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☆ The Tiny Nation at the Vanguard of Mining the Ocean Floor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Pete Mckenzie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two ships arrived in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific in March of last year. One was a familiar sight: a massive cruise ship, bringing hundreds of tourists to the pristine shores of this nation of 15,000 people. To Mr. Brown, the cruise ship represented his country’s troubling dependence on tourism. He described the other vessel, owned by an international mining company, as a harbinger of incredible wealth. The Cook Islands is at the vanguard of a quest to mine the ocean floor for minerals used in electric car batteries.

Persons: Mark Brown, Brown Organizations: South Pacific Locations: Cook, South

☆ I've saved thousands and traveled to dozens of countries using a home-swapping website
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The website helps facilitate accommodation exchanges between 150,000 users in 145 countries. Then HomeExchange sent me an offer, and I said to my husband, "Shall we give it a go?" The way it works is you subscribe to the website, make a profile, and list your home. We've stayed in places in Australia that are totally off the grid in conservation areas that don't have electricity. I think we've saved well over £100,000 using HomeExchange.

Persons: Julie Williams, HomeExchange, We've, That's, we've, John, I've, Martin, Mia, Monkey Mia, I'm Organizations: Service, NASA Locations: Devon, England, HomeExchange, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Caribbean, St, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Tasmania, Singapore, Nevis, Cook, Bali, Hong Kong, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Western Australia

☆ ‘Destination Dupes’ and Other Ways to Save Money in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Elaine Glusac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

While others focus on New Year’s resolutions, my family and I come up with a dream list of where we want to go. In 2024, more than half of American travelers plan to go where the cost of living is less expensive than their hometown, according to the online travel agency Booking.com. Sixty percent said they would look for “copycat vacations” or cheaper alternatives to expensive places. Frugal strategies — like traveling in off- or shoulder seasons, going where the dollar is strong and sampling unsung destinations — help make the most of your budget. The following destinations offer fresh and affordable incentives to visit in 2024.

Persons: ”, Brett Keller Organizations: Booking.com Locations: Thailand, Cook, South Korea

☆ Pacific Islands Need to Boost Digital Security to Join Undersea Cable, Says US Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kirsty NeedhamSYDNEY (Reuters) - Pacific Islands nations that want to connect to U.S.-funded undersea cables will need to secure their digital ecosystems to guard against data risks from China, a senior U.S. State Department official said. The United States pledged last year to jointly fund two undersea cables, to be built by Google, connecting the U.S. territory of Guam with hubs in Fiji and French Polynesia, and further branching out across remote Pacific Islands. The proposed intra-Pacific cable project has offered to branch out to Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Wallis and Futuna and the Federated States of Micronesia. China and the U.S. are jostling for influence in the Pacific Islands with competing offers for infrastructure. The Solomon Islands, which struck a security pact with Beijing, is rolling out a Chinese-funded mobile network built by Chinese telecommunications company Huawei.

Persons: Kirsty Needham SYDNEY, Nathaniel Fick, Kirsty Needham, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Pacific, U.S . State Department, United, Google, Futuna, Federated, The U.S . Department of, Washington, Sydney, Huawei, Telstra, Microsoft, U.S Locations: U.S, China, Guam, Fiji, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Wallis, Federated States, Micronesia, The, Solomon, Beijing, Australia, Asia, Pacific

☆ Exclusive: Greek shippers exit Russian oil trade as U.S. tightens price cap scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Tatiana Meel/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW/LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Three major Greek shipping firms have stopped transporting Russian oil in recent weeks in order to avoid U.S. sanctions now being imposed on some shipping firms carrying Russian oil, four traders told Reuters and shipping data showed. Greek shippers Minerva Marine, Thenamaris and TMS Tankers have stopped transporting Russia oil in recent weeks, the four traders said. The Greek shippers' exit from the trade followed tighter U.S. sanctions imposed on Russian oil shipments. The G7 countries introduced a price cap on Russian oil in late 2022, but had not previously enforced it. Russian oil trade has brought record revenues over the past year to the shippers who took the risk and stayed in the business.

