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☆ Factbox-New Zealand Voters' Top Issues in October General Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Chris Hipkins, who took the prime minister's post in January after Jacinda Ardern stepped down, has nudged his Labour Party towards the centre, focusing on what he terms "bread and butter issues". The opposition National Party has blamed Labour for rising costs and is promising, if elected, to cut taxes and bring inflation under control. Given New Zealand's ever-increasing building costs, poor housing stock and overcrowding, however, supply continues to fall short of demand. The National Party has proposed unlocking more land for housing, providing incentives for councils to build more houses and creating new infrastructure financing tools. The National Party says it will encourage trade and investment, increase the skilled labour force and cut red tape.

Persons: Chris Hipkins, Jacinda Ardern, Hipkins, Lucy Craymer, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Reuters, New Zealanders, Labour, National, Labour Party, National Party, Zealand's Labour Locations: New, New Zealand, China, Pacific, Solomon, South Pacific, Britain

Sept 9 (Reuters) - American surfer Caroline Marks powered her way to her first world title on Saturday, while Brazil's Filipe Toledo went back-to-back to claim his second championship with a hard-fought win over surprise finalist Ethan Ewing from Australia. Toledo, however, showed once again his mastery of his adopted home break, combining his own searing turns with high-risk aerials to edge Ewing 2-0 and retain his title. Marks, already a five-year world tour veteran at 21, overcame Hawaii's five-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist Carissa Moore in the women's final. Everyone from Florida and from San Clemente has been supporting me, I just can't believe it," Marks said after her win. The win breaks the stranglehold that Moore, Wright and Australia's Steph Gilmore have had on the world title since 2007, and confirms Marks' place alongside Moore in the U.S. surfing team for the Paris Olympics in Tahiti next year.

Persons: Caroline Marks, Brazil's Filipe Toledo, Ethan Ewing, Ewing, Brazil's Joao Chianca, Griffin Colapinto, Toledo, Marks, Carissa Moore, Caitlin Simmers, Tyler Wright, Moore, San Clemente, Wright, Steph Gilmore, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Toledo ., Paris, Lincoln, Thomson Locations: American, Australia, Tahiti, Lower Trestles, Southern, Toledo . Toledo, Toledo, San Clemente, Florida, San, U.S, Sydney

☆ China Wants to Challenge U.S. Military Power Around the World - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Craig Singleton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, China is nearing completion of what U.S. officials suspect will be its first overseas military outpost in the Indo-Pacific region. Beyond facilitating Chinese military adventurism in the South China Sea, the new base could provide the People’s Liberation Army (P.L.A.) with a staging ground to monitor and influence vital maritime routes like the Malacca Strait, through which an estimated 40 percent of the world’s trade flows. But the base also shines a light on Beijing’s broader embrace of an innovative strategy to challenge American military strength that has potentially grave implications for Washington and its allies. China has plainly stated that these points are designed to “provide support for overseas military operations” and “exert political and military influence” abroad.

Organizations: Ream, Liberation Army Locations: Base, China, South China, Malacca, Washington, Aden . China, Djibouti, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Solomon Islands, South Pacific

☆ Disney's wildest ride: Iger, Chapek and the making of an epic succession mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +88 min

Iger told Chapek that he lived for those "two-shower days," according to people familiar with the conversation. In January 2020, Iger told Chapek the plan was back on. During his 27 years at the company, Chapek had only attended one annual meeting — as a guest in the audience. Bob Iger, Disney CEO, during a CNBC interview, Feb. 9, 2023. WATCH: Disney CEO Bob Iger's exclusive July 2023 CNBC interviewTake the 'A'During Chapek's tenure as CEO, Disney lost more than a quarter of its market value.

