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☆ Election Updates: As the V.P. race heats up, Tim Scott will hold a fund-raiser with Trump-resistant donors.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Michael C. Bender | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

“You know, I’m a fan of his father,” Mr. Schlossberg says, as Jimmy. Mr. Schlossberg has long been in Mr. Biden’s corner. The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to questions of whether Mr. Schlossberg’s video barrage had been coordinated with the campaign. At minimum, Mr. Schlossberg, who has hinted in the past that he has his eye on elected office, has demonstrated a willingness to take comedic risks. Whatever his flaws, and however reliant he may be on hackneyed stereotypes, Mr. Schlossberg is plainly a committed performer.

Persons: John F, Kennedy, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Jack Schlossberg, ”, Donald J, Ben Affleck, ” Mr, Schlossberg, Jimmy, Wade, Anthony, Mr, “, Caroline Kennedy, Solomon, Matthew Abbott, Joshua, Camelot, John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, Biden, Jim Wilson, —, — “ Organizations: Trump, Kennedys, The New York Times, New York Jewish, Federal Reserve, Convention, Mr, Democratic, Ivy League, New York Times Locations: America’s, Russian, Massachusetts, China, Russia, New, England, Biden’s, Australia, New York City

☆ Why Australia's National Rugby League could help curb China's Pacific influence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Australia's National Rugby League could help stop China from gaining more influence in the South Pacific. AdvertisementThe US appears to be courting an unlikely ally to help stop China from building its political and economic influence in the Pacific: Australia's National Rugby League. The Australian Financial Review reported that the White House will support those plans, which policymakers believe could help counter China's efforts to assert itself in the South Pacific. The South Pacific has emerged as a key battleground between Beijing and Washington in recent years. It's popular in Australia, New Zealand, northern England, France, and across the Pacific Islands and has slightly different rules to rugby union.

Persons: Joe Biden, —, Peter V'landys, Biden, Kamala Harris, Spencer Leniu, Ezra Mam Organizations: Australia's National Rugby League, Service, Financial, Biden, NRL, Sydney Morning Herald, Kiribati . Rugby, The Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, Roosters, Broncos Locations: China, South, Papua New Guinea, New South Wales, Queensland, United States, Australia, Washington , DC, Beijing, Washington, Solomon, Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, New Zealand, England, France, Las Vegas

☆ ‘Scandals and secrets’: On board the world’s most exclusive private residential ship
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Welcome to The World, an exclusive private residential ship home to 165 superluxe apartments. Antonucci’s children were in their early 20s during his stint as a World resident, but they came and visited their parents on board from time to time. Unlike on an ordinary cruise ship, residents are able to make renovations and decorate according to personal tastes. Peter AntonucciFor many residents, the social life on board The World is also a big part of the appeal. The World’s owners also chose not to respond to Antonucci’s account of life on board.

Persons: CNN —, – you’ve, “ I’m, Peter Antonucci, you’ve, Antonucci, he’d, ”, he's, Peter Antonucci Antonucci, “, Antonucci didn’t, they’d, Antonucci can’t, ” Antonucci, –, aren’t, “ They’re, I’ve, ’ Antonucci, There’s, carousing ”, wasn’t, I’d, ‘, Antonucci “, he’s Organizations: CNN, HBO, CNN Travel, “, Street, Wimbledon, ” Locations: Antonucci, Belize, Panama, New York, Europe, Maldives, Seychelles, Australia, New Zealand, London, Rio de Janeiro, Florida, Solomon Islands, South Africa

☆ PNG Assures Australia on Security Ties as Leader Marape Arrives on Visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Australia and the United States have been alarmed by China's security ambitions in the Pacific Islands region since Beijing struck a security and policing deal with Solomon Islands. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma urged PNG to reject a security deal with China, in comments reported by the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday. PNG would not strike a security agreement with China, he said in an interview with the ABC broadcast on Wednesday. China "understand clearly where we stand on security in the region and that is with our close traditional partners, Australia, U.S., New Zealand", he added. Even before the riots, he had pointed to law-and-order concerns and said boosting security would help to attract foreign investment in PNG's burgeoning resources sector.

