DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Former Pacific leaders hope Australians 'find conscience' to pass First Nations referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Passing the referendum should be a "first step" towards a treaty with First Nations people, they added. It has also pointed to historical trade by the country's First Nations people with Pacific Islands as a basis for strong modern ties, amid competition for influence with China. He added that whatever the outcome, his work would continue to highlight that Australia's First Nations people had been linked by trade to the Pacific Islands for centuries. Indigenous Australians, who account for 3.8% of the population, face disadvantages including discrimination, poor health and education outcomes and high incarceration rates. Some Indigenous Australians want stronger action, including a treaty with the government.

Persons: Rita Wright, Loren Elliott, Anote Tong, Tommy Remengesau, Hilda Cathy Heine, Anthony Albanese's, Justin Mohamed, Julie Bishop, Kirsty Needham, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Australian, REUTERS, Rights, Former Pacific Islands, First Nations, Kiribati, Marshall, Pacific Elders Voice, Reuters, Aboriginal, Torres Strait, Nations, Vanuatu, VBTC, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Palau, Pacific, China, Islands

☆ Former Pacific Leaders Hope Australians 'Find Conscience' to Pass First Nations Referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Persons: Kirsty Needham SYDNEY, Anote Tong, Tommy Remengesau, Hilda Cathy Heine, Anthony Albanese's, Justin Mohamed, Julie Bishop, Kirsty Needham, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Former Pacific Islands, First Nations, Kiribati, Marshall, Pacific Elders Voice, Reuters, Aboriginal, Torres Strait, Nations, Vanuatu, VBTC Locations: Palau, Australia, Pacific, China, Islands

☆ I make up to $20,000 a month as a full-time traveler. I started posting my adventures on Instagram and have funded my way to 159 countries.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Tom Grond has been traveling full time since 2012 and sharing his adventures on social media. I travel full time, and I've visited 159 countries, including Vatican City, Kosovo, and Taiwan. After my big backpacking trip, I went back home and returned to my job, which I liked. When I was working as a dive guide in Ko Tao, Thailand, I started posting pictures of my work on Instagram, which had started getting popular. I love traveling, but I don't like to live as a touristAfter 4,000 days of traveling, I don't need to see every attraction.

Persons: Tom Grond, he's, I've, Instagram, Ko, it's, Joe Biden, that's Organizations: Google, Service, Vatican City, Tourism Locations: Wall, Silicon, Simpelveld, Netherlands, Vatican, Kosovo, Taiwan, Aruba, Americas, Ko Tao, Thailand, Bangkok, Maldives, Istanbul, Dubai, Mongolia, Colombia, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Italy, Vanuatu, Nepal, Argentina, Hawaii, Namibia, New Zealand, Guyana, Syria, Homs, Tom Grond Pakistan, Kashmir, United States, Iran, Algeria, Pakistan, Switzerland, Grond

The tribunal will issue an advisory opinion, which is not legally binding, but offers an authoritative statement on legal matters that could guide countries as they craft climate protection law. The prime ministers, representing the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS), will argue that countries have an obligation to protect the marine environment under the UN convention on the Law of the Sea, including from greenhouse gas emissions. Low-lying island states like Tuvalu and Vanuatu are also at risk of becoming submerged by water by the end of the century due to slow-onset climate impacts. Small island nations have also sought legal clarity on nations' climate obligations in other courts. Vanuatu led a campaign to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on countries' obligations to address climate change.

Persons: Kausea Natano, Gaston Browne of, Tuvalu's Natano, Valerie Volcovici, Diane Craft Organizations: International Tribunal, International, UN, Court of Justice, Assembly, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, Tuvalu, Gaston Browne of Antigua, Barbuda, Small, States, Vanuatu

☆ Island States Seek Climate Protection From Law of the Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: Valerie Volcovici, Kausea Natano, Gaston Browne of, Tuvalu's Natano, Diane Craft Organizations: International Tribunal, International, UN, Court of Justice, Assembly Locations: Hamburg, Germany, Tuvalu, Gaston Browne of Antigua, Barbuda, Small, States, Vanuatu

☆ Cookiecutter sharks sink inflatable catamaran in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The attacks left their inflatable boat partly sunken – prompting them to issue a distress call to nearby vessels in the early hours of Wednesday. Shark attacks damaged the catamaran's inflatable hull, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. Unlike great whites or hammerheads, cookiecutter sharks are not usually associated with attacks in the open ocean. Cookiecutter sharks have only been involved in four confirmed, unprovoked bites, which all happened in Hawaii, it said, citing the International Shark Attack File. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said in a statement Wednesday that “a large section” of the inflatable vessel’s hull was missing when it was found.