Persons: Elham, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, Iger, wasn't, Chapek, Michael Eisner, —, who's, he's, Clint Eastwood, Eastwood, Arthur Bochner, Jackie Hart, Kareem Daniel, Chapek —, Eisner, Michael Ovitz, Ovitz, Bob, Disney's, Kevin Mayer, Mayer, Bryan van der Beek, he'd, Tom Staggs, Staggs, Staggs —, Steve Jobs, cajoled Ike Perlmutter, George Lucas, Rupert Murdoch, Iger's, Susan Arnold, Arnold, Peter Rice, David Paul Morris, Rice, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Mark Parker, Mary Barra, Michael Froman, Willow, Parker, John Donahoe, Roy Disney, Walt Disney, Stanley Gold, David A, CNBC Eisner, Big Bob, Little Bob, Christine McCarthy, Patrick T, He'd, McCarthy, Iger —, Coronavirus, Gavin Newsom, Michael Kovac, curtly, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Ben Smith, Smith, Disney, Randy Shropshire, Agnes Chu, Ricky Strauss, Chu, Strauss, Kevin Feige, Kathleen Kennedy, Who's, Alan Bergman, Bergman, Bob Kyncl, Daniel —, Iger didn't, Daniel rankled, Daniel, Chapek didn't, James Pitaro, Jesse Grant, CNBC Chapek, Jimmy Pitaro, Zenia Mucha, didn't, Mucha, Barbara Walters, Charles Eshelman, Scarlett Johansson, Scarlett Johansson —, Florence Pugh, Natasha, Yelena, " Johansson, Bryan Lourd, Johansson, Lourd, Steven Spielberg, Al Michaels, David Muir, Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Spielberg, Geoff Morrell, Alan Braverman, Alan Horn, Jayne Parker, Bochner, Claire Lee, Paul Richardson, Josh D'Amaro, Ron DeSantis, Morrell, Disney Animation —, George Floyd, Reba Saldanha, Reuters Chapek, DeSantis, Nicholas Maldonado, Octavio Jones, Chapek she'd, we're, " Morrell, CNN's Chris Wallace, Kristina Schake, John Skipper, Daniel steamrolled, Latondra Newton, Newton, Charles Krupa, Pitaro, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Dana Walden, Thomas Murphy, Josh Kushner, Privately, Schake, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama's, David Dee Delgado, Kara Swisher, hadn't, Netflix's, overhiring, McCarthy hadn't, Safra Catz, Kareem, DMED, Horacio Gutierrez, Justin Warbrooke, Alexia Quadrani, Bryan Castellani, Michael Buckner, Quadrani, Lindsay Lohan, Winnie, Nelson Peltz, Catz, Donald Trump's, they'd, Walden, Gutierrez, D'Amaro, Rich Polk, Walden he'd, Iger she'd, Mickey Mouse, Mark Rightmire, haven't, Indiana Jones, Halle Bailey, Ariel, Hamilton Faber, Rich Greenfield, Bob Iger's, — Mayer, McCarthy —, doesn't, they'll Organizations: Disney, Marvel, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty, Walt Disney, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Shanghai Disney, Man, Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Pixar, Fox, Chapek, Nike, General, Mastercard, Foreign Relations, University of Pennsylvania, Grogan, Disney's, Fallon, ABC, ESPN, ABC News, California Gov, New York Times, Disney confidants, Hollywood, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Studios, Hulu, HBO Max, Walt Disney Company, YouTube, Companies, Netflix, Apple, Disney Media, Entertainment, Stanford, Rights, Junior, petulant, Filmmagic, Brunswick Group, Covid, CAA, onetime Defense Department, Century Fox, Human, Florida Gov, Republican, Disney Animation, Reuters, Human Rights, HRC, Walt Disney World, Employees, American Foundation for Equal Rights, AP, Amazon Prime, Paramount, South Pacific, Capital Cities, Dow Jones, CVS, Kingdom, Variety, Trian Partners, Charter Communications, U.S, Comcast, Charter's, MediaNews, Orange, Allen, Co, Candle Media, Advisors Locations: Burbank , California, Midwestern, Brentwood, Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Iger, Hammond , Indiana, Shanghai, China, Hong, Fox, Willow Bay, Raleigh , North Carolina, Orlando, U.S, Hulu, Iger's Brentwood, coronavirus, Brunswick, Hollywood, Hawaii, Disney's, Marvel's, Anaheim , California, Montana, Florida, Rye , New Hampshire, Chapek, Hong Kong, California, missteps, South, DMED, Burbank, New York, India, Atlantic, Sun Valley , Idaho, America

Together, experts say, these efforts aim to enhance China’s military reach, which currently includes only one operational overseas naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. “It’s a question of when – not if – China will secure its next overseas military outpost,” he said. This photo taken on August 1, 2017, shows Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China's new military base in Djibouti. The Hambantota commercial port in Sri Lanka has long been considered a prime candidate for a Chinese naval base. However, China’s path to developing permanent overseas bases, if indeed that is its aim, is not straightforward.