Persons: Tatiana Meel, Thenamaris, Minerva, Jonathan Saul, Dmitry Zhdannikov, Eleftherios Papadimas, Susan Fenton Organizations: Nord, REUTERS, Minerva, TMS, Minerva Marine, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Nakhodka Bay, Nakhodka, Russia, LONDON, Asia, Turkey, East, Africa, South America, Moscow, Washington, OPEC, U.S, Baltic, India, Primorsk, Ust, Iran, Europe, UAE, Hong Kong, Seychelles, Ghana, Liberia, Cook, London, Athens

☆ The promise and risks of deep-sea mining
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +13 min

The promise and risks of deep-sea mining A vast treasure of critical minerals lies on the ocean floor. All of these factors make deep-sea mining more appealing, supporters say. Environmentalists, however, say it’s a false dichotomy, as land mining will continue whether or not deep-sea mining is allowed. Any country can allow deep-sea mining in its territorial waters, and Norway, Japan and the Cook Islands are close to allowing it. For now, the ISA's members are hotly debating the best standards for deep-sea mining.

Persons: Gerard Barron, Margo Deiye, “ We’re, ”, Barron, “, Beth Orcutt, Jason Gillham, Joe Carr, Pradeep Singh, Kira Mizell, Julia Wolfe, Katy Daigle, Claudia Parsons Organizations: International Energy Agency, P Global, Authority, United Nations, ISA, Metals Co, Russia's JSC, Blue Minerals, Exploration, Metals, Clarion, Companies, U.S . Geological Survey, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, The Metals Co, Northwest, Maine's Bigelow Laboratory, Ocean Sciences, Impossible Metals, NOAA, Research, Aquarium Research, Bigelow Laboratory, Research Institute, Sustainability, . Geological Survey Locations: Brazil, Norway, Japan, Cook, Vancouver, Blue, Blue Minerals Jamaica, China, Hawaii, Mexico, Nauru, U.S, Russia, France, India, Poland, Tokyo, Monterey

☆ No, 11,200 Climate Refugees Aren’t Heading to Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Natasha Frost | More About Natasha Frost | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu once comprised 11 islands. For decades, Tuvalu’s leaders have warned about the effects of the world’s emissions on this tiny place. “It’s a matter of disappearing from the surface of this earth,” Kausea Natano, the prime minister, said in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. And so when Mr. Natano and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia announced a bipartisan agreement this week between their nations that would help Tuvalu mitigate the effects of climate change, many anticipated a wholesale offer of climate-based asylum for Tuvalu’s approximately 11,200 citizens. At least in the short term, the truth is rather less dramatic.

Persons: “, Kausea Natano, Natano, Anthony Albanese Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, Australia, Pacific, Forum Locations: Tuvalu, Tuvalu’s, Cook, Australia

☆ Australia Foreign Minister Touts Tuvalu Security, Migration Pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations. Albanese has called the pact Australia's most significant agreement with a Pacific Island nation, giving "a guarantee that upon a request from Tuvalu for any military assistance based upon security issues, Australia will be there."

Persons: Penny Wong, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp Locations: Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

☆ Australia foreign minister touts Tuvalu security, migration pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations.

Persons: Penny Wong, Eduardo Munoz, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Australia's, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

☆ Pacific Islands leaders confirm former Nauru president as next top official
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nauru President Baron Divavesi Waqa addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The Pacific Islands Forum confirmed the selection of former Nauru President Baron Waqa as the 18-member bloc's next top official at a meeting on Friday in the Cook Islands. Current Nauru President David Adeang had abruptly left the annual leaders meeting a day earlier after objections were raised by at least one Pacific Islands leader over Waqa's nomination. Adeang did not travel with the other leaders to the island of Aitutaki, where meetings resumed on Friday. "I inherited a fractured Pacific forum.

