More than 600,000 people in Timor Leste — nearly half the country's population — have turned out for an outdoor mass by Pope Francis. It's one of the biggest ever crowds to have attended a papal event ..read more

Pope Francis has been welcomed by tens of thousands in the capital Dili. It's the first visit by the Pontiff in 35 years. Timor Leste may be the world's youngest Catholic country. but it has the largest catholic proportion of any population outside the Vatican ..read more

Pope Francis celebrated mass with more than 35thousand Papua New Guineans, as he spent the weekend in the Pacific's largest and most populated nation. While in PNG the Pontiff called for a peaceful resolution to Bougainville's bid for independence, better use of natural resources and an end to tribal violence. He now makes his way to Timor-Leste and is expected to touch down in the capital Dili later this afternoon.  ..read more

Changes in the political landscape have been taking place in New Caledonia with major shifts within the powerbase of the pro-independence movement. The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front has appointed jailed activist Christian Tein as their leader, but this appears to have met with a disagreement between pro-independence factions ..read more

There has been a spate of party hopping in Papua New Guinea’s parliament ahead of its resumption later today. Two MPs have left the government, while another has returned to the government side after defecting to the opposition a few months ago ..read more

Climate change and climate financing have been the main topics of discussion at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting so far in Tonga. There have been calls for developed countries to help Pacific Islands combat the effects of fossil fuel emissions such as sea level rise, which is devastating local communities ..read more

Paralympic sport is on the rise in Oceania, with 13 athletes from half a dozen countries competing at the Paralympics in France.  ..read more

Climate action and a major new policing arrangement have been the main agendas, of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting ..read more

The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum enters its second day in Tonga today following a shaky start yesterday with a magnitude 6.9 earthquake causing a scare. Tonga''s Acting Director for Communications, Stan Ahio, says the country's domestic cable to the islands of Vava'u and Ha'apai has been cut, likely as a result of the earthquake ..read more

The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting kicks off today in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, with the leaders of 18 nations in attendance. Among the high profile delegates in attendance is United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ..read more