Persons: FDD, Craig Singleton, “, –, ”, Tea Banh, FDD’s Singleton, Tang Chhin Sothy, Singleton, Xi Jinping, Stringer, ” AidData, Stephen J, Townsend, ” Townsend, Bata, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ken Ishii, ’, ” Singleton, China’s, Aaron Favila, Isaac Kardon, Kardon, ” Kardon, BlackSky Singleton, Rob Wittman, Fu Tian, Seth Moulton, ” Moulton, Martin Meiners Organizations: South Korea CNN, People’s Liberation Army Navy, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Ream, Base, CNN, China’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ream Naval Base, ” Cambodian Defense, Cambodian, Getty, Fleet, Communist Party, US, Liberation Army personnel, William & Mary University, Sri Lankan Navy, US Africa Command, Gabonese, of, Xinhua, Naval Research Academy, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, East China Seas, China, Control, Organization, Force, Strategic, International Studies, Defense Department, Chinese Communist Party, ”, Virginia Republican, The Defense Department, Qingdao Port, People's Liberation Army Navy, China News Service, America, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, Beijing, Washington, Cambodia, Argentina, Cuba, Djibouti, of Africa, Africa, West Asia, Gulf, Thailand, United States, Preah Sihanouk, AFP, Horn of Africa, “, South, Taiwan, Virginia, —, Sri Lanka, Bata , Equatorial Guinea, Gwadar, Pakistan, Kribi, Cameroon, Ream, Vanuatu, Nacala, Mozambique, Nouakchott, Mauritania, Colombo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, West Africa, South China, East Asia, East, Asia, Washington In Washington, Nanchang, Qingdao, Shandong province, Massachusetts

☆ Opinion | The Faustian Bargain of Reducing Air Pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

This summer of extremes has been a summer of mystery, debate and even some confusion for climate scientists, who’ve been watching the news with the rest of us and asking, What, exactly, is going on? Is it just baseline global warming, trending upward, that explains the extreme temperatures on land and over sea? The arrival of a planet-warming El Niño in the Pacific? And when considering off-the-charts sea-surface temperatures, what role is being played by recent regulations designed to significantly reduce the sulfur emissions of ships, since less pollution in the air means more heat making its way to the water below? And almost certainly, the sulfur effect has been larger locally, along particular shipping routes in the world’s oceans, where some especially striking anomalies have been observed.

Persons: who’ve, what’s, alarmists, Robert Rohde Organizations: Berkeley Locations: Tonga, South, Phoenix

IS CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTING HURRICANES? Yes, climate change is making hurricanes wetter, windier and altogether more intense. If it were not for the oceans, the planet would be much hotter due to climate change. Climate change can also boost the amount of rainfall delivered by a storm. It is unclear, however, if climate change is affecting the number of hurricanes that form each year.

Persons: Roy Ross, Storm, Alexandre Meneghini, Allison Wing, Gloria Dickie, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, El Nino, Nature Communications, U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Florida State University . Hurricane, U.S, Northeastern Seaboard, North America, Atlantic, Hurricanes, South Pacific, Thomson Locations: Playa Majana, Cuba, Coast, U.S, Florida, , Florida, New York, Boston, Beijing, Tokyo, North, Asia's Bay, Bengal, North Pacific, East Asia, South, London

☆ Where Her Father Became a Hero, Caroline Kennedy Redefines Diplomacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Damien Cave | More About Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a drizzly August morning, Caroline Kennedy waded into the turquoise waters between two deserted islands in the South Pacific, trying not to scratch her feet on sprouts of coral. “Your father did this swim,” said her son, Jack Schlossberg. Together they stood in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, facing a mile-long jaunt to an islet called Olasana — a place John F. Kennedy, Caroline’s father, landed almost exactly 80 years earlier as a junior Navy officer. Ms. Kennedy knew her swim offered just a glimpse of that ordeal. She was there on a short official visit as the U.S. ambassador to Australia.

Persons: Caroline Kennedy waded, ”, “, Jack Schlossberg, John F, Kennedy, Caroline’s, Solomon Organizations: Navy, J.F.K, Solomon Islanders Locations: South, Western Province, Solomon Islands, U.S, Australia

Ahead of the contest, Australian Ethan Ewing experienced Teahupo'o's ferocity, fracturing two vertebrae during a warmup and putting the world No. 3 in doubt for the one-day Rip Curl WSL Finals in California next month to decide a world champion. The win gives Robinson the remaining spot at next month's Finals to go with his Olympic qualification secured earlier in the competition. Medina just missed out on both the Finals and the Brazil Olympic team. Simmers or Marks will qualify along with reigning world and Olympic champion Carissa Moore on Team USA depending on their final ranking after the Finals at Lower Trestles in San Clemente.