Persons: Baron Divavesi Waqa, Eduardo Munoz, Baron Waqa, bloc's, David Adeang, Adeang, Waqa, Sitiveni Rabuka, Henry Puna, Kirsty Needham, Tom Hogue Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Pacific Islands Forum, Nauru, Fiji, Thomson Locations: Nauru, U.N, New York, U.S, Cook, Aitutaki, Taiwan, China, Micronesia, Polynesia, Melanesia

☆ Australia signs security, migration pact with Pacific's Tuvalu
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A man riding a motorbike is seen reflected in a puddle of water in Funafuti, Tuvalu, August 13, 2019. Under the treaty announced by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations. An Australian government official said this requirement covered any defence, police, port, telecommunications, energy or cyber security arrangements by Tuvalu. Although Australia has defence agreements with other Pacific Islands nations, in a region where China recently struck a security pact with Solomon Islands and is seeking to expand its policing ties and infrastructure projects, the Tuvalu treaty goes much further in positioning Australia as its primary security partner. Australia sees deeper economic and social integration with the Pacific Islands as a way to ensure the security of the region, a government official said.

Persons: Mick Tsikasvia, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Natano, " Albanese, Kirsty Needham, Alasdair Pal, Lewis Jackson, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing, Lincoln, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Australia's, Tuvalu, Pacific, Tuvalu Falepili, Australia, Canberra, Thomson Locations: Funafuti, Tuvalu, Australia, Taiwan, Beijing, Cook, China, Solomon Islands, Hawaii, Washington, Sydney

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A group of South Pacific leaders was due to travel to the stunning island of Aitutaki on Thursday to discuss climate change and other regional concerns. The forum culminates in a leaders' retreat Friday on Aitutaki, a beautiful island renowned for its picturesque lagoon. Albanese told reporters that Australia had gotten a positive reception in a region where climate change looms as an existential threat for many low-lying islands. Political Cartoons View All 1237 ImagesAlbanese's predecessor Scott Morrison was criticized for dragging his feet on climate change while championing Australia's lucrative coal and gas exports. “I am proud of the hard work and items before you today covering climate change, gender, fisheries, nuclear issues, and trade, among others,” Puna told forum attendees.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Scott Morrison, Henry Puna, ” Organizations: South Pacific, Forum, Australia Locations: WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Aitutaki, Cook, Henry, ” Puna, ” New Zealand

☆ US backs Pacific undersea internet cable amid China competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Joe Brock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Workers install the 2Africa undersea cable on the beach in Amanzimtoti, South Africa, February 7, 2023. The Central Pacific Cable would connect American Samoa with Guam - two U.S. territories - and extend to up to 12 more Pacific islands, according to a document showing the cable route. Undersea internet cables typically take at least 3-5 years to be developed and installed. Tonga was cut off from global telecommunication networks for a month last year after a volcanic eruption and tsunami severed its only undersea cable. Washington intervened two years ago to block a Chinese company from building another subsea internet cable in the Pacific islands, Reuters reported at the time.

Persons: Rogan Ward, Paul McCann, John Hibbard, APTelecom, Hibbard, McCann, Joe Biden, Biden, Solomon, Joe Brock, Kirsty Needham Organizations: REUTERS, Pacific, Reuters, Central Pacific Cable, Futuna, Federated, World Bank, U.S . Trade, Development Agency, U.S, East Micronesia Cable, Thomson Locations: Amanzimtoti, South Africa, China, SINGAPORE, United States, American Samoa, Guam, U.S, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Wallis, Federated States, Micronesia, Australia, New Zealand, Washington, Tonga, Beijing, Japan, Sydney

Ahead of a White House welcome for the leaders, Biden announced U.S. diplomatic recognition of two more Pacific islands nations, the Cook Islands and Niue. The White House said this year it would focus on priorities including climate change, economic growth, sustainable development, public health and countering illegal fishing. In Baltimore on Sunday, Pacific island leaders visited a Coast Guard cutter in the harbor and were briefed on combating illegal fishing by the Commandant of the Coast Guard, an official said. The White House in 2022 said the U.S. would invest more than $810 million in expanded programs to aid the Pacific islands. She added that Pacific island countries "welcome the U.S. re-engagement with the region, but don't want geopolitical tussles to result in an escalation of militarization."

