PINA

An international meeting in Jamaica to negotiate rules over deep-sea mining has ended with no green light to start industrial-scale mining and with an 11th-hour agreement to hold formal discussions next year on the protection of the marine environment. The agreement ended intense week-long negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an intergovernmental body based in Kingston that regulates sea-bed...

Taiwan on Friday donated two multipurpose Coast Guard patrol vessels to Tuvalu, its diplomatic ally in the South Pacific. The agreement inking ceremony was attended by Tuvalu Ambassador Bikenibeu Paeniu, Taiwan’s deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang and a representative of Karmin International Co., a local manufacturer of boats for public use. According to Tien, the aid will help Tuvalu protect its...

It was a tough loss for the Manu Samoa on Saturday as they went down to the Flying Fijians in the build up to the Rugby World Cup but according to the head coach Vaovasamanaia Seilala Mapusua this is the learning process before they reach France. Manu Samoa head back to the training pitch and are preparing to face Tonga...

Flying Fijians proved out to be the strongest opponent when they defeated their arch-rivals Manu Samoa 33-19 at Apia Park Saturday. With 12 changes after a win over Tonga and four debutants in the run-on team, the Flying Fijians made a perfect start in their first away match. Flying Fijians looked more organized and focused from the beginning as they gained...

New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) chief executive Greg Peters has claimed the country fielding a women's under-23 team at the Solomon Islands 2023 Pacific Games for the first time represents a “great opportunity” for selected players. Men's rugby league has featured at the Pacific Games since 2007, with a first women's tournament held in Samoa four years ago. The nines format...

Papua New Guinea’s leadership is promising “cascading” benefits from growing military and security cooperation with the United States following the first visit by a sitting U.S defense secretary, while downplaying any risk to the country’s close economic ties to China. Prime Minister James Marape Thursday praised the PNG-U.S Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed in May, agreeing with assessments by senior U.S...

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has shut the door on joining the AUKUS alliance, a military pact that's basing nuclear submarines in Australia. Mahuta has been hosting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who called into the Beehive ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup U.S-Netherlands game at Wellington Stadium. Parliament's brand new pou carvings were on display as...

The total number of court cases focused on climate action has more than doubled since 2017 and is growing worldwide, according to a new report published on Thursday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The trend indicates that climate litigation is becoming an integral part of the international push for greater climate action and justice. The Global Climate Litigation Report: 2023...

As crucial talks on the future of deep-sea mining enter their final days in Jamaica, the focus has moved away from what rules should look like to whether the extraction of valuable metals on the ocean floor should even take place – at least in the near future. For the first time in its history, member states of the International...

As crunch talks about the future of deep-sea mining enter the final stretch, governments have not yet been able to agree on the agenda for the meeting at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston, Jamaica. The stalemate is dragging on as attempts to formally discuss a precautionary suspension of mining activities have been thwarted by nations in favour of...