Persons: Jack Robinson, Caroline Marks, Caitlin Simmers, Marks, Teahupo'o, Ethan Ewing, Robinson, Medina, pip Medina, Carissa Moore, Joao Chianca, Griffin Colapinto, John John Florence, Leonardo Fioravante, Kanoa Igarashi, Jordy Smith, Matthew McGillivray, Moore, Tyler Wright, Molly Picklum, Tatiana Weston, Johanne Defay, Brisa Hennessy, Teresa Bonvalot, Jamie Freed Organizations: Tahiti Pro, Wednesday, Paris Olympics, Olympic, Brazil Olympic, Team USA, Lower, MEN Filipe Toledo, Lincoln, Thomson Locations: California, Western Australia, Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Brazil, USA, Australia, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Webb, France, Costa Rica, Portugal, CALIFORNIA, Toledo, Hawaii, Sydney

☆ I gave up my tech job in Seattle to live on a sailboat. I've fought off pirates at 3 a.m. and it was terrifying — but I'll never go back to my old life.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Brooke Morton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Brian Trautman has spent the past 14 years living on a 53-foot sailboat, sailing to 46 countries. I gave my business partners my year's notice in 2008 and started selling everything to buy a sailboat. Starting my lifelong sailing adventureI bought SV Delos, a 53-foot Amel Super Maramu sailboat, for $390,000 in 2008. We left the boat with my brother and his girlfriend, who continued to sail Delos across the Atlantic to Antigua. When she was 4 months old, all three of us flew back to Antigua to reboard Delos and sail the Caribbean.

Persons: Brian Trautman, Trautman, I'd, Karin, Trautman's, SV Delos merch, we've, We've, Delos merch, Brian Trautman Karin, Karin's, Sierra Trautman, reboard Delos, we'd, Sierra Organizations: Service, Microsoft, SV Delos, Delos, YouTube Locations: Wall, Silicon, Seattle, Caribbean, Redmond, New Zealand, Auckland, South, Fiji, Sweden, Delos, Antigua, Florida, reboard, Mexico, Fatu, Polynesia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar

☆ Blinken criticises China's 'problematic behaviour' during visit to Tonga
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Tonga's Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, July 26, 2023. UPOU VAIPULU/Pool via REUTERSWELLINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of China's "problematic behaviour" during a visit to the Pacific island nation of Tonga on Wednesday, citing Beijing's militarisation of the South China Sea and what he called economic coercion. Blinken said at a press conference that the U.S. had no objection to China's engagement with the region but there were concerns that its investments needed to be transparent and undertaken with sustainable finance. "I think one of the things that we’ve seen is that as China’s engagement in the (Indo-Pacific) region has grown there has been some, from our perspective, increasingly problematic behaviour," he said. Blinken said the United States was committed to both Tonga and the broader Pacific Islands.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi, UPOU, Beijing's militarisation, Solomon, Blinken, Siaosi Sovaleni, Joe Biden, Wang Yi, Lloyd Austin, Emmanuel Macron, Sovaleni, Nuku’alofa, Lucy Craymer, Stephen Coates Organizations: Tonga's, REUTERS, Tongan, U.S . Defense, Embassy, Thomson Locations: Nuku'alofa, Tonga, REUTERS WELLINGTON, Pacific, South, U.S, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Washington, China, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Beijing, Wellington , New Zealand

☆ Macron’s Lesson After Riots? France Needs Order ‘at Every Level’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | More About Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But his plan for normalcy was overshadowed by violent rioting this month after the fatal police shooting of a teenager. “The lesson I’ve drawn is, first, order, order, order,” Mr. Macron told the TF1 and France 2 television channels from New Caledonia, a French territory in the South Pacific — the first of several stops on a trip to Oceania this week. The officer who fired the fatal shot has been charged with voluntary homicide and detained. Thousands of cars were burned and hundreds of buildings were damaged, including schools, police stations and town halls. The unrest lasted less than a week but was rooted in deeply seated anger and mistrust toward the police in France’s poorer, minority-dominated urban enclaves.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Mr, Macron, Macron’s, Nahel Merzouk Organizations: TF1, Pacific Locations: France, New Caledonia, Oceania, French, North, Paris