Persons: Joe Biden, Walter E, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Manasseh Sogavare, Washington, Sogavare, Meg Keen, Sato Kilman, Kilman, Ishmael Kalsakau, David Brunnstrom, Trevor Hunnicutt, Kirsty Needham, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Washington Convention Center, REUTERS, Rights, Pacific, NFL, White, U.S ., Niue, Sunday, Coast Guard, Sunday's National Football League, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Solomon, Biden, Australia's Lowy Institute, USAID, Vanuatu, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Washington, Cook Islands, Niue, The U.S, Papua New Guinea, U.S, Asia, Cook, Baltimore, Pacific, China, Beijing, Congress, Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Kiribati, Hawaii, Palau, Micronesia, Marshall, Sydney

☆ Biden Hosts Pacific Islands, With a Rising China in Mind
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Michael Crowley | More About Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But Mr. Biden also announced that he was working with Congress to invest $40 million in infrastructure spending for the islands, and he said that the United States would establish diplomatic relations for the first time with the Cook Islands and Niue. But they are two of many recent moves the Biden administration has made to strengthen America’s presence in a region east and northeast of Australia. Over the past year, the United States has opened embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga, and plans to open one early next year in Vanuatu. When Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken landed in Fiji in February 2022, it was the first visit there by an American secretary of state in 36 years. Those steps are in no small part chess moves in response to growing Chinese influence in the region, which became particularly vivid last year when the Solomon Islands surprised U.S. officials by signing a sweeping security pact with Beijing.

Persons: Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Solomon Locations: United States, Cook Islands, Niue, Australia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, American, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Beijing

Pacific islands leaders gathered Monday for the start of a two-day Washington summit. As part of the summit, the U.S. is formally establishing diplomatic relations with two South Pacific nations, the Cook Islands and Niue. Biden announced Monday that later this year he would deploy a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to the region to collaborate and train with Pacific islands nations. The administration pledged the U.S. would add $810 million in new aid for Pacific islands nations over the next decade, including $130 million on efforts to stymie the impacts of climate change. The leaders will also meet on Monday with Biden's special envoy on climate, John Kerry, for talks focused on climate change.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, “, Antony Blinken, Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi, Mark Brown, Brown, ” Brown, John Kerry, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Kerry, Samantha Power, Janet Yellen, Anthony Albanese Organizations: WASHINGTON, Monday, Pacific Islands Forum, South Pacific, Niue Premier, Cook Islands, U.S ., U.S, Corporation, NFL, U.S . Coast Guard, White House, State Department, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Marshall, Federated, Australian Locations: Washington, United States, U.S, Cook Islands, Niue, Cook, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia , New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Baltimore, Pacific, Federated States, The U.S

During the three-day meeting, the U.S. will announce diplomatic recognition for two Pacific islands, promise new money for infrastructure, including to improve Internet connectivity via undersea cables, and honor regional leaders at an NFL game. SOME SKIP SUMMITSolomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who has deepened his country's ties with China, will skip the summit. The White House in 2022 said the U.S. would invest more than $810 million in expanded programs to aid the Pacific islands. She added that Pacific island countries "welcome the U.S. re-engagement with the region, but don't want geopolitical tussles to result in an escalation of militarization. "Vanuatu Prime Minister Sato Kilman will also not attend the summit, his office told Reuters.

