Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

UN Expert Calls for 'Defossilization' of World Economy, Criminal Penalties for Big Oil Climate Disinformation
As health officials across Europe issued warnings Monday about extreme heat that could stretch into the middle of the week in several countries—the kind of dangerous conditions that meteorologists have consistently said are likely to grow more...

Explainer: How Does Australia’s World-First Climate Visa for Tuvalu Citizens Work?
In the face of the “existential threat posed by climate change,” the new visa offers Tuvalu citizens a pathway to permanent residency in Australia. Since mid-June, more than a third of Tuvalu’s population has registered for an online ballot to...

Why one third of Tuvalu’s population hopes to relocate to Australia
James Ellmoor, CEO of an agency focused on sustainable development for small island states called Island Innovation, said the response was ‘not surprising’. Ellmoor acknowledged that the current application rates suggest that vast majority of...

What is Australia’s 'Climate Visa' and why are Tuvaluans turning towards it
More than one-third of Tuvalu’s population has applied for a new Australian climate visa, as fears rise over the island nation’s long-term survival due to rising sea levels. Located in the Pacific Ocean between Australia and Hawaii, Tuvalu is...

Why one third of Tuvalu’s population hopes to relocate to Australia
James Ellmoor, CEO of an agency focused on sustainable development for small island states called Island Innovation, said the response was ‘not surprising’. Ellmoor acknowledged that the current application rates suggest that vast majority of...

Tuvalu: Are its allies doing enough to unlock its ocean wealth?
Tuvalu, a tiny dot in the vast South Pacific, faces a unique challenge. With a population of just under 10,000 spread across a mere 26 square kilometres, its geographic isolation and modest size naturally limit traditional avenues for growth. Yet,...

UN General Assembly adopts resolution demanding immediate Gaza ceasefire
The result of the vote to adopt a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is shown on the screens during an Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, on June 12, 2025. The General Assembly,...

Half of Tuvalu applies for Australia’s new climate visa
REUTERS/MANON CRUZ Prime Minister of Tuvalu Feleti Penitala Teo delivers a speech during a plenary session at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which gathers leaders, researchers and activists to discuss how to protect marine...
Australia is offering a special ‘climate’ visa – and people in Tuvalu are applying fast
Tuvalu, home to about 10,000 or so people scattered across nine small coral islands, has been losing land to rising seas.PHOTO: AFP As sea levels rise, Australia said it would offer a special, first-of-its-kind “climate visa” to citizens of...

World Bank: Conflict, instability driving extreme poverty in Nigeria and 38 other economies
The World Bank has raised alarm over the growing impact of conflict and instability on 39 developing economies, including Nigeria, warning that these states are being left behind on key development indicators, with extreme poverty, hunger, and...

A solidarity success and a climate failure: Thousands of Tuvaluans seek new visa to Australia
More than a third of people from the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu are seeking to move to Australia through an unprecedented climate visa scheme that opened last week. Signed by the two countries in 2023, the Falepili Union provides a pathway...

Where Is Tuvalu And Why 1/3 Of Its Population Are Scrambling To Transfer To Australia
Tuvalu, a tiny Polynesian Pacific nation, faces a threat that could make it vanish within decades. Dubbed the 'fastest disappearing island', more than a third of its population is now actively seeking to escape an uncertain future by moving to...

1 in 3 Tuvaluans is bidding for a new ‘climate visa’ to Australia – here’s why everyone may ultimately end up applying
In just four days, one-third of the population of Tuvalu entered a ballot for a new permanent visa to Australia. This world-first visa will enable up to 280 Tuvaluans to move permanently to Australia each year, from a current population of about...

Building Pacific capacities to support trade and market access
To strengthen the skills of Pacific biosecurity, border control, exporter representatives and relevant stakeholders in using Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) databases and platforms, a regional capacity-building workshop is underway in...

Facing Rising Seas, Thousands in Tuvalu Seek an Escape Through Australia
As rising sea levels gradually swallow the world’s low-lying island nations, many citizens will have no choice but to leave their homes behind. In Tuvalu, one of the world’s most climate-threatened archipelagos, the migration has already begun....

'Slow but sure' economic rise in most of Pacific - World Bank
Photo: AFP The Pacific regional economy is growing, slowly but surely, reports the World Bank. In their latest Pacific update, released 17 June, they argue for more employment of women to help the economy amidst global economic uncertainty,...

Worsening global economic conditions expect to slow economic growth in the Pacific
By: Bernadette Carreon According to the June Pacific Economic Update by the World Bank, economic growth in the Pacific Islands is projected to decelerate in 2025. This slowdown is primarily due to worsening global financial conditions and slower...

UN expects climate finance roadmap to offer “clear next steps”
Climate negotiators in Bonn have been tasked with taking a “deep dive” into how a roadmap to boost climate finance for developing countries should look, so that it can be finalised at COP30 in Brazil – but a series of consultations last week...

Friends to all: Competing for Pacific security partnerships
The Pacific faces a rapidly evolving security environment. Foreign partners increasingly compete for comprehensive partnerships, engagements, coordination and influence. Security risks are also evolving, with a greater emphasis on climate- and...

Treasury’s migration forecast looks shaky as long-term numbers set to surge
Despite Treasury’s forecast of a migration cooldown, policy settings suggest Australia’s population surge is far from over, writes Dr Abul Rizvi. TREASURY IS FORECASTING net migration settling long-term at around 230,000 per annum. While this is...