Tuvalu

Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano met Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman in Riyadh to discuss prospects for joint cooperation in energy sectors

His Excellency Rashid Matar Al Qemzi presented his credentials to His Excellency Rev. Tofiga Vaevalu Falani, Governor General of Tuvalu, as Non-Resident Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates

Project Digital Nation is underway and involves digitising Tuvalu's islets, species, traditional songs, recipes, language and it is thought the government may enter the metaverse and be administered virtually

Tuvalu's new Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Tapugao Falefou, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres; since 2020 Tapugao Falefou has been Secretary to the Government of Tuvalu

The country is expected to hold parliamentary elections this year, probably in September

The small nation is also part of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania, specifically within the Pacific Episcopal Conference that includes all the minor Pacific states

Tuvalu and Taiwan signed a joint declaration on parliamentary cooperation; Tuvalu Parliament Speaker Samuelu Penitala Teo emphasised the long history of linguistic and cultural ties between the two countries

Speaker of the Tuvalu Parliament Samuelu Penitala Teo will meet President Tsai Ing-wen during his visit to Taiwan in 8-12 January, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Tuvalu still has hopes of joining the world football body, FIFA; however, the country faces climate change, which often renders the airstrip used as an alternative football pitch unusable

PM of Tuvalu and the PM of Antigua and Barbuda submitted a request to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for an advisory opinion on the obligations of States under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

The Pacific Community, with financial support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has deployed a team of nurses and experts to help the country with the pandemic

As rising sea levels could cover the country, Minister of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs said it will become a 'digital nation' as part of a campaign created with Accenture's Song The Monkeys agency and production company Collider

Covid-19 cases in Tuvalu rose to over 400 last week, with all health facilities in the country to remain in Covid-19 emergency mode