Persons: James Marape, Marape, Justin Tkachenko, Tkachenko, Richard Verma, Tkatchenko, Penny Wong, Kirsty Needham, Michael Perry Organizations: SYDNEY, Papua New Guinea, Reuters, U.S, Sydney Morning Herald, Australian, ABC Locations: Papua New, Canberra, Australia, China, United States, Beijing, Solomon Islands, Port Moresby, U.S, , New Zealand

☆ US Official Urges Papua New Guinea to Reject Chinese Security Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A senior U.S. state department official urged Papua New Guinea(PNG) to turn down China's offer of a potential security pact, warning the Pacific nation that any security guarantee with Beijing comes with consequences and costs. "We've seen that the Chinese commitment in defence or investment comes with a high cost. That's what we'd say to PNG," United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma told the Sydney Morning Herald in an interview published on Monday. Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko told Reuters last week that it was in early talks with China on a potential security deal. PNG has previously said Australia and the U.S. were its security partners, while China was an important economic partner.

Persons: Richard Verma, Justin Tkachenko, Tkachenko, Verma, James Marape, it's, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Beijing, United States, Sydney Morning Herald, Papua New Guinea, Reuters, Solomon Islands, South Locations: U.S, Papua New Guinea, Papua New, China, Australia, Beijing, Solomon, Sydney

☆ 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

☆ Papua New Guinea to recruit Australia police in security deal - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape will travel to Canberra on Thursday to sign the security agreement, his office said. "The security arrangement is in the best interest of Papua New Guinea and also for Australia and its regional security interests," Marape said in a statement on Tuesday. The Australian Federal Police and the defence minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the security agreement. "Its a big issue and Australia can help us out considerably," said Tkatchenko, who began negotiations with Australia on the deal last year. They will be contracted officers reporting directly to the police commissioner of Papua New Guinea and they will be under all the laws of PNG.

Persons: James Marape, Lillian Suwanrumpha, Marape, Justin Tkatchenko, Tkatchenko, Kirsty Needham, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Guinea's, APEC, APEC Business, Economic Cooperation, Rights, Papua New Guinea, Australia, U.S, Reuters, Defence, Australian Federal Police, PNG Royal Constabulary, CID, Australian, Thomson Locations: Papua, Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, biosecurity, Papua New, Canberra, United States, China, Solomon Islands, Australia, France

☆ Giant guinea pig-sized rats that climb trees and chomp coconuts were photographed for the first time by researchers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Vangunu giant rat is a species that exists only on one of the Solomon Islands. They were trying to capture evidence of the Vangunu giant rat, Uromys vika. It's been known to eat green coconuts , but researchers had never seen a live rat. Despite its large size, the giant rat was difficult to spot. The Vangunu giant rat is critically endangered, and logging has destroyed its habitat.

Persons: —, Tyrone Lavery, It's, Lavery, vika, it's, " Lavery, Vika Organizations: Service, University of Melbourne, Solomon Islands National University, Solomon, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Locations: Solomon Islands, Vangunu, Zaira, Solomon, New Guinea

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (AP) — From underwater drones to electronic warfare, the U.S. is expanding its high-tech military cooperation with Australia and the United Kingdom as part of a broader effort to counter China’s rapidly growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with defense chiefs from Australia and the United Kingdom at the U.S. military’s defense technology hub in Silicon Valley on Friday to forge a new agreement to increase technology cooperation and information sharing. The three nations have laid out plans for the so-called AUKUS partnership to help equip Australia with a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines. AUKUS is an acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He added that as an island nation, Australia has a need for improved maritime drones and precision strike capabilities.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, ” Austin, Richard Marles, Grant Shapps, Austin, Marles, Shapps, we’ve, aren’t, Adam Bry, Alex Horn, Horn Organizations: Pacific . Defense, Australian Defense, Defense Innovation Unit, Britain, U.S, Australian Navy, Solomon Islands, warfighters, Air Force, Morris Air National Guard Base Locations: California, U.S, Australia, United Kingdom, Silicon Valley, United States, Virginia, Adelaide, China, Pacific, South China, Beijing, Solomon, Taiwan, DIU, Arizona