Persons: it’s, –, “, Evgeny Kovalevskiy, Kovalevskiy, ”, Joe Zeller Organizations: CNN, Nine, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Maritime Safety, Florida Museum Locations: Australian, Cairns, Vanuatu, Brisbane, Hawaii

☆ Three rescued after sharks attack inflatable yacht off Australian coast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Vincent Thomas Etienne, Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Berezkin, the three people rescued after sharks attacked a yacht off the Australian coast, pose for a photo in Vanua Levu Island, Fiji July 31, 2023. Satellite photos and a video on the AMSA website showed a large part of the stern of the yacht torn away. Rescue crews responded to an emergency positioning beacon registered to the Tion, a nine-metre inflatable catamaran on a round-the-world expedition, early on Wednesday morning. "The only thing is that the balloons of the inflatable catamaran were blown away." The crew continued the expedition on an inflatable catamaran by the same manufacturer that had been stored on the island for several years.

Persons: Vincent Thomas Etienne, Evgeny Kovalevsky, Stanislav Berezkin, AMSA, Anna Kosikhina, Kosikhina, Renju Jose, Wang Jiawei, Mahezabin Sayed, Alasdair Pal, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Thomson Locations: Vanua Levu, Fiji, Australia, Vanuatu, Cairns, Panama, Brisbane, Russia, Siberia, Chile, Easter, Sydney

☆ Three men rescued from waters off Australia after sharks attack inflatable catamaran
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Three men on board an inflatable catamaran were pulled from the sea in the early hours of Wednesday after “several shark attacks” left their vessel partially sunken off the Australian northeastern coast. The 9-meter (30-foot) Russian-registered vessel appeared to run into trouble when sharks attacked its inflatable hulls. “Both hulls of the vessel have been damaged following several shark attacks,” AMSA said in the statement. AMSA duty manager Joe Zeller said “a large section” of the vessel’s hull was missing when it was found. “The three males were very happy to be rescued and they are all healthy and well,” Zeller said.

Persons: ”, ” AMSA, AMSA, Joe Zeller, “, Zeller, ” Zeller Organizations: CNN, Australian Maritime Safety Authority Locations: Vanuatu, Cairns, Panama, Brisbane

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

[1/2] A view of watches seized during a police raid, in Singapore, in this handout picture released on August 16, 2023. He faced new charges related to the seizure from him of three properties, more than S$6 million in six bank accounts, cryptocurrencies and a car worth over S$1 million. Their lawyers sought bail but gave no indication of how the suspects would answer the money laundering allegations. Eight more suspects are wanted and 12 are assisting in investigations, police have said. ($1 = 1.3520 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chen Qingyuan, Su Wenqiang, Xinghui Kok, Martin Petty Organizations: Singapore Police Force, Facebook, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Cyprus, Cambodia, Dominica, China, Turkey, Vanuatu

☆ Chinese police experts arrive in Vanuatu amid political crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Aug 26 (Reuters) - China has sent police experts and equipment to the Pacific nation of Vanuatu in the midst of a political crisis that saw the Supreme Court rule the prime minister lost a no-confidence vote in parliament. Loughman, who drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister, said the security pact with Australia compromised Vanuatu's "neutral" status and could jeopardise development assistance from China, its biggest external creditor. The Chinese police experts "will greatly enhance the ability of the Vanuatu police to maintain social order", Kalsakau said, according to the Chinese embassy statement. Police cooperation will improve police capacity and promote social and economic development, Li said, in comments reported by the Vanuatu Daily Post newspaper. The leaders of Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Fiji met in Vanuatu on Thursday and signed a joint declaration on security that has yet to be publicly released.

Persons: Bob Loughman, Ishmael Kalsakau, Loughman, China's, Li Minggang, Kalsakau, Li, Kirsty Needham, Robert Birsel Organizations: SYDNEY, Vanuatu, Kalsakau, Vanuatu Daily Post, Thomson Locations: China, Pacific, Vanuatu, Australia, Kalsakau, New Zealand, United States, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji

☆ Vanuatu court rules pro-Western premier lost no-confidence vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Supreme Court judge Edwin Goldsbrough ruled on Friday that an absolute majority in a parliament with 51 members is 26. If there is no appeal, or it is rejected, parliament would vote in a new prime minister. Loughman drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister. He has criticised the security pact with Australia, saying it compromises Vanuatu's "neutral" status and could jeopardise development assistance from China. The United States and its allies are seeking to dissuade Pacific Islands nations from establishing security ties with Beijing, after China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands.

