International
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Tuvalu Urges Tougher Tuna Rules at WCPFC22, Highlights Transshipments
Tuvalu steps into WCPFC22 with a wake-up call for tougher, more credible tuna regulations. The push covers albacore management, FAD-tracking, and curbing high-seas transshipments—aimed at protecting vital stocks and the communities that rely on them, while urging science-led, balanced decisions.
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PNG Demands Fair Tuna Rules at WCPFC22
Pacific nations push back against burdensome fisheries rules as PNG’s minister outlines how tuna sustains communities—from schools to clinics. With climate impacts already shifting stocks, leaders urge fair, science-based management that protects Small Island Developing States’ rights and sovereignty. A push for port-based transshipment aims to curb IUU fishing while keeping benefits for local livelihoods.
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High-Stakes Week for Pacific Tuna as WCPFC Advances South Pacific Albacore Management
With eight years of groundwork behind them, negotiators gather at WCPFC22 in Manila to push toward a consensus on the South Pacific Albacore Management Procedure, a key step for harvest strategies and the region’s vital tuna resource. The week unfolds under economic pressures on longline fleets and mounting market expectations, setting the stage for decisions…
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WCPFC22: Critical Push to Finalize South Pacific Albacore Rules
Manila hosts a decisive week for the Pacific’s tuna heartland, as talks resume on a long-stalled plan to safeguard South Pacific albacore. With stocks under careful watch and communities depending on the yield, the decisions taken could shape the region’s fisheries—and the global tuna supply—for years to come.
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Philippines Hosts WCPFC22 as Tuna Harvest Strategy Takes Center Stage
Manila hosts pivotal talks on the future of tuna stocks in the Western and Central Pacific, tackling conservation, monitoring, and a long-awaited harvest strategy. With stakeholders seeking common ground, the event underscores the Philippines’ commitment to sustainable fisheries and a watershed moment for coastal communities.
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Panama seeks reflagging of five purse-seine vessels at WCPFC
Panama is asking the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission to approve a reflagging plan for several purse-seine vessels, shifting them from Ecuador to Panama. The bid is pitched as administrative, promising no rise in fishing effort or disruption to coastal-state controls, and aiming to strengthen governance and sustainable management of the region’s tuna fleets.
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WCPFC22 Transshipment Talks: Pacific Chair Seeks Consensus on High-Seas Rules
A pivotal week of negotiations tests whether consensus can be found on high-seas transshipment. Dr. Josie Tamate navigates time pressures, stubborn differences, and new proposals as calls for tougher monitoring and enforcement heat up the debate. The outcome could reshape sustainable fishing for years to come.
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Pacific Nations Push Albacore Talks at WCPFC22 in Manila
At WCPFC22 in Manila, the Parties to the Nauru Agreement are steering high-stakes proposals, with the South Pacific albacore plan taking center stage. The PNA’s push highlights Pacific leadership in sustainable tuna governance, balancing conservation with the livelihoods of communities across the Western Pacific.
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SBMI Urges WCPFC to End At-Sea Transshipment and Expand Observer Coverage under New Labor Standards
Indonesian migrant workers’ union SBMI is urging a major fisheries meeting to end at-sea transshipment and boost observer coverage to protect crews. They’re also pushing for urgent action on new labor standards to curb abuses aboard distant-water vessels, arguing that people’s safety is essential to sustainable fisheries.
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WCPFC22 Sparks Rift Over South Pacific Albacore Harvest Rules
– At WCPFC22, French Polynesia pushes back against a key harvest-control proposal, warning it could threaten livelihoods across the South Pacific albacore value chain. As negotiators weigh safeguards and communities’ needs, the future of the fishery hangs in the balance. – Tensions flare as French territories challenge proposed albacore management rules, arguing the measures could…
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Hidden Climate Shifts Could Redraw the Pacific Tuna Fishery
Warmer seas and a surge in marine heatwaves are reshaping the Western and Central Pacific’s tuna ecosystem. As climate patterns shift, tuna behavior and stocks could be changing in real time, prompting a new wave of climate-aware management ideas.
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Countdown to 2026: WCPFC weighs bigeye tuna management overhaul
Crucial decisions loom as officials weigh a new management framework for bigeye tuna that must be in place by 2026. With high-stakes questions on reference points, FAD closures, and catches outside the framework, the coming days could reshape the future of Pacific fisheries and the communities that depend on them.
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Tuvalu PM Teo Arrives in Taiwan for Six-Day Diplomacy Push
Tuvalu’s prime minister arrives in Taiwan for a six-day mission aimed at strengthening ties and expanding cooperation. As leaders convene and a regional delegation joins the talks, the visit signals a pivotal moment in Pacific diplomacy and the shifting balance of regional influence.
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Fiji to Review IPACS 2025 Commitments After Regional Culture Forum
IPACS 2025 closed with a shared vision for culture-led resilience across the Indonesia–Pacific region. Fiji signaled careful consideration of any new commitments, stressing education, digital creativity, and the preservation of heritage to empower communities and artists.