☆ Rare Giant Rat Is Photographed Alive for First Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Rebecca Carballo | More About Rebecca Carballo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, the Indigenous people on Vangunu, one of the Solomon Islands, had insisted a critically endangered giant rat that could chew through coconuts still lived among the trees of the forest, though its numbers had dwindled as loggers destroyed its habitat. But it turned out the people of the village of Zaira were right. Researchers from the University of Melbourne and Solomon Islands National University, with help from the local community, recently captured photos of the Vangunu giant rat, or Uromys vika. It is one of the world’s rarest rodents and Vangunu is the only island it is known to inhabit. The rat, called Vika by the people of Vangunu, is at least twice the size of a common rat, at about 18 inches, half of which accounts for the tail, researchers said.

Organizations: University of Melbourne, Solomon Islands National University Locations: Solomon, Zaira, Vangunu

☆ Fiji PM: China likely to collaborate on key port, shipyard project
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Lincoln Feast/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told parliament on Wednesday the Pacific Islands nation was likely to collaborate with China on a key port modernisation and shipyard project, after discussing it in a meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping. Fiji previously sought Australia's involvement to build a modern ship-building facility at Lautoka, officials and a consultant to Rabuka on the project told Reuters. Rabuka told Fiji's parliament on Wednesday his government was focused on upgrading infrastructure, "particularly the modernisation of port facilities and shipyards". An Australian-based ship design company said Rabuka had earlier sought the involvement of Australia, Fiji's largest aid donor, in the shipyard project. China has been pushing for greater security and trade ties with Pacific Islands countries.

Persons: Sitiveni Rabuka, Xi Jinping, Rabuka, Xi, Stuart Ballantyne, Ballantyne, Vajira Piyasena, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Lincoln, Rights, Fiji Prime, Wednesday, Reuters, APEC, Wednesday Fiji, Fiji Ports, Fiji Ships, Heavy Industry, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Fiji, Suva, China, Lautoka, Australia, San Francisco, Australian, tradespeople, Pacific, Solomon Islands, United States, Papua New Guinea

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The eruption of Papua New Guinea’s tallest volcano subsided Tuesday, but thick ash still billowed into the sky and coated roofs and palm trees nearby. The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin, Australia, reported volcanic smoke rising as high as 15,000 meters (50,000 feet) on Monday. The nearest large town is Bialla, which is established among palm oil plantations on Ulawun’s slopes 47 kilometers (29 miles) to the southwest, the division said. Hargy Oil Palm Ltd., a company based in Bialla, did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. The division said heavy coatings of black ash were causing leaves to droop in palm oil plantations near the volcano and were accumulating on roofs.

Persons: Ulawun, Mount Ulawun Organizations: Pacific, Guinea’s Geohazards Management, Ash Advisory, Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Ltd, World Bank, Papua New, ” Locations: CANBERRA, Australia, Papua, New Britain, Darwin, Papua New Guinea, Mount, Port Moresby, Honiara, Solomon, Bialla, Japan, ” Papua New Guinea

☆ Australia criticises China for 'unsafe, unprofessional' naval interaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles attends a joint news conference with France's Foreign and Defence ministers at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, France, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military divers injured. He said despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of the diving operation and requesting that it keep clear, the destroyer approached "at a closer range". "Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water." The conduct was "unsafe and unprofessional", Marles said.

Persons: Richard Marles, Sarah Meyssonnier, Marles, Sam McKeith, Tom Hogue Organizations: Australia's, France's Foreign, Quai d'Orsay, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, PLA, HMAS, People's Liberation Army Navy, Solomon Islands, U.S, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, China, Australian, Toowoomba, HMAS Toowoomba, Australia, Solomon, United States, Sydney

☆ Australia Criticises China for 'Unsafe, Unprofessional' Naval Interaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military divers injured. "While diving operations were underway a PLA-N destroyer (DDG-139) operating in the vicinity closed towards HMAS Toowoomba," Marles said in a statement, referring to a ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy. He said despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of the diving operation and requesting that it keep clear, the destroyer approached "at a closer range". "Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water." The conduct was "unsafe and unprofessional", Marles said.

