Kiribati considers constitutional change
| | WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 27 August 2026 (RNZ) - Kiribati could be on the brink of amending its constitution to stop future governments from switching diplomatic recognition back to Taiwan, with its parliament set to vote on a bill declaring that maintaining ties with countries not recognised by the United Nations is "embarrassing" and like a poor marriage. The Pacific nation has switched diplomatic recognition between China and Taiwan three times, most recently in 2019 when it dumped Taipei and re-established diplomatic ties with Beijing. |
After decades of struggle, is Bougainville on the brink of statehood?
| | WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 27 August 2026 (RNZ) - We could be about to find out whether a part of the Pacific Islands will become the world's newest nation. After a seven-year wait, Papua New Guinea's parliament is today expected to finally table the question of whether to approve of independence for the country's autonomous region of Bougainville. |
Iceland holds knife-edge referendum on EU
| | REYKJAVIK, Iceland, 27 August 2026 (BBC) - Inside a waterfront factory, workers in hairnets and blue overalls are sorting freshly caught cod and haddock, and machines process the fish into fillets, mostly bound for Europe. Visir fishing boss Pétur Pálsson, who fears joining the European Union would cost Iceland jobs and drive factories abroad, says: "If we are in the EU, they will be the ones who make the policy." On Saturday, voters in this island nation of almost 400,000 people will decide whether their country should resume talks on joining the EU. It is a referendum that polls suggest is too close to call. |
The Indian Ocean is sounding the alarm
| | VICTORIA, Seychelles, 26 August 2026 (IPS) - Across this vast ocean, the latest monitoring by Mercator Ocean International shows marine heatwave conditions ranging from moderate to severe. At the same time, the World Meteorological Organization expects a strong El Niño to intensify through August to October, with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole also likely to develop. These are not distant scientific signals. They are an urgent warning that the ocean system on which millions depend is under mounting stress. |
U.S., allies kick off drills at strategic Norwegian island
| | ANNAPOLIS, US, 26 August 2026 (USNI) - U.S., Norwegian and U.K. forces deployed Wednesday to Jan Mayen, a strategic island in the Norwegian Sea for a NATO Arctic Sentry enhanced Vigilance Activity. The trilateral operation is meant to strengthen NATO’s ability to operate jointly in challenging Arctic conditions and will integrate multinational sensors, command-and-control nodes and precision fires into a joint kill web in support of NATO and U.S. Homeland defense, according to a U.S. Marine Corps release. |
|
 |
CBD |
 | | COP16 21 Oct-1 Nov, 2024, Cali, Colombia |
|
UNFCCC |
| | COP29 11-22 November, 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan |
|
ISLAND DYNAMICS |
| | DARKNESS II conference, 20-23 January 2025, Nuuk, Greenland |
|
JICAS |
| | Islands And Island Studies conference 3-7 June, 2025, Jersey, Channel Islands |
|
UNITED NATIONS |
| | UN Ocean Conference 9-13 June, 2025, Nice, France |
|
UPEI |
| | 3rd international conference on SIS and SNIJs 16-20 June, 2025, Charlottetown, PEI |
|
ARCTIC COUNCIL |
| | UArctic Congress 26-29 May 2026, Torshavn, Faroe Islands |
|
SICRI |
| | Island Studies International Conference 25-28 June, 2026, Tacloban City, Leyte Islands, Philippines |
|
SPREP |
| | 11th Pacific Islands Conference for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, 7–11 September 2026, Noumea, New Caledonia |
|
ANATOMY OF ISLANDS |
| | 14th Anatomy of Islands symposium 15-17 Oct, 2026, Jelsa, Hvar Island, Croatia |
|
SOCIETY OF ISLAND BIOLOGY |
| | 5th Island Biology conference 2-6 November, 2026, Atami City, Japan |
|
IWRA |
| | 2nd Islands Water Congress 27-29 Jan, 2027, Montego Bay, Jamaica |
|
ISISA |
| | 21st Islands of the Word Conference 6-10 June, 2027, Willemstad, Curacao |
|