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Pacific Cultures Forge Path to Climate Resilience at IPACS 2025
Culture and climate fuse in a landmark Indo-Pacific agreement that ties heritage to a resilient future. With three bold pillars—protecting culture and empowering communities, growing the creative economy, and weaving traditional knowledge into climate action—the region moves toward shared stewardship, archiving, and co-management of treasured heritage. A new era of cultural diplomacy and mutual opportunity…
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Piano Diplomacy: German-Fiji Concert Bridges Cultures in Suva
– A night of piano, diplomacy, and shared melodies in Suva—where music proved it can bridge cultures and strengthen international friendship. – An evening of masterful performance and cultural exchange that underscores music’s power to unite hearts across oceans. – Two hours of musical brilliance hint at a bigger story: how art and diplomacy weave…
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France Boosts Pacific Academic Ties With €130k Funding for 70 Researchers in 2025
France is boosting its Pacific academic ties with a new €130,000 initiative under Campus Mobile Pacifique, backing dozens of students and researchers across Fiji, PNG, and the region in 2025. The move aims to deepen university collaborations, expand language and exchange programs, and foster climate-change research across Oceania.
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Pacific Islands Push for Direct Climate Financing and Equal Voice Ahead of COP31
Pacific island nations and their overseas territories are banding together to demand a real voice in climate decision-making. With COP31 on the horizon, they argue that fair access to finance and recognition of local and Indigenous knowledge are essential to turning promises into tangible resilience.
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Grynspan Seeks UN Secretary-General Post: Reform, Trust and a Historic Female Bid
Rebeca Grynspan enters the UN leadership race with a vow to rebuild trust and push for reform. The bid spotlights gender parity and regional balance, hinting at a bold new chapter for multilateralism.
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Fiji Leads Pacific Legal Reforms to Tackle Cybercrime and Gender-Based Violence
– Fiji is charting a new course for Pacific law, driving reforms that modernize justice and strengthen regional cooperation while grounding laws in local realities. – A bold regional shift is underway as Fiji leads reforms aimed at stronger governance and ownership of legal identity across the Pacific. – In the Pacific’s evolving legal landscape,…
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Vilnius Flights Halted Over Balloons Linked to Smuggling Allegations Against Lukashenko
Flights at Vilnius Airport are paused again as suspected balloons drift into restricted airspace, with officials pointing to a looming smuggling scheme tied to Belarus. A tense backdrop of regional security and cross-border intrigue unfolds.
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UK Expands Fiji Sugar Quota, Extends Eight-Year Duty-Free Access
An important trade milestone for Fiji’s sugar sector: a larger export quota and years of duty-free access to the UK under a new Pacific partnership. A signal of stronger ties and brighter prospects for Fiji’s economic future.
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Return of Thai Worker’s Remains Could Pivot Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Eight weeks into a fragile Gaza ceasefire, the return of a worker’s remains shifts the momentum of ongoing talks. As discussions hinge on disarmament and an international governance framework, the path ahead for the truce remains uncertain for millions affected by the conflict.
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Lawmakers Clash Over Caribbean Drug-Boat Strike, Questioning Legality and Transparency
After a Caribbean strike left 11 suspected drug traffickers dead, U.S. lawmakers are split on ethics, legality, and the decisions behind the operation. As testimony and footage fuel questions about military transparency and high-level decision-making, this debate spotlights the tension between national security and lawful engagement at sea.
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Pregnant, Far From Home: A PALM Migrant’s Australian Struggle
From the Solomon Islands to a small Australian town, a mother-to-be joined a program meant to build a brighter future. Years later, with a baby in her arms and a job lost, she faces a new reality in Leeton—testing the resilience of a family chasing a dream.
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Pacific Islands Unveil Cofinancing Pact to Fast-Track Fiji Hospital and Tonga Lagoon Bridge
Two Pacific projects backed by a new cofinancing model aim to speed up progress in Fiji and Tonga. Fiji plans a regional hospital to tackle rising non-communicable diseases, while Tonga gears up for a major transport and water upgrade, including a lagoon bridge. The approach could reshape how lenders deliver rapid, large-scale development in vulnerable…
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Fiji Joins Wellington-Based Pacific Diplomatic Training to Boost Regional Ties
Fiji is taking part in a three-week Pacific Diplomatic Training programme in Wellington, designed to sharpen emerging diplomats and deepen regional ties. With the first week in the books, participants and partners are celebrating progress while looking ahead to applying new insights to strengthen Pacific diplomacy.
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Fiji-Australia Strengthen Ties on Sugar, Digitalization and Communities
Fiji and Australia take another step in their Vuvale partnership, with talks that touch on modernizing the sugar industry, exploring new investments, and digitalizing key histories. The discussions hint at practical steps to boost livelihoods, empower farmers, and strengthen social cohesion across communities.
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Fiji ties land rights to forest finance at COP30
Fiji stepped into the spotlight at COP30, linking forest protection to climate resilience and secure customary land rights. A new global roadmap aims to close the forest finance gap, with billions pledged for tropical forest conservation and stronger cooperation on fire management. The focus on Indigenous and community rights signals a path where people and…
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Fiji’s Rabuka Fights to Keep Pacific Voice at COP31
Fiji’s prime minister signals a renewed push for a Pacific-led COP31, weighing regional priorities as negotiations shift. With leaders weighing safeguards for Pacific voices and possible compromises, the roadmap for climate action in the Blue Pacific takes on fresh urgency.