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U.S. President Joe Biden holds a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during the trilateral summit at Camp David near Thurmont, Maryland, U.S., August 18, 2023. MILITARY COOPERATIONThe three countries will agree to "significant steps" to enhance security cooperation among them, including a commitment to consult each other in times of crisis, they said in a joint statement. NORTH KOREA THREATSThe three leaders spoke forcefully in remarks to reporters about the nuclear and other threats of North Korea, and said they would cooperate to counter them. The three will also counter "potential arms transfer in support of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine" by North Korea, Biden said. Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt at Camp David and Hyonhee Shin in Seoul; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, Camp David, Jim Bourg, Yoon Suk Yeol, David, Biden, Kishida, Trevor Hunnicutt, Hyonhee, Grant McCool Organizations: Japanese, South, REUTERS, NORTH, David, Thomson Locations: Camp, Thurmont , Maryland, U.S, Maryland, China, South China, People's Republic of China, NORTH KOREA, North Korea, Ukraine, Seoul

☆ 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

☆ Rare walrus calf rescued in Alaska after wandering alone currently under 24/7 cuddle care
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Sara Smart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A rare walrus calf is under 24/7 cuddle care after he was found wandering alone in northern Alaska last week. The Pacific walrus calf, estimated to be about a month old, arrived at the Alaska SeaLife Center on August 1 after being spotted on Alaska’s North Slope, about four miles inland from the Beaufort Sea, according to the Alaska SeaLife Center. The walrus is receiving cuddle care after he was found in an unusual spot in Alaska. The calf was moved to a warehouse, where he stayed overnight under constant watch, and then transported by plane to the Alaska SeaLife Center facility. The walrus remains under constant care while he continues to eat well and remains alert, the center said in an update posted to its Facebook page on Saturday.

Persons: walruses Organizations: CNN, Alaska SeaLife Center, Officials, Alaska . Alaska SeaLife Locations: Alaska, Beaufort, Alaska . Alaska

☆ Researchers in Alaska rescued a walrus too young to be away from his mother. Now, his treatment plan includes 24/7 care and cuddles.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Alaskan wildlife center rescued a one-month-old, 200-pound Pacific walrus calf this week. He has also already accepted a bottle and will likely acclimate well to his new human caretakers, staff reported. The young calf has already accepted a bottle and will likely acclimate well to human care, staff reported. Alaska SeaLife CenterAlaska SeaLife Center staff reported that the calf has already taken a bottle and is expected to acclimate well to his new human companions. The Alaska SeaLife Center did not respond to a request for an update on the calf's condition ahead of publication.

Persons: —, he'll, Jane Belovarac Organizations: Service, Alaska SeaLife, Alaska SeaLife Center, Staff, Alaska SeaLife Center Alaska SeaLife Center Locations: Wall, Silicon, Alaska, Beaufort, Alaska SeaLife Center Alaska

New Zealand's Defence Minister Andrew Little poses for a picture in Wellington, New Zealand, March 30, 2023. Launching the country's first national security strategy, Defence Minister Andrew Little said New Zealand faced more geostrategic challenges than it had in decades. The inaugural security strategy underscores how China's rise is upending old norms and behaviours even 9,000 kilometres (5,592 miles) away in Wellington. Chinese state-sponsored actors had exploited cyber vulnerabilities in ways that undermined New Zealand's security, said another document that did not provide further details. "The changes in the domestic and international security environment mean our response and preparedness must change too," Little said.

Persons: Andrew Little, Lucy Craymer, Little, Kevin Short, Lewis Jackson, Simon Cameron, Moore, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Zealand's, REUTERS, Defence, Zealand, New, Labour, New Zealand Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Wellington , New Zealand, New Zealand, Wellington, China, New, Australia, U.S, Vietnam

☆ What happened to the Chinese travel boom everyone was waiting for? It stayed in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Lisa Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"However, another reason is that domestic tourism has won in prestige and also in quality," Arlt told CNBC Travel. Now, Chinese travelers may be looking to venture beyond the region. "This creates business need for increased flights but has also seen increased Chinese media coverage and general interest in the region which will have knock-on effects for more general travel interest." 3 on a list of expenditures where Chinese travelers said they would increase spending this year — after dining out, and fitness and wellness. Source: Morning ConsultThis mirrors Skift's report, which shows 50% of Chinese travelers say they plan to travel internationally in the next 12 months.

