit in Antalya.
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Release of a major report on the consequences of French nuclear testing in Mā’ohi Nui. The parliamentary report (in French) makes 45 recommendations for economic, health, educational and cultural initiatives, to address legacies of 193 French nuclear tests www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/rappo...

Frontiers are spaces of exception--places of sacrifice and extraction; sponges for violence that you must control for fear that your enemy will if you don't. And for US strategists, the Pacific itself is a frontier

Flag fall • Inside Story From Australia to New Caledonia, symbols of Indigenous sovereignty are proving divisive in both predictable and unpredictable ways

From Australia to New Caledonia, conservative politicians are arguing about flags, opposing public display of symbols of indigenous sovereignty. My report for Inside Story looks at the fight over flags displayed on the New Caledonia driver’s licence. insidestory.org.au/flag-fall/

1966: 80 Indigenous workers at the Newcastle Waters cattle station in the Northern Territory walk off the job, led by Lupna Giari and supported by Dexter Daniels, demanding immediate pay equity. The campaign spread to Wave Hill station, where a walk-off was led by Vincent Lingiari.
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Changing legal obligations on climate action Pacific Small Island Developing States and other developing nations are mobilising to call for new international legal norms.

From ITLOS to ICJ, developing states are mobilising to call for new international legal norms, to ensure that industrialised nations meet obligations on climate, development and oceans protection. My report for Islands Business magazine looks at new initiatives.
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Sad news, with the death of Motarilavoa Hilda Lini, a ni-Vanuatu campaigner for indigenous rights, Melanesian solidarity and a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific. A warrior to the end, as Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat says: “Rest in Peace soldier, for you have fought a great fight.” Vale.

My report for Islands Business looks at the collapse of negotiations in #NewCaledonia. Anti-independence Loyalist leader Nicolas Metzdorf bluntly states: “We will never accept independence, independence in association, or a trajectory towards independence.”
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This week, the Pacific Theological College will transition into the new Pasifika Communities University (PCU), transforming its structure and education program. My report for Islands Business looks at the adaptation of the regional ecumenical institution. islandsbusiness.com/news-break/p...

With learning centres in Fiji, Kiribati and Vanuatu - and more nations to come - the PCU's regional program will transform theological studies. They aim to expand community-based learning, engage local communities at home and draw on indigenous philosophy, spirituality, and local knowledge.

On behalf of the new institution, PCU’s Reverend Professor Dr Upolu Luma Vaai signed partnership MOUs with the Fiji Ministry of Education, Fiji Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs, United Nations Development Program and Tetra Tech, to support new rural community learning centres.