Persons: Richard Marles, Marles, Sam McKeith, Tom Hogue Organizations: SYDNEY, Defence, PLA, HMAS, People's Liberation Army Navy, Solomon Islands, U.S Locations: China, Australian, Toowoomba, HMAS Toowoomba, Australia, Solomon, United States, Sydney

☆ China Hopes Fiji Will Continue 'Firm' Support for Chinese Issues - Chinese State Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said it hopes Fiji will continue to give 'firm' support to it on issues concerning Chinese core interests and major concerns, Chinese state media cited President Xi Jinping as saying to Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. Xi told Rabuka that China will continue to support Fiji in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, Chinese state television said. China supports Fiji in independently choosing its own development path and achieving national development and revitalisation, Xi said. China is also willing to increase Fijian imports, support commercial investments into Fiji and encourage more tourists to visit Fiji. China has been pushing for greater security and trade ties with Pacific Islands countries, signing in July a policing pact with Solomon Islands and raising alarm for the United States.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Sitiveni Rabuka, Xi, Rabuka, Liz Lee, Christopher Cushing, Stephen Coates Organizations: Fijian, Economic Cooperation, Fiji, Pacific Locations: BEIJING, China, Fiji, Asia, San Francisco, Pacific, Solomon Islands, United States, Beijing

SYDNEY/BEIJING Nov 13 (Reuters) - Australia scored a significant win for influence in the Pacific Islands region with a trump card that China, seeking to expand security ties, doesn't have: the opportunity of resettlement. "It is something China can't do," said Australian National University Pacific expert Graeme Smith. "China can turn up and offer more infrastructure money... they can't turn up and offer this kind of resettlement relationship. Australia also will be able to block any policing deal between China and Tuvalu - as well as any telecommunications, energy or port deal - under its treaty. "Cooperation in the Pacific region tends to focus on non-traditional security, including maintenance of public security and infrastructure to deal with climate change," he added.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Graeme Smith, Richard Marles, Peter Dean, Smith, Wang Yiwei, Kirsty Needham, Martin Pollard, Miral Organizations: SYDNEY, Pacific, Australian National University Pacific, Pacific Islanders, Defence, United States Studies Centre, Albanese's, Pacific Games, State, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Renmin University, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Australia, China, Tuvalu, Washington, Beijing, Rarotonga, Sydney, Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Kiribati, U.S, United States, Pacific

☆ 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

☆ 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

Instead, ongoing exercises in Hawaii, which conclude Friday, highlight part of a new American approach to Pacific defense and deterrence, with a focus on small groups of mobile land forces operating from islands like those off China's coast. As part of its “Operation Pathways” revamp of Pacific defense set in motion nearly a decade ago, the U.S. has been increasing its number of exercises with partners in the Indo-Pacific. “And that helps the U.S. to overcome its numerical disadvantages as China's navy is continuing to expand. The exercises provide experience in technical and procedural interoperability and also build human bonds that can be critical in times of crisis. Austin’s travels overlap with Secretary of State Antony Blinken ’s own visits to Tokyo, Seoul and New Delhi.

Persons: ”, Marcus Evans, Euan Graham, ” Graham, Evans, ” Evans, Defense Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken ’, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Graham Organizations: 25th Infantry Division, U.S . Air Force, Wheeler Army, U.S . Department of Defense, U.S . Navy, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, U.S, United States Army, Defense, ” Aircraft Locations: BANGKOK, Taiwan, U.S, Beijing, China, Israel, Iran, Hawaii, American, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, Britain, Oahu, United States, Mariana Islands, Guam, Pacific, Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Australia, India, Tokyo, Seoul, New Delhi, Solomon Islands, Washington

