Stories by Lydia Lewis
News
President Whipps likely to win - Palau Election Commission
Unofficial results show Whipps ahead of former four-term President Tommy Remengesau Jr by more than 1000 votes, with around 1600 votes yet to be counted.
Pacific Cooperation Foundation 'kind of lost their way'
Chief executive Joanna Bourke said the organisation will continue to advocate for the Pacific amid government funding blow.
PINA backs Palau newspaper amid defamation lawsuit
The association's president Kalafi Moala said the role of the media as defenders of democracy is more crucial now than ever before.
Indo-Fijians voice concerns about ethnicity classification in Aotearoa
Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says that as far as Fiji is concerned, Fijians of Indian descent are Fijian.
Tuvalu starts process for freedom of information legislation
Communications minister Simon Kofe said the framework will allow citizens to better question the government and journalists to hold leaders to account.
Pacific leaders' visit to Nouméa: Mapou says New Caledonia at a 'turning point',
A three-day fact-finding mission, headed by three Pacific leaders, has wrapped up in Nouméa. Audio
Kanaky leader advocates for 'hope and 'humanity' as Pacific leaders visit New Caledonia
Reverend Billy Wetewea says that the indigenous peoples of New Caledonia are fighting for their humanity and dignity.
'We have to keep pressuring Australia to do the right thing': Tuvalu MP on climate action
Tuvalu's Transport, Energy, and Communications Minister Simon Kofe has expressed doubt about Australia's reliability in addressing the climate crisis.
Rabuka's message to Kanaky movement: 'Don't slap the hand that feeds you'
The Fijian prime minister is cautioning New Caledonia's local government to be reasonable in its requests from Paris, ahead of a Pacific fact-finding mission.
Fact-checking key in Pacific's heightened geopolitical landscape
The intensification of geopolitics between China and the United States is fueling existing xenophobic rhetoric, an expert in Pacific geopolitics says.
'It will rejuvenate the party': Fiji PM on split in People's Alliance
Sitiveni Rabuka has brushed off concerns around a rift in his ruling People's Alliance Party.
COP29 needs to be about climate finance, says SPC
Pacific leaders are preparing for COP29 which is set to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan next month.
Manawanui surveyed wreck of 'suspicious' Taiwanese fishing vessel in Niue
One of the final tasks the New Zealand Navy ship undertook before it sank off the coast of Samoa was surveying another vessel stranded on a Pacific reef. Video
Baron Waqa refuses to accept blame for poor treatment of refugees on Nauru
A former refugee, who spent almost a decade at Nauru's offshore detention centre, wants the former Nauru president to admit responsibility for the "cruel and inhumane" treatment of refugees.
PNG producer lobbying to get more out of kava
Ocean Kava Limited managing director Bilaki Enape Waizepa said currently PNG can only send roots to Fiji, but not the finished product. Audio
Papua New Guinea celebrates 49th Independence Anniversary
Papua New Guinea is celebrating almost half a century of independence from Australia with the 16th of September 2024 marking its 49th anniversary. The journey was not easy, and the...
Forum secretary-general confirms cyber attack against Fiji offices
Baron Waqa has confirmed the Forum suffered a cyber-attack and says the threat has been isolated but his team does not yet know who was behind it.
Personhood for whales: 'A legacy' of late Kiingi Tuheitia
A few months before his death, the Māori King stood with indigenous Pacific leaders, signing the He Whakaputanga Moana declaration, for whales to be given personhood. Audio
CNMI warned to expect 'Tropical Storm-force winds'
Emergency shelters have been set up in Guam as Tropical Depression 14W intensifies.
Kiribati minister says David Lambourne 'has to follow the law'
Kiribati's education minister has fired back at claims that parliament's decision to remove High Court Judge David Lambourne was politically motivated.
'We'll remove it': Pacific caves to China's demand to exclude Taiwan
The Pacific Islands Forum caves to Beijing's demand at Tonga leaders' summit. Audio
'National consultation' critical for policing initiative - Solomon Islands PM
The Australia-funded initiative - backed by Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police and the Australian Federal Police - is earmarked to reshape the way policing is conducted across the region.
China hogs limelight as curtains fall on Pacific leaders' summit in Tonga
Beijing's Special Envoy is furious about the mention of Taiwan in the final communique of the meeting - which appears to have been taken down by the Forum Secretariat without any explanation.
The Metals Company: 'It's just the regulatory hurdles' holding back deep sea mining
Deep sea mining involves extracting potato size rocks called nodules - which are packed full of valuable metals - from the seafloor many kilometres deep. Audio
'Everybody made a magnificent effort to stay united'
Nauru leader David Adeang is pleased that the Pacific Islands Forum is united despite there being differences of opinion on "some issues".