☆ How to win the lottery, according to a Romanian-born mathematician who hacked the system, won 14 times, and retired on a remote tropical island
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Rachel Premack | Azmi Haroun | Senior Features Reporter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

You might want to know how to win the lottery — especially as the Powerball jackpot jumps to a $750 million payout. Stefan Mandel, a Romanian-Australian economist, developed a formula that's allowed him to win the lottery 14 times. You're four times as likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery. Those odds apparently don't apply to Stefan Mandel, a Romanian-Australian economist who's won the lottery 14 times, The Hustle reported in a feature story about the mathematician. You can no longer buy lottery tickets in bulk and print your tickets at home — two key parts of Mandel's formula.

Persons: Stefan Mandel, It's, who's, Mandel's, Robert Pagliarini, Pagliarini, Mandel Locations: Romanian, Australian, Romania, Israel, Australia, Vanuatu, South Pacific

☆ David Gilmour, Who Brought Fiji’s Water to the Masses, Dies at 91
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Richard Sandomir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The cause was cardiac arrest, said David Roth, a friend and business partner. By the time he bought Wakaya from two business partners in 1987, Mr. Gilmour had built several businesses over 30 years. At the time, he was mourning the death of his only child, Erin Gilmour, who had been murdered in her apartment in Toronto in 1983. He called the island “the last bastion of sanity in the world,” his wife, Jillian (Sweeney) Gilmour, said in a phone interview. There’s an area called Chieftain’s Leap, with soaring cliffs, where peregrine falcons make their nests.”

Persons: David Gilmour, David Roth, Gilmour, Erin Gilmour, Jillian, Sweeney, “ Locations: Canadian, Fiji, Manhattan, South, Toronto

☆ Corruption inquiry in Australia's NSW state uncovers China links to lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - The former premier of Australia's most populous state engaged in corrupt conduct involving another lawmaker with whom she was in a secret romantic relationship, a years-long corruption inquiry that examined business dealings with China said on Thursday. Maguire told the inquiry he had received envelopes full of thousands of dollars in cash at his parliament office as part of a scheme for Chinese nationals to fraudulently acquire visas. The commission found Maguire engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" between 2012 and 2018 for the migration scheme and other misconduct. Maguire also misused his office by receiving a fee to introduce the party secretary of Liaoning province in China to then NSW premier Barry O'Farrell at parliament in 2012, it said. The commission said it would seek advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether further prosecutions should be commenced into Maguire.

Persons: Gladys Berejiklian, Daryl Maguire, Maguire, Berejiklian, Barry O'Farrell, Kirsty Needham, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, New South Wales Independent, Corruption, NSW, Liberal, NSW Parliament's, Pacific Friendship Group, Public, Maguire, Thomson Locations: Australia's, China, New, Berejiklian, Shenzhen, South Pacific, Australia, Beijing, Sydney, Liaoning

☆ Corruption inquiry in Australia uncovers China links to state lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, June 29 (Reuters) - The former premier of Australia's most populous state engaged in corrupt conduct involving another lawmaker with whom she was in a secret romantic relationship, a years-long corruption inquiry that examined business dealings with China said on Thursday. The inquiry said Maguire sought to use his government office to "create a network between China and Australia and to make a commission in multiple ways". The commission found Maguire engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" between 2012 and 2018 for the migration scheme and other misconduct. It said he misused his role as chairman of the New South Wales Parliament's Asia Pacific Friendship Group to advance the commercial interests of a Chinese business association in South Pacific nations. The commission said it would seek advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether further prosecutions should be commenced into Maguire.

Persons: Gladys Berejiklian, Daryl Maguire, Maguire, Berejiklian, Barry O'Farrell, Kirsty Needham, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, New South Wales Independent, Corruption, New, Liberal, Australian Council, Australia, Pacific Friendship Group, New South Wales, Public, Maguire, Thomson Locations: Australia's, China, New, New South Wales, Berejiklian, Australia, South Pacific, Beijing, Sydney, Liaoning, New South

☆ Total solar eclipse: What to expect during the 2024 event
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Sky-gazers across North America are in for a treat in 2024 when a total solar eclipse will pass over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The last total solar eclipse visible from the US occurred on August 21, 2017. During a total solar eclipse, the sky will darken as it would at dawn or dusk, and there are several stages of the eclipse that sky-gazers anticipate. The total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Mexico, Canada and more than 10 US states, while the partial solar eclipse is expected to appear in 49 states — weather permitting. A map shows the path of the annular solar eclipse in October in yellow circles and the 2024 total solar eclipse in blue circles.