☆ Exclusive: Google to run internet cables to Pacific islands in Australia-US deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) will run undersea cables powering internet access to at least eight far-flung Pacific Ocean nations under a joint U.S.-Australian deal set to be announced on Wednesday, according to a U.S. official. The deal will expand an existing commercial project by Google in the region to the nations of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Set to be announced during an official White House visit by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the previously unreported deal involves contributions from both governments. Google is currently working on a fiber-optic cable that links Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by China, with the Philippines and the United States. As part of the Pacific islands project, the United States will work with the countries on cybersecurity resilience, helping them back up key information to global cloud networks, according to the official.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, White, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Trevor Hunnicutt, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Google, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Australian, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, U.S, Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Timor, Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Canberra, Washington, China, United States, Taiwan, Philippines

☆ Australia, U.S. Leaders to Discuss Pacific Infrastructure, Critical Minerals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Kirsty NeedhamSYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia and the United States will announce plans to cooperate on critical minerals and bolster Pacific Islands infrastructure as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Washington this week, a senior Biden administration official said. The two leaders will flesh out details of further cyber security cooperation, in addition to a $5 billion Microsoft investment in Australia, the Biden administration official said. The minerals that will power the globe in the 21st century are things that Australia has significant amounts of," he told reporters in Washington on Monday. Albanese and Biden will also discuss the South China Sea, where tensions between China and the Philippines are rising. The partnership aims to sell Australia nuclear-powered submarines and build a new class of submarine in Australia by 2040.

Persons: Kirsty Needham SYDNEY, Anthony Albanese, Albanese's, Biden, Albanese, Kirsty Needham, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Biden, U.S, U.S . Department of Defense, USAID, Australia, U.S . Congress Locations: Australia, United, Pacific, Washington, United States, U.S, China, Papua New Guinea, Solomon, Philippines, Britain

☆ What is most significant in the Pentagon's China military report?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MISSILES:The report said China probably completed the construction of its three new silo fields in 2022, which has at least 300 new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos. The report said China may be exploring developing conventionally armed intercontinental-range missile systems, which, if developed, could allow Beijing to threaten the United States. OVERSEAS BASING:China has been expanding its global military footprint, though it is still much smaller than the United States' network of bases. U.S. ASSISTANCEWhile the report said China has generally ignored or denied the United States' efforts to have military-to-military talks, it described an occasion when Beijing required U.S. assistance. In April 2023, the Chinese military requested U.S. assistance in evacuating Chinese diplomats from Khartoum, Sudan.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Idrees Ali, Michael Martina, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Khartoum, Sudan, The U.S

☆ Factbox-What Is Most Significant in the Pentagon's China Military Report?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

In a previous report, the Pentagon estimated that Beijing had more than 400 operational nuclear warheads in 2021. MISSILES:The report said China probably completed the construction of its three new silo fields in 2022, which has at least 300 new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos. The report said China may be exploring developing conventionally armed intercontinental-range missile systems, which, if developed, could allow Beijing to threaten the United States. OVERSEAS BASING:China has been expanding its global military footprint, though it is still much smaller than the United States' network of bases. U.S. ASSISTANCEWhile the report said China has generally ignored or denied the United States' efforts to have military-to-military talks, it described an occasion when Beijing required U.S. assistance.

Persons: Idrees Ali, Michael Martina, Leslie Adler Organizations: WASHINGTON, Pentagon Locations: China, Beijing, United States, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Khartoum, Sudan, The U.S

☆ He visited every country in the world — without flying. Here's how much it cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Danish traveler Torbjorn Pedersen says he is the first person to visit every country in the world — without flying. The best and worst timesPedersen had planned to stay in Hong Kong for about a week when he arrived in January 2020. Pedersen spent the most time in Hong Kong, staying 772 days because of the Covid -19 pandemic. "I feel more at home in Hong Kong than I do in Copenhagen, " he said. Torbjorn Pedersen

Persons: Torbjorn Pedersen, Pedersen, Ross, Selena Wright, I've, Torbjorn Pedersen Pedersen, it’s Organizations: CNBC, Ross Energy, United Nations Locations: Singapore, Bolivia, Hong Kong, Vatican City, Copenhagen, Cameroon, Congo, Denmark, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Solomon

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