Opinion: Passports for sale – Lessons for Nauru and Solomon Islands from Vanuatu’s EU rebuke
Vanuatu becomes first country to ever lose EU visa-free access after golden passport scheme poses security threat. Earlier this month Vanuatu received a stinging rebuke from the European Parliament, becoming the first country ever to…
WCPFC head urges action on climate change and human rights
Rhea Moss-Christian, the executive director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has called for urgent action to address the impacts of climate change and human rights abuses in the fishing industry at…
Fiji PM Rabuka urges Pacific unity, Proposes regional Tuna management bloc
Fiji’s Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka called for a united front among Western and Central Pacific nations to manage their tuna resources, even suggesting the formation of a “tuna OPEC” to wield greater influence in the…
Olympic stars and fresh faces ready to kick-off HSBC SVNS in Dubai
Following the sensational, record-breaking Olympic Games competitions, the wait is over for rugby sevens fans as HSBC SVNS 2025 kicks off with the Emirates Dubai 7s on 30 November – 1 December. With interest and…
World record 225 tonnes of cocaine seized, and new Australia trafficking route uncovered
Colombian authorities working with dozens of other countries have seized 225 tonnes of cocaine in the space of six weeks, a global record for any single anti-narcotics operation, finding some of that haul on a…
Cook Islands Immigration to launch new online visa and permit system
Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (MFAI) has announced the upcoming launch of its new online visa and permit application system, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing modernisation of immigration services in…
Climate change’s invisible toll on LGBTQIA+ and disabled communities in Fiji
“At Daulomani Safe Home, we’re fighting not just the climate but society’s prejudice,” says founder Edwina Biyau, a trans advocate and survivor of homelessness. As Fiji faces the intensifying effects of climate change, vulnerable communities—especially…
Vanuatu to launch ICJ hearings on climate and human right
It began five years ago, as an exercise amongst law students at the Emalus campus of the University of the South Pacific in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Now, in the Netherlands, the Republic of Vanuatu will…
COP29
COP29 climate talks end with $300 billion annual pledge, Guterres calls deal a ‘base to build on’
Rich nations pledged to contribute at least US$300 billion annually to the global fight against climate change as UN climate talks came to a contentious end early Sunday morning in Baku. UN News Center reports…
Pacific negotiators frustrated by ‘slow process’ of climate talks
Pacific climate leaders were frustrated by the sluggish rate of progress made during the first week of the UN climate meeting in Azerbaijan. RNZ PACIFIC reports that the big goal of this COP is to…
Fiji partners with NGOs at COP29
The UNFCC Conference of the Parties (COP29) is, in the words of Dr Sivendra Michael, Fiji’s country leadand Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, “not an exciting journey. It is a…
Australia accused of ‘exporting climate destruction’ on tiny Pacific neighbours with massive gas expansion plans
Pacific governments at the UN climate summit are criticising Australia’s plans for a massive gas industry expansion in Western Australia, saying it could result in 125 times more greenhouse gas emissions than their island nations…