Stories by Johnny Blades

Fresh demonstrations by West Papuans have again been met with a heavy handed response by Indonesian police.

Nauru's government is being urged to halt its reported push to allow deep sea mining in international waters by 2024.

The new Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum says he will champion solidarity and unity within the regional grouping.

Anti-vax misinformation is throwing a spanner in the works for Covid-19 vaccination programmes in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, with the prime ministers of both countries firing warnings at… Audio

The outgoing head of the Pacific Islands Forum has decried how the region is increasingly defined by the interests of external powers.

Several members of the West Papua Liberation Army have been killed by Indonesia's military in the past few days amid reports of villages being hit by aerial fire.

Indonesia's president says greenhouse gas reduction commitments by developed countries powers must be credible if developing countries are to follow suit.

New Zealand says it is involved in World Trade Organisation talks about a proposed waiver of intellectual property rights around vaccines.

The WHO says Papua New Guinea's struggle with Covid-19 underlines the need for vaccine equity.

Papua New Guinea's government has done a deal with "the devil" to reopen a large gold mine in the country's Highlands region.

Sceptical health frontliners in PNG are seeking answers about Covid-19 vaccines before they consent to the jab.

Papua New Guineans are mourning the loss of the man who led the country to independence, Sir Michael Somare.

Ocean scientists say the importance of providing Pacific governments with accurate data about the potential impacts of deep sea mining cannot be underestimated. Audio

Papua New Guinea's former prime minister Peter O'Neill has lamented the failure to reach consensus at the latest Pacific Islands Forum meeting.

Papua New Guinea is mourning former prime minister Mekere Morauta, who has been credited with saving the country from economic collapse at the turn of the century.

China has dismissed Australian concerns about a planned new industrial fish facility on Papua New Guinea's Daru Island.

Almost 150 priests from across West Papua and Papua have appealed for reconciliation and dialogue to address ongoing armed violence.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape has rejected opposition leader Belden Namah's call for him to resign. Audio

After months of harrowing infection rates and deaths, figures are starting to track in the right direction, according to the island's governor, Lou Leon Guerrero. Audio

Papua New Guinea's prime minister has urged the public to not get caught up in the country's political crisis which has ended up in the courts.

The Cook Islands prime minister has denied that his country is gambling by opening up for deep sea mining exploration. Audio

New remediation options are potentially opening up for Pacific Islands countries affected by nuclear testing. Audio

Pacific Islanders are among many thousands of people stuck in limbo because of an Australian migration policy which appears to lack compassion. Audio

Papua New Guineans are questioning why their names are included in a leaked database of personal information compiled by a Chinese company. Audio

Vanuatu has been urged to fix a potentially disastrous flaw in its citizenship-for-sale system.