Persons: Aubrey Gemignani, NASA That’s, It’s, Prince Edward Island, Ross, Bill Ingalls, you’re, ”, Kelly Korreck, “, Carla Thomas, Joel Kowsky Organizations: CNN, NASA, Astronauts, Space Station, NASA Armstrong, Research, Gulfstream, Amateur, Telescope Locations: North America, Mexico, United States, Canada, Madras , Oregon, Ocean, Texas , Oklahoma , Arkansas , Missouri , Illinois , Kentucky , Indiana , Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York , Vermont , New Hampshire, Maine, Ontario, Quebec , New Brunswick, Prince, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Central, South America, Oregon, Texas, Gulf, Oregon , Nevada , Utah, New Mexico, California , Idaho , Colorado, Arizona, Belize, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, Natal, Brazil, Ross Lake, Northern, Washington

☆ A rare pod of orcas washed up dead on a beach in Chile. It's the first event of its kind in 67 years and only the second in recorded history.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Chris Panella | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A rare pod of orcas washed up dead on a beach in Chile late last year, according to LiveScience. It was only the second time in recorded history the Type D orcas had been found stranded. It's the first mass stranding of these killer whales in 67 years and only the second event of its kind in recorded history, according to LiveScience. Type D orcas have one of the highest levels of inbreeding of any mammalLittle is known about Type D orcas, since they tend to live in especially turbulent and rough seas in the Southern Pacific where few boats venture. The researchers found an almost identical genetic code between Type D orcas in Chile and the skeleton of a Type D that was beached in New Zealand.

Persons: —, Robert Pitman, LiveScience, Pitman, Andrew Foote of Organizations: Service, Oregon State University, Norwegian Institute of Science, Technology, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration Locations: Chile, Gibraltar, Spain, New Zealand, Southern Pacific

That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened,” Biden told attendees at the fundraiser in the Bay Area, referring to the Chinese spy balloon that the US shot down earlier this year. “He called me and told me not to do that because it was putting him in a bind,” Biden said, referring to the Chinese president. The region has taken on a greater importance for Washington as China has become increasingly assertive over its territorial claims in the area, expands its naval capabilities and militarizes islands in the South China Sea. “Now we have India, Australia, Japan and the United States working hand in glove in the South China Sea, in the Indian Ocean. We have a situation where I’ve met with all 50 of the major maritime states in East Asia,” Biden said in California.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, ”, Antony Blinken, what’s, ” Biden, Biden, Blinken’s, “, John Kerry, Blinken –, Xi, “ We’re, ” Blinken, I’ve Organizations: San Francisco , CA CNN, CNN, House, Japan –, South Pacific Locations: San Francisco , CA, California, Washington, Beijing, Bay, China, United States, India, Australia, Japan, South, South China, East Asia

☆ A failed US Navy experiment during World War II hinted at how exploding drones would change the battlefield 80 years later
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Loitering munitions have become a staple on modern battlefields, especially in Ukraine. The technology is not new, and a US Navy experiment during World War II hinted at its utility. Loitering munitions and armed UAVs in general are often regarded as a 21st-century development, but they have a long history. During World War II, the US Navy was behind some of the first such drone strikes during an experiment that was ultimately scrapped but hinted at what was to come. Russian forces have used domestically made Lancet loitering munitions against Ukraine's military and employed Iranian-made Shahed-136 and 131 loitering munitions in attacks on military and civilian targets.

Persons: —, it's, Oleksii Organizations: US Navy, Service, Heritage Command, US, Interstate Aircraft, Company, Schwinn Bicycle Company, Navy, Interstate, Task Air, US Naval Heritage, Command, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Solomon Islands, Banika, Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, Marcus, South Pacific, Bougainville, Solomons, Russian, Kyiv, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Soviet

☆ Earthquake of magnitude 7.2 strikes near Tonga
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 15 (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 struck near Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean on Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The earthquake's epicenter was located about 280 km (174 miles) southwest of Tonga, at a depth of 167.4 km (104 miles), according to USGS. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there was no tsunami threat for the U.S. West Coast, British Columbia, or Alaska following the quake. Australia's Bureau Of Meteorology also said there was no tsunami threat to Australia. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) initially reported a magnitude of 7 for the earthquake near the southern region of the Fiji Islands.