Persons: Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Skift, Arlt, Scott Moskowitz, Moskowitz, Zs Organizations: Tourism Research Institute, Domestic, CNBC Travel, Reuters, Morning Locations: China, Asia, Pacific, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Europe, Central America, Antarctica, East, Northern Africa, Egypt, United States, North Africa, North America, Canada, Ukraine

In June, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that an El Nino is now under way. Meteorologists expect that this El Nino, coupled with excess warming from climate change, will see the world grapple with record-high temperatures. Here is how El Nino will unfold and some of the weather we might expect:WHAT CAUSES AN EL NINO? El Nino could offer a reprieve to the Horn of Africa, which recently suffered five consecutive failed rainy seasons. Historically, both El Nino and La Nina have occurred about every two to seven years on average, with El Nino lasting 9 to 12 months.

Persons: Kim Hong, heatwaves, El, El Nino, Michelle L'Heureux, Tom DiLiberto, DiLiberto, La Nina, Nina, Gloria Dickie, Jake Spring, Angus MacSwan, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Nino, Reuters, El Nino, U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, El, Graphics, el nino, NINO, U.S . West, La, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Cheongju, South Korea, China, United States, Beijing, Rome, Americas, Asia, El, Pacific, Peru, Philippines, Canada, Central, South America, Australia, of Africa, Eastern Pacific, El Nino, London, Sao

☆ El Niño + climate change = heat records
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Climate change combined with this year’s El Niño set a new world record for worldwide heat on Tuesday – 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit or 17.18 degrees Celsius. The WMO declared the onset of an El Niño Tuesday and warned governments to prepare for more extreme weather events as a result. This will be the first El Niño in seven years. The last very strong El Niño year – 2016 – also saw the previous record for worldwide heat that August. “It is El Niño on top of decades of human emissions of greenhouse gases.”There is no turning back, he said, but humans can likely slow the change.

Persons: Niño, –, It’s, Bill Weir, we’re, ”, ” Weir, John Abraham, Thomas, Weir, ” Abraham, Abraham, “ Organizations: CNN, National Centers, Environmental, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations, WMO, El, CNN International, University of St, Reuters Locations: Switzerland, Americas, Africa, Quebec, Miami, Minnesota, El, ”

☆ China aircraft monitored US, France, Canada, Japan navy drill - media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, June 12 (Reuters) - China deployed a reconnaissance aircraft over Pacific waters east of Taiwan last week that Chinese media said monitored and gathered intelligence on an exercise involving the navies of the United States, Japan, France and Canada. The islands separate the East China Sea from the Philippine Sea, and dot the West Pacific between Japan and Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. The Japanese defence ministry reported a sighting of a Y-9 reconnaissance variant in the Pacific on Thursday. A spokesperson for the Japanese ministry said on Monday it was analysing a piece of equipment attached to the undercarriage of the Y-9 variant that had not been seen before. Days before the quadrilateral exercise, the coast guards of the Philippines, United States and Japan held their first trilateral exercise off the coast of a western Philippine province.

Persons: USS Nimitz, Ronald Reagan, Albee Zhang, Ryan Woo, Tim Kelly, Gerry Doyle, Robeert Organizations: Global Times, U.S, USS, U.S ., U.S . 7th Fleet, Military, South China, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Taiwan, United States, Japan, France, Canada, Ryukyu, Philippine, Beijing, East, Pacific, U.S, South, Philippines, Tokyo

On Thursday, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that an El Nino is now underway. The last time a strong El Nino was in full swing, in 2016, the world saw its hottest year on record. Meteorologists expect that this El Nino, coupled with excess warming from climate change, will see the world grapple with record-high temperatures. Here is how El Nino will unfold and some of the weather we might expect:WHAT CAUSES AN EL NINO? Historically, both El Nino and La Nina have occurred about every two to seven years on average, with El Nino lasting 9 to 12 months.

Persons: El Nino, Michelle L'Heureux, El, Tom DiLiberto, DiLiberto, La Nina, Nina, Gloria Dickie, Angus MacSwan Organizations: El Nino, U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, El, Graphics, el nino, NINO, U.S . West, Nino, La, El Ninos, Thomson Locations: Americas, El, Pacific, Peru, Philippines, United States, Canada, Central, South America, Australia, of Africa, Eastern Pacific, El Nino, London

☆ Cathay Pacific Fights to Emerge From the Long Shadow of Covid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2019, when Hong Kong was convulsed by pro-democracy protests, Cathay Pacific was caught in the crossfire with Beijing. Flights were canceled or delayed by airport sit-ins involving thousands of demonstrators, among them employees of the airline, Cathay Pacific. Turmoil grew inside Cathay Pacific. In 2020, as the pandemic grounded its business, Cathay shuttered its regional division, Cathay Dragon. It parked 70 unused planes in the desert in Alice Springs, Australia, and fired 5,300 employees based in Hong Kong.

