PINA

Tuvalu says the impacts of climate change have forced it to create a digital copy of itself in the metaverse. But in the real world, not everyone's convinced. Tevaogali Elisala prefers spending time with children over adults. The single mother and primary school teacher from Tuvalu's capital Funafuti, admits occasionally they can be a “little headache” but Elisala sees it as...

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland has concluded a visit to Australia this week where she held discussions with government officials and civil society representatives on issues ranging from climate action to youth empowerment. During her visit, the Secretary-General met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to discuss climate action in the Pacific. Whilst in Canberra, Secretary-General Scotland said: “Climate change is...

Plastics are found in all the world’s oceans - on remote shorelines, in coastal waters, in the seabeds of the deep oceans and even in uninhabited atolls and islands of the Pacific. Without new and effective control measures, plastic production is set to double in 20 years and plastic waste leaking into the ocean is projected to triple by 2040. The...

Fiji's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign AffaiSitiveni Rabuka received a courtesy call from Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark, Wednesday in Suva. The Crown Princess was accompanied by the UN Under-Secretary-General and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director, Dr Natalia Kanem and Denmark's Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy Dan Jørgensen. Prime Minister...

Australia said on Wednesday it would start domestic manufacture of guided missiles by 2025, two years sooner than expected, in a wide-ranging shakeup of defence arrangements to focus on long-range strike capability. On Monday, the Labor government said it accepted the recommendations of a defence review that said China had launched the largest military buildup of any country since the...

New Zealand Navy chief David Proctor warned an Anzac service in Hawaii of an “increasingly coercive state” challenging freedom and prosperity in the Pacific. Rear Admiral Proctor said: “When you look at what China is doing and their hugely significant additional spend on their military capability, particularly maritime capability, we in New Zealand can’t stand aside and say ‘nothing to...

Tonga’s human rights record will be examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth time on Monday, 01 May 2023. Tonga is one of 14 States to be reviewed by the UPR Working Group during its upcoming 43rd session from 01 to 12 May 2023. Tonga’s first, second and third UPR reviews...

By Subaskar Sitsabeshan, Outreach and Project Development Manager, Commonwealth Blue Charter Last month, the champion countries of the Commonwealth Blue Charter gathered in Ottawa, Canada to reflect on joint progress to date in advancing ocean sustainability, and to chart a course for the next phase of the Blue Charter. As Outreach and Project Development Manager for this flagship initiative, I...

The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) Annual General Meeting scheduled for Saturday in Lautoka is expected to be cancelled. FBC Sports has been reliably informed the AGM will not be held this week. According to sources, the FRU Board members have agreed to resign. New trustees are also expected to be announced next week. The present FRU Trustees include Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Alipate...

Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) President, Dr Robin Mitchell, opened the Melanesian Sub-Regional Athletes’ Forum by encouraging athlete representatives to work for the best interests of the athletes they represent. “In terms of today's meeting, I just really want to wish you all the best,” he added. “COVID has affected the work of the athletes for the past two and a...