Persons: Akriti Sharma, Sandra Maler Organizations: . Geological Survey, U.S ., Meteorology, Seismological, Thomson Locations: Tonga, U.S, U.S . West Coast , British Columbia, Alaska, Australia, Fiji Islands, Bengaluru

☆ China's efforts to catch up in global electronic spying race
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Aside from monitoring capabilities, a large, permanent presence on Cuba "is an important symbol, getting right under the noses of the U.S. and reflecting China's global ambitions", he said. In 2019, Reuters reported that China's military was running a space monitoring station in Argentina. Regional diplomats say that as China builds a global military intelligence network, it lacks a U.S.-style system of alliances and partnerships that can help discreet surveillance efforts. China's defence ministry declined to comment. "This trend is only going to grow alongside China's global reach," said Singapore-based defence analyst Alexander Neill.

Persons: Diego Garcia, Carl Thayer, China's, Antony Blinken, Alexander Neill, Greg Torode, Kirsty Needham, Laurie Chen, Gerry Doyle Organizations: People's Liberation Army, Australian Defence Force Academy of, Australian National University, PLA, Reuters, Defence, South China, International Institute for Strategic Studies, China, Support Force, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Cuba, Beijing, United States, U.S, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Guam, British, CUBA, Coast, Florida, Russia, Moscow, Argentina, CHINA, Hainan, South, Southeast Asia, London, Namibia, Pakistan, Kenya, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Angola, China's, Singapore, Sydney

☆ Shangri-La Dialogue: Ukraine war hasn't changed China's thinking around possible attack on Taiwan, IISS reports says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That invasion has also drawn increased attention to Taiwan as a potential security flashpoint in Asia. “There is no evidence that China has a fixed timetable for invading Taiwan,” the report added. Meanwhile, Beijing’s rhetoric around Taiwan was one of several key triggers accounting for Japan’s growing concern over China, the report said. That has included strengthening trilateral cooperation with allies South Korea and Japan and revamping the Quad security grouping with Australia, Japan and India, widely seen as a counter to China’s military rise. It is Li’s first time attending the conference since stepping into his role as defense minister earlier this year.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu, Anthony Albanese, Oleksii Reznikov, China’s, “, Li, Austin Organizations: CNN, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Defense, Chinese Defense, Australian, Ukraine’s Defense, South Pacific, Communist Party, South, People’s Liberation Army Locations: China, Ukraine, Taiwan, Singapore, Europe, Asia, Pacific, United States, Austin, Beijing, South China, South, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Australia, India, United Kingdom

☆ Many in Guam Lack Power and Water a Week After Typhoon Mawar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Josie Moyer | Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thousands of people across the island of Guam remained without power, water and cellphone service on Friday, more than a week after the U.S. territory was pummeled by the strongest typhoon in at least two decades, which flooded homes, downed coconut and mango trees, and disrupted basic services. “Losing water has been the hardest part,” said Melinda Sanchez, 50, whose family lives in central Guam. “We just go back to what we’ve learned to do during these times. We get through it.”The typhoon, Mawar, brought widespread flooding and 140 mile-per-hour winds, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, when it struck the island of 150,000 people in the South Pacific on May 24, knocking out power across much of the territory. Now a tropical storm, Mawar forced the evacuation of 1.2 million people as it approached Japan on Friday.

Persons: ”, Melinda Sanchez, we’ve, Mawar Organizations: South Pacific, U.S . Navy, Air Force Locations: Guam, U.S, South, Japan

☆ How to Be a Star by Not Giving Your All
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Robert Ito | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

IF NORA IS NOTHING LIKE many of Lee’s previous party-girl characters, neither is Lee herself. She’s a mother, for starters, of two young boys with her husband, Russ Armstrong. On set, “Greta is like a Hunter S. Thompson-meets-Fellini character,” Natasha Lyonne said in an interview. Isn’t this completely wild?”Lee, now 40, was born in Los Angeles and spent most of her childhood here. After high school, Lee attended Northwestern University in the hopes of going into musical theater.

Persons: NORA, Lee, She’s, Russ Armstrong, Greta, Thompson, Fellini, ” Natasha Lyonne, “, “ I’m, ”, ” Lee, Liza Minnelli Organizations: ”, Northwestern University Locations: Los Angeles, American

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