News
Solomon Islands" Starlink workaround has connectivity lessons for the Pacific
1+ hour, 10+ min ago (400+ words) LEO satellite community-sharing has emerged as a response to the cost of internet access. While internet users in many parts of the world debate buffering speeds and data caps, there are communities across the Pacific where the internet does not…...
The African tide that can carry Korea
8+ hour, 10+ min ago (525+ words) South Korea cannot outspend China in Africa " but in fisheries governance and port capacity, it does not need to. South Korea's approach in Africa has often looked inland for opportunities in minerals, infrastructure, manufacturing, digital government, and development finance. That…...
Low Earth Orbit satellites: Closing the Indo-Pacific digital divide
12+ hour, 36+ min ago (205+ words) Targeted deployment, affordable access, and smarter governance can unlock LEO satellites" development potential in the region. Across much of the Indo-Pacific, geography makes conventional infrastructure difficult to extend. Mountains, small islands, dispersed populations, and frequent natural disasters raise the cost…...
China's influence in Africa is no longer just economic
2+ day, 22+ hour ago (215+ words) The Eswatini episode made headlines, but Beijing's pressure now reaches into civic spaces across the continent, too. Eswatini matters precisely because it remains Taiwan's last diplomatic partner in Africa. Over the past decade, China has successfully persuaded several African states…...
Stuck in the middle with you: Should Australia join the D7?
2+ day, 23+ hour ago (726+ words) A Danish political stalwart has invited Australia to a proposed new club of middle power democracies that aims to unite against the economic coercion of global bullies. Against the backdrop of an alphabet soup of leader summits producing hotly debated,…...
Indonesia, Hercules maintenance, and the neutrality question
3+ day, 1+ hour ago (450+ words) A maintenance deal for C-130 Hercules aircraft may be routine in peacetime " in a US"China contingency, Indonesia's legal exposure would change. Recent hostilities involving the United States and Iran offer a reminder of this reality. Modern conflicts rarely remain confined…...
Australia's Indo-Pacific identity starts at home
3+ day, 8+ hour ago (362+ words) Australia speaks of itself as an Indo-Pacific nation and the region has a deep history in its suburbs. At short notice, I attended a small dawn service in Dandenong this past'Anzac Day " the most memorable part of the morning coming…...
Assassination plot clouds India's intelligence ambitions
3+ day, 23+ hour ago (152+ words) A US court sentencing exposes the gap between India's democratic self-image and conduct abroad. On 29 May, a US court is set to sentence Indian national Nikhil Gupta to between 19 and 23 years in prison, along with a fine of up to…...
France tries again to rewrite New Caledonia's voter rolls
4+ day, 1+ hour ago (223+ words) A rushed change to New Caledonia's voter eligibility deepens divisions just weeks before local elections. Who gets a vote in local elections is one of the biggest challenges for New Caledonia " an issue with a vexed history. France's new changes…...
Exit, pursued by voters
4+ day, 8+ hour ago (259+ words) Few leaders can bear to know when their time is up. After winning an election last month, the new Chief Minister of India's State of Tamil Nadu, Vijay, tried to appoint his astrologer to a government position as "Officer on…...