Persons: Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Eduardo Munoz, Ishmael Kalsakau, Bob Loughman, Kalsakau, Edwin Goldsbrough, Loughman, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Kirsty Needham, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, REUTERS, Rights, Vanuatu, Thomson Locations: Vanuatu, New York City, U.S, China, Australia, Western, Pacific, United States, Beijing, Solomon Islands

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

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

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

☆ No clear winner in US, China contest in the Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The United States and PNG signed a defence cooperation agreement in May. STRATEGIC CHESSBOARDThe events in Vanuatu this week highlighted the challenges Pacific nations face in seeking to benefit from both the United States and its allies, and China. The U.S. Coast Guard has yet to gain clearance to enter Vanuatu's port, as it does in other Pacific Islands, Coast Guard officials said. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare is also reluctant to accept U.S. support. The project was the largest infrastructure donation China had made to the Pacific Islands so far, Chinese ambassador Li Ming said at the ceremony.

Persons: Joe Biden, Louis Mapou, Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi, Surangel Whipps, Kausea Natano, Samantha Power, Power, Washington, Lenora Qereqeretabua, Qereqeretabua, Ratu Jone Logavatu Kalouniwai, Denghua Zhang, Ishmael Kalsakau, Manesseh Sogavare, Sogavare, Li Ming, Kirsty Needham, Miral Organizations: U.S ., Country, New, Tonga's, Tuvalu's, United States, USAID, Pacific, Fiji Military Force, Australian National University, Vanuatu's, U.S . Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Solomon Islands, White, Solomon Islands National University, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Federated States, SYDNEY, China, Taiwan, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, United States, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Pacific, Australia, Vanuatu's, Solomon

☆ Vanuatu opposition boycott parliament after failed bid to remove prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Vanuatu's opposition party boycotted parliament on Thursday and said it would lodge a court challenge to the defeat the previous day of its bid to remove Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau. Loughman drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister, before losing a snap election in 2022. Wednesday's no-confidence motion won 26 votes, compared with 23 votes against, but failed to win the absolute majority of 27 needed to remove a prime minister in the 52-seat parliament. Opposition lawmakers boycotted parliament on Thursday and the speaker adjourned the session, saying the chamber could not sit with only 25 members. Kalsakau told broadcaster VBTC the constitution required an absolute majority to change prime minister.

Persons: Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Eduardo Munoz, Ishmael Kalsakau, Kalsakau, Bob Loughman, Loughman, Wednesday's, Kirsty Needham, Robert Birsel Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, REUTERS, Rights, Vanuatu, Thomson Locations: Vanuatu, New York City, U.S, Australia, China, Pacific, United States, Solomon Islands

[1/5] A view of watches seized during a police raid, in Singapore, in this handout picture released on August 16, 2023. The raids on at least nine locations netted assets totalling a staggering S$1 billion, police said. A police statement said the group was suspected to be laundering proceeds from overseas organised crime, including scams and online gambling. Singapore has in recent years seen an influx of foreign money. ($1 = 1.3618 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Chew, Xinghui Kok, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Singapore Police Force, Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Cypriot, Police, Monetary Authority, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Orchard, Sentosa, tony, China, Cambodia, Cyprus, Vanuatu, Chew

☆ Singapore arrests 10 foreigners, seizes S$1 bln assets in money laundering probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Caroline Chia/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Singapore police have arrested 10 foreigners for alleged money laundering and forgery offences, in a case involving about S$1 billion ($737 million) of cash, properties, luxury cars and other assets. Other seizures included bank accounts, cash, luxury bags, jewellery, watches, electronic devices and some documents with information on virtual assets. The foreigners were aged between 31 and 44, and their nationalities include Chinese, Turkish, Cypriot, Cambodian and Ni-Vanuatu, Singapore police said. In a separate statement, the Singapore central bank said it has been "in touch with the financial institutions (FIs) where the potentially tainted funds have been identified. ($1 = 1.3572 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Chen Lin in Singapore; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Caroline Chia, Chen Lin, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Singapore, Cypriot, FIs, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Vanuatu

☆ Vanuatu prime minister to face no confidence vote in parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau faces a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, after the opposition accused his government of abandoning a non-aligned foreign policy by signing a security pact with Australia. The petition, lodged a fortnight ago, was signed by 29 lawmakers, enough to topple the prime minister. Loughman drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister. Kalsakau has said the constitution requires an absolute majority for the removal of a prime minister. Kalsakau has reshuffled his cabinet in an effort to win support ahead of the vote, with the new deputy prime minister making a show of support for China.