☆ A Navy destroyer sunk by 2 Japanese kamikaze attacks in World War II has been discovered in the deep Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A group of underwater explorers discovered a long-lost sunken World War II Navy warship. Mannert L. Abele sank off Okinawa in 1945 after being hit by two kamikaze attacks. Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. The US Navy's Naval History and Heritage Command confirmed the discovery last month. Official Navy photos shared with Insider show the decades-old warship as it sank in the Pacific after being struck by two Japanese kamikaze aircraft which triggered dual explosions.

☆ Japanese city of Hiroshima rose from the ashes and now it welcomes millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Emiko Jozuka | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Within the bomb’s hypocenter, only the half-exploded Genbaku Dome – formerly the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall – was left standing as the bombing razed Hiroshima city to the ground. A man relaxes alongside the river on a bench overlooking the Genbaku Dome. ET), Hiroshima city lost roughly 40% of its population, which numbered around 300,000 people at the time. Full-scale reconstruction only began in August 1949 after the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law was promulgated, allowing the national government to extend special financial support to Hiroshima. “It’s impressive how Japanese people rebuilt the city from scratch again – building a beautiful city full of green spaces.

☆ Pollution, bird flu threaten 'very fragile' Chilean dolphin population
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Quilun Ecoturismo Marino/Handout via REUTERSSANTIAGO, April 21 (Reuters) - Growing pollution, industrial activities and now bird flu are threatening the Chilean dolphin, one of the world's smallest cetaceans, in the cold Pacific waters off Chile's western coastlines. "The Chilean dolphin is disappearing at an alarming rate," he said. One official also pointed to the threat of bird flu, which has been detected in Chile's wild birds, marine animals and industrial complex. Soledad Tapia, the director of the country's fisheries service, said two species of dolphins had been infected by the virus. Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Natalia Ramos and Sarah Morland; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ AccuWeather sees average-to-fewer Atlantic storms this hurricane season
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Erwin Seba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HOUSTON, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. private forecaster AccuWeather expects a near-average to below-average 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1, according to a forecast issued on Wednesday. AccuWeather said it expects between 11-15 named tropical storms, 4-8 hurricanes and between one and three major hurricanes to form in the Atlantic Ocean before the season ends on Nov. 30. "We think El Nino will drive this season," said Dan Kottlowski, lead hurricane forecaster for AccuWeather. Kottlowski noted that even in a year when fewer storms are expected, people as far as 100 miles (160 km) inland have to prepare for tropical storms. Between 1990 and 2020, the average season has seen 14 named tropical storms, seven hurricanes with three of those considered to be major.

☆ California, Northeast menaced by late-season winter storms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view shows flooded streets in Pajaro, California, U.S., March 12, 2023, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. On the West Coast, the storm targeted areas of northern and Central California already saturated from the unusual bout of bad weather. It promised to dump as much as seven inches (18 cm) of rain in higher elevations and up to three inches elsewhere, the National Weather Service said in its forecast. The growing frequency and intensity of such storms amid bouts of prolonged drought are symptomatic of human-caused climate change, experts say. The storm in the Northeast threatened to produce wet snow that could topple power lines and trees, causing power outages.

[1/3] A truck drives through a flooded road after an atmospheric river storm system in Hayward, California, U.S. March 10, 2023. As much as 5 inches (13 cm) of rain has already fallen in some spots across the county, with some seeing as much as 7 inches. U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday declared an emergency in California, ordering federal assistance to help local, tribal and state officials respond to the severe weather. The heavy rains in northern and central California raised concerns that melting snow from a spate of blizzards in mid-elevation mountains could add to runoff and cause flooding downstream. Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Prada sees solid revenue growth for 2023 after beating expectations last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, March 9 (Reuters) - Italy's Prada said on Thursday it expects revenue growth to outpace rivals this year, after sales exceeded analyst expectations in 2022 thanks to a strong performance in Europe. "In 2023, we expect revenue growth to remain solid and above market average," Prada's new Chief Executive Andrea Guerra said in the statement, adding that China had started again to be "an engine of growth". Prada said net sales grew 63% in Europe with a strong performance across the region, sustained by local demand and an upturn in tourism throughout the year. Revenue growth in the Americas stood at 22% with a "normalisation" in the second half of last year. The growth in Asia Pacific was hit by the lockdowns in China, but the strong performance in South Korea and South East Asia helped to contain the decline.