Persons: Manasseh Sogavare, James Marape, David Kabua, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, Joe Biden, Biden, Washington, Sogavare, Meg Keen, Sato Kilman, Kilman, Ishmael Kalsakau, David Brunnstrom, Trevor Hunnicutt, Kirsty Needham, Don Durfee, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Solomon Islands, Guinea's, Samoa's, U.S ., NFL, White, Coast Guard, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Solomon, Biden, Pacific, Australia's Lowy Institute, USAID, Vanuatu, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Solomon, Papua, Marshall, U.S, WASHINGTON, Washington, Papua New Guinea, Asia, United States, Cook, Niue, Baltimore, Pacific, China, Beijing, Congress, Australia, The U.S, Vanuatu, Fiji, Kiribati, Hawaii, Palau, Micronesia, Sydney

☆ Biden to host Pacific Island leaders in U.S. charm offensive against China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 46th Annual Gala in Washington, U.S. September 21, 2023. President Joe Biden will host a second summit with Pacific Island leaders this week, part of a U.S. charm offensive to block further Chinese inroads into a strategic region Washington has long considered its own backyard. During the three-day meeting, the U.S. will announce diplomatic recognition for two Pacific Islands, promise new money for infrastructure — including improving Internet connectivity via undersea cables — and honor regional leaders at an NFL game. That plan was scrapped when a U.S. debt-ceiling crisis forced Biden to cut short an Asia trip. The leaders will also attend Sunday's football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: Congressional Hispanic Caucus, NFL, White, Coast Guard, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Washington, Papua New Guinea, Asia, United States, Cook, Niue, Baltimore, Pacific

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to announce the opening of new U.S. embassies on Cook Islands and Niue on Monday as the Democratic administration aims to demonstrate to Pacific Island leaders that it remains committed to increasing American presence in the region. The announcement about the new diplomatic missions in the South Pacific comes as Biden prepares to welcome leaders to Washington for the two-day U.S.-Pacific Island Forum Summit. Talks are expected to heavily focus on the impact of climate change in the region. They also will meet on Monday with Biden's special envoy on climate, John Kerry, for talks focused on climate change. Kerry and USAID administrator Samantha Power will host the leaders on Tuesday for climate talks with members of the philanthropic community.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, John Kerry, Antony Blinken, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Samantha Power, Janet Yellen, Manasseh Sogavare, Meltek Sato Kilman, Ishmael Kalsakau, Anthony Albanese Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Forum, White, Baltimore Ravens, Coast Guard, U.S . Coast Guard, White House, Pacific, State Department, USAID, Marshall, Federated, Solomon Islands, General Assembly, The U.S, Australian Locations: Cook Islands, Niue, South, Washington, Baltimore Harbor, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia , New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Kerry, Federated States, The U.S, Solomon, New York, China, Papua, Guinea, The

☆ When Fiji Beats Australia, and It Almost Isn’t an Upset
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Victor Mather | More About Victor Mather | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fiji, population 900,000, defeated Australia, population 25 million, at the Rugby World Cup in St. Etienne, France, on Sunday. Fiji had not defeated Australia, a two-time winner of the event, since 1954. Fiji and other tiny Pacific islands consistently punch above their weight in rugby, unlike just about any other international sports competition. In its opening World Cup game it came agonizingly close to beating another traditional power, Wales. The Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Niue, Tahiti and the Solomon Islands also field men’s teams in international competition.

Organizations: Rugby, Fiji, England, Chile Locations: Fiji, Australia, St, Etienne, France, Wales, Georgia, Portugal, Samoa, Tonga, Ireland, Cook, Papua New Guinea, Niue, Tahiti, Solomon

☆ Growing global nuclear tensions calls for reinvigorating the Rarotonga treaty, says Cook Islands' PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGrowing global nuclear tensions calls for reinvigorating the Rarotonga treaty, says Cook Islands' PMMark Brown, prime minister of the Cook Islands, says it is important that Pacific countries have a voice and are heard in calling for nuclear-powered nations to deescalate potential conflict.

