PINA

Australian Dr Brett Robinson has been elected as the new Chair of World Rugby, following two rounds of voting at the 2024 Interim meeting of Council in Dublin, Ireland. At 54, Robinson becomes the first elected Chair from the southern hemisphere. He was chosen over fellow candidates Abdelatif Benazzi (France) and Andrea Rinaldo (Italy), by the 52 members of the...

The Flying Fijians have named their squad for the upcoming clash against Spain, with the spotlight on Saimoni Uluinakauvadra, a former Fiji Warrior and current player for Northland Taniwha in New Zealand. Uluinakauvadra will make his international debut wearing the number 7 jersey, adding fresh energy to the team as he steps into the flanker position. The starting lineup features Eroni...

The Tuvalu government is discouraging its people from migrating despite rising sea levels threatening the vulnerable Pacific Island state. Speaking to FBC News in Baku Azerbaijan, Climate Change and Environment Minister, Dr Maina Talia said the move would be difficult for developed nations to understand. “In terms of mobility, our government’s stand is to discourage our people from moving across,” he...

Government negotiators have asked the co-chairs of the talks on a new climate finance goal to streamline the text by Thursday morning, removing repetitions and redundancies – but not adding anything new or taking away anything substantial. These instructions come one day after negotiators asked the co-chairs to make the nine-page text they had prepared before COP29 longer, by adding...

The international community must fulfil its promises to provide greater financial support to small island countries at the frontline of climate change. This was the main rallying call at the Leaders' Summit of the Small Island Developing States on Climate Change, jointly convened by the COP29 Presidency and Commonwealth Secretariat, in Baku today. The summit was told that, despite contributing...

Visible from space, the mega coral is three times larger than the previous record-breaker, is believed to be about 300 years old, storing a record of ocean conditions from past centuries   A group of scientists working aboard a research vessel in the southwest Pacific Ocean has discovered the world's largest coral. Measuring 34 meters wide, 32 meters long and...

The Government of Nauru unveiled its groundbreaking Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Programme at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku, directly addressing the key conference themes of climate finance and adaptation. In his address to COP 29 delegates, Asterio Appi, Nauru’s Minister for Climate Change and National Resilience, presented the innovative financing initiative as...

COP29 talks in Baku on Wednesday turned to small island nations facing an existential threat from our warming planet, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres insisted that they “deserve support to deal with a crisis have done next to nothing to create”. “You have every right to be angry, and I am too. You are on the sharp end of...

A new study by New Zealand Ministry of Health has raised red flags about the future of gambling among young Pacific adults, revealing that online gaming at an early age can have long-term consequences. The Pacific Islands Families (PIF) Study, which has followed a group of Pacific youth born in South Auckland since 2000, found that while gambling participation is...

Pacific Islands Forum Chair and Tongan Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni didn’t mince his words at the Leaders’ Summit of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on Climate Change, hosted by Azerbaijan saying that island nations are running out of time. Addressing global leaders, Sovaleni called for urgent action and solidarity, emphasising that climate change is not just a challenge—it’s an...