PINA

Australia has put $3.5 million (US$2.25 million) towards supporting the international nuclear regulator as Pacific leaders cry foul about the dumping of wastewater from Japan. Japan has sparked controversy in the region by staging the release of treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific, splitting regional leaders about its safety. The International Atomic Energy Agency gave the plan the green light, saying...

Deep-sea mining companies in the Cook Islands have been exploring the country's ocean to see if they can extract potato-sized nodules packed full of minerals kilometres deep. Moana Minerals Limited is one of three companies that were awarded a five-year exploration license in the Cook Islands. The license allows the companies to explore the deep sea in the country's exclusive-economic zone...

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is conducting a two-day workshop with members of the Vanuatu media to strengthen their understanding of climate change and other environment-related issues in the Pacific in order to further amplify a Resilient Pacific Voice. SPREP’s Communications and Outreach team have been in Vanuatu for a week working on building the capacity...

Samoa head coach Vaovasamanaia Seilala Mapusua has made three changes to his starting XV from the team that defeated Chile 43-10 in their last game Paul Alo-Emile comes into the front-row, Brian Alainu’u’ese into the second-row, and Ben Lam onto the wing. Three players in this match-day team bring with them test experience from other countries, with Steven Luatua and Charlie...

Eddie Jones has been hammered by former Australia wing Drew Mitchell for his lack of transparency in the wake of the Wallabies’ first defeat to Fiji in nearly 70 years. Australia have to win against Wales on Sunday to remain in the tournament and avoid the ignominy of becoming the first Wallabies side to never make the Rugby World Cup...

Players will run out onto pitches up and down France in distinctive t-shirts this week as the stars of Rugby World Cup 2023 vow to Keep Rugby Clean. Keep Rugby Clean is World Rugby’s anti-doping education and awareness programme. It aims to deter and prevent doping by educating participants on their responsibilities, raising awareness of doping risks, and fostering an...

G20 nations have a crucial role to play in emission reduction and leading the path towards sustainable development, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr told the General Debate of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “We urgently call on the G20 nations, responsible for 80 percent of global carbon emissions, to uphold their commitments to...

Movers and shakers in the fight against climate change are gathering for the United Nation's Climate Ambition Summit in New York on Wednesday, while climate scientists and Pacific activists call on Australia to ramp up its own ambitions. The summit comes as the Australia Institute has published a full-page ad in the New York Times calling on the Australian government...

Niue Premier, Dalton Tagelagi on behalf of the Government of Niue and the non-profit Tofia Niue (a public-private partnership) Tuesday launched a first-of-its-kind sustainable funding initiative to ensure long-term conservation of its sovereign waters: Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs). This initiative will be managed by the newly formed Niue and Ocean Wide (NOW) Trust, a charitable trust established to support Niue's...

A “rescue plan” for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must now result in policies, budgets and investment to ensure a more just, equitable and green future by 2030, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday. He was speaking at the conclusion of the two-day SDG Summit at UN Headquarters, where world leaders adopted a political declaration to ramp up progress...