Persons: Mark Brown Locations: Rarotonga, Cook

☆ Reaction to Japan's release of water from Fukushima nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is seen from Namie Town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 24, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsAug 24 (Reuters) - Here are reactions to Japan's release of treated radioactive water from its destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Thursday. HONG KONG PROTESTER JACAY SHUM, 73:"Japan's actions in discharging contaminated water are very irresponsible, illegal, and immoral. CHINA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY:"The disposal of contaminated water in Fukushima is a major nuclear safety issue with cross-border implications, and is by no means a private matter for Japan alone. "Since the peaceful use of nuclear energy by mankind, there has been no precedent for man-made discharge of water polluted by nuclear accidents into the ocean, and there is no accepted disposal standard.

Persons: HONG, JACAY SHUM, RAFAEL MARIANO GROSSI, MARK BROWN, Lincoln, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, GENERAL, IAEA, SOUTH, COOK, OF, PACIFIC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Fukushima prefecture, Japan, HONG KONG, Fukushima, SOUTH KOREA

☆ Pacific Islands divided over Fukushima water release, says Cook Islands PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) chair and Prime Minister of Cook Islands, Mark Stephen Brown, speaks during the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit at the former presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 29, 2023. Ahn Young-joon/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, chairman of the Pacific Islands bloc, said that science supported Japan's decision to pump treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, but that the region may not agree on the "complex" issue. Not all Pacific leaders had the same position and the Pacific Islands Forum may not reach a collective position, he said. The United States conducted nuclear tests in the Pacific Islands in the 1940s and 1950s, and France between 1966 and 1996. A Pacific Nuclear Free Zone was established in 1985 under a treaty that prevents the dumping of radioactive materials.

Persons: Mark Stephen Brown, Ahn Young, Mark Brown, Brown, Sitiveni Rabuka, Kirsty Needham, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Islands, Pacific Islands, presidential Blue House, Rights, Cook Islands, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Pacific, United, Fijian, Melanesian Spearhead Group, Thomson Locations: Cook Islands, Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Japan, China, Cook, United States, France, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands

☆ Australia to set up Pacific Championship in rugby league diplomacy play
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Australia said it would commit A$7 million for a Pacific rugby league championship, in a "football diplomacy" move seen as boosting Australia's soft power amid competition for influence with China. Women's and men's teams from seven countries will compete in the Pacific Rugby League Championships, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday. About half of players in Australia's National Rugby League competition are of Pasifika heritage, said Pat Conroy, the minister for international development and the Pacific. The Australian government has funded a PNG team in the Queensland state rugby competition, and a Fijian team in the NSW state competition, he said. Albanese said that the Pacific Championship will showcase women's rugby league, and that the Matildas had shown how women's sport can inspire nations.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, Albanese, Pat Conroy, Conroy, Mary Fowler, Kirsty Needham, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, Pacific, Pacific Rugby League, Pacific Islands Forum, New, Australia's National Rugby League, rugby, Fijian, league, Thomson Locations: Australia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, New South Wales, Queensland, Pacific, NSW

☆ I work remotely from a Caribbean island. Here's how I relocated from Oregon, found love, and started a family, without comprising my career.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Ashley Couto | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Shelby Smith took a six-month career break and traveled to Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island. Smith fell in love and moved from Portland, Oregon, to Curaçao permanently to start her family. I visited Curaçao on vacation and knew I'd be backI visited Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island, on vacation in 2019. Three days before I landed, the whole island went on lockdown. If you think living on a remote island would be much cheaper, think againSome living costs on the island are cheaper, but others are more expensive.

Persons: Shelby Smith, Smith, I'd, Curaçao Organizations: Service, Facebook Locations: Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean, Portland , Oregon, Wall, Silicon, Aitutaki, Cook, Portland, Reveri, Netherlands, United States, American

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