PINA

The Kingdom of Tonga has expressed strong support for Australia’s bid to host the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2026, saying it will be known as a ‘Pacific COP.’ Tonga’s Prime Minister, Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni offered the support when he addressed world leaders during the High-Level segment of COP29 in...

The race to succeed Bill Beaumont as President of World Rugby will come to a close with a vote on Thursday at the organisation's headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. Here are the profiles of the three candidates in the running. Three candidates are vying to replace 72-year-old former England international Bill Beaumont, who has been in charge of international rugby for the...

Clean air and water, and a livable climate are inalienable human rights, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the Pacific says. Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala says solving this climate crisis is not only a question of politics. It is our moral obligation, he says. Piukala's comments come as the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework...

Fiji's deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad co-hosted the “High Level Session on the International and Regional Cooperation for Climate Mobility” on the COP29 sidelines in Baku, Azerbaijan. In his address, DPM Prasad stressed the need for climate mobility solutions that build resilience, uphold human dignity, and ensure safety in these times of extreme climate vulnerability. He highlighted...

TMC, the metals company focused on seafloor battery metal exploration, has set 27 June 2025, as the target date for submitting its ISA exploitation application, backed by its subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI) and Nauru Government. This timing follows consultations with the ISA to clarify the submission and review process at its March 2025 session, ensuring greater transparency for...

U. S Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III will depart this week for a trip to Australia, the Philippines, Laos and Fiji to participate in a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings aimed at enhancing security partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region. “These engagements will drive ongoing efforts to modernise our alliances and partnerships toward our shared vision for a...

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell Tuesday urged world leaders at the COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan to view the climate crisis not just as a future problem but as an economic threat hitting right now. Stiell highlighted that climate impacts are carving up to 5 percent off GDP in many countries, warning that failing to act will supercharge inflation...

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Tuesday for countries to step up contributions to a financial mechanism to assist developing countries affected by climate change. Guterres made the appeal in remarks to a high-level dialogue on loss and damage funding during the COP29 UN climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. “In an era of climate extremes, loss and damage finance is...

Pacific Island youth leaders say the stakes couldn't be higher at this year's United Nations climate summit. Even as Donald Trump threatens to pull out of the Paris climate agreement for a second time, world leaders meeting in Azerbaijan for COP29 have to decide on a new climate finance goal. Fifteen years after the last target was set, the new deal...

Commonwealth countries must unite and use their collective voice to demand that climate finance promises are kept preventing human suffering, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland said at COP29 in Baku Tuesday. At an event to highlight the upcoming launch of the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), the Secretary-General said that Commonwealth member states would continue to support the region in its...