☆ Hong Kong is giving out 500,000 free plane tickets. I tried to get one as a Singapore resident and ended up stuck in a waiting room behind 50,000 people.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sponsored by Hong Kong's airport authority, the giveaway involves the distribution of 500,000 airline tickets via three of the city's carriers: Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airlines, and Hong Kong Express. Residents in Singapore quickly snapped up all 12,500 free round-trip tickets Cathay Pacific was giving out on Thursday. Those interested need to apply for a free Cathay Pacific membership on its website and answer three quiz questions about Cathay Pacific correctly, according to SCMP. Budget carrier Hong Kong Express is slated to join the campaign later, but it hasn't released details. Hong Kong Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Union Pacific CEO to leave after push from activist shareholder
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Union Pacific shares jumped 10% in premarket trading Monday after the railroad company announced CEO Lance Fritz will leave the company by year-end, following a call by an activist hedge fund for his ouster. Union Pacific just reported a record profit for the second straight year. And it said that the Surface Transportation Board, one of the regulators of freight railroads, ranked Union Pacific as providing the worst service among the major railroads. Union Pacific last year earned a net income of $7 billion, up about $500 million, or 7%, from the previous record profit it posted for 2021. Total employee compensation for the year came to $4.6 billion, far less than the $6.3 billion that Union Pacific spent repurchasing shares of stock in the period.

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Europe's biggest hotel group Accor (ACCP.PA) on Thursday forecast higher revenue per available room (RevPAR) for 2023 as Chinese travelers are expected to return, after its annual core profit beat expectations on strong December activity. Hotel chains were hit hard by China's strict pandemic restrictions and are now hoping for a recovery in the Asia-Pacific region, Accor's second biggest market pre-pandemic. Boosted by demand for shorter trips, European hotel chains have seen bookings recover to levels comparable to those in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic grounded international flights. Accor's RevPAR, a key gauge of performance for the hotel industry, last year exceeded the 2019 pre-pandemic level by 2%. It posted core profit of 675 million euros ($716.72 million) for 2022, while analysts in a Refinitiv poll had expected 640.3 million euros.

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Europe's biggest hotel group Accor (ACCP.PA) on Thursday forecast higher revenue per available room (RevPAR) for 2023 as Chinese travelers are expected to return, after its annual core profit beat expectations on strong December activity. Hotel chains were hit hard by China's strict pandemic restrictions and are now hoping for a recovery in the Asia-Pacific region, Accor's second biggest market pre-pandemic. The group, which runs chains such as Sofitel, Pullman and Ibis, said it expected 2023 RevPAR to increase by between 5% and 9% from the previous year. Boosted by demand for shorter trips, European hotel chains have seen bookings recover to levels comparable to those in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic grounded international flights. It posted core profit of 675 million euros ($716.72 million) for 2022, while analysts in a Refinitiv poll had expected 640.3 million euros.

☆ How unusually mild weather prevented what could've been the first aircraft carrier battle since World War II
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Argentine jets were poised to strike when the usually turbulent South Atlantic winds took a mild turn. Few of the half-dozen Argentine aviators expected to survive the attack, dubbed "Banzai Night" after the famous Japanese battle cry. Government of ArgentinaIronically, the Veinticinco de Mayo was originally a British carrier named the HMS Venerable launched by the Cammell Laird shipyard near the end of World War II. After a damaging boiler-room fire, the Karel was sold in 1969 to the Argentine Navy which extensively modernized and rebuilt the 25-year-old vessel. The Harrier and the Sea DartSea Harrier jump jets aboard HMS Hermes in the South Atlantic on May 1, 1982.

☆ ASEAN chair Indonesia to intensify talks on code for South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Willy KurniawanJAKARTA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to intensify talks with China and other Southeast Asian countries to finalise a code of conduct (COC) for the disputed South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Saturday, amid escalating tensions in the strategic waterway. Indonesia is preparing to host a round of negotiations on the COC this year, the first taking place in March, the foreign minister said. China claims jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea based on its U-shaped "nine-dash line", a boundary found to have no legal basis by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016. ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have overlapping claims with China in the strategic waterway. Separately, ASEAN members wrapped up talks having only reiterated support for the bloc's five-point peace plan on Myanmar which includes the cessation of conflict in the conflict-torn nation and the start of dialogue.

Koch unit Georgia-Pacific used a corporate bankruptcy maneuver known as the Texas two-step, forming a new Texas subsidiary, Bestwall, that took on the company's asbestos liability. The latest court documents, filed on Wednesday, provide new detail about how Koch has benefited from the case. Koch has received more than $5 billion since Bestwall filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Representatives for New Georgia-Pacific and Koch Industries did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. New Georgia-Pacific's shareholder equity is forecast to be about $27.8 billion after accounting for the Koch dividends, according to the Wednesday court filing.

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