Persons: Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Eduardo Munoz, Ishmael Kalsakau, Bob Loughman, Loughman, Kalsakau, Matai Seremaiah, Samson Samsen, Kirsty Needham, Miral Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, REUTERS, Rights, Vanuatu, Trade, Thomson Locations: Vanuatu, New York City, U.S, Australia, China, United States, Beijing, Solomon Islands

☆ Vanuatu faces political instability as govt delays no-confidence vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File PhotoSYDNEY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said political instability in the Pacific Islands nation could impact investment and tourism, after his government boycotted a no-confidence vote in parliament on Thursday. The reasons given for removing the prime minister had "no basis", he added. Loughman drew Vanuatu closer to China as the previous prime minister, until his government lost a snap national election in 2022. In a bid to boost government numbers, Jotham Napat stepped down as foreign minister and deputy prime minister on Monday, allowing a cabinet reshuffle that won back two lawmakers. Loughman countered that he had the numbers to form government next week, Vanuatu Daily Post reported.

Persons: Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Eduardo Munoz, Ishmael Kalsakau, Bob Loughman, Kalsakau, Loughman, Jotham Napat, Kirsty Needham, Stephen Coates Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, REUTERS, Vanuatu, Vanuatu Daily Post, Thomson Locations: Vanuatu, New York City, U.S, China, Australia, Loughman, United States, Beijing, Solomon Islands

☆ Man who visited every country without flying has finally returned home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Kate Springer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

After nearly ten years of travel, Pedersen successfully visited his 203rd and final country, the Maldives, and began his long-awaited voyage back to Denmark. In early 2020, the intrepid traveler suddenly found himself stuck in Hong Kong for two years with just nine countries left. “I look back at Hong Kong, and it’s a bit of a paradox. Next came a 16-day journey back to Hong Kong, where he returned to hotel quarantine for another two weeks. Pedersen in Hong Kong, where he spent an unexpected two years during the pandemic.

Persons: Torbjørn, Thor ” Pedersen, Pedersen, He’d, ” Pedersen, ”, “, Le, I’ve, He’s, ‘, ’ ”, Maxime Champigneulle, Gunnar Garfors, it’s, It’s, you’ve, he’s, “ There’s, Mike Douglas Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Maersk, “, Port, Le, UN, Danish, Hong, Denmark, Pacific, Tonga, National Museum, Ross Energy, Aarhus . Port Locations: Denmark, Maldives, Danish, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Aarhus, Kenya, Colombia, Australia, Norway, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Nauru, Angola, Ghana, Iceland, Canada, Hong Kong, Everest, Palau, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Pacific, Tuvalu, Fiji, Singapore, Malé, Norwegian, Aarhus ., Aarhus What’s, Suez, Germany

☆ 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

☆ Chinese military-run hospital ship arrives in Kiribati
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, July 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese military-run hospital ship has arrived in Kiribati for the first time, as China vies with the United States for influence in the Pacific region. The ship docked at Kiribati on Saturday to start a seven-day visit that includes humanitarian medical assistance, the Chinese defence ministry said on its official WeChat account on Sunday. While medical crew from the ship will see patients at the local hospital and other places, the Chinese commanding officer will meet with Kiribati leaders including the president, health minister, transport minister and police chief. The ship is also due to visit Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and East Timor. Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yew Lun, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Kiribati, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Kiribati, China, United States, Pacific, Taiwan, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, East Timor, Australia, New Zealand

☆ 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

☆ Global shipping industry climate pledge slammed as a ‘wishy washy’ compromise
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The shipping industry has agreed a climate pledge to reduce its planet-heating pollution to net zero “by or around” 2050. That changed on Friday, when the International Maritime Organization, the UN body that regulates global shipping, published a new climate strategy after days of negotiations between the organization’s 175 member states. IMO secretary-general Kitack Lim said in a statement that the new climate strategy provides a “clear direction, a common vision, and ambitious targets.”Industry groups welcomed the deal. John Maggs, the president of the Clean Shipping Coalition criticized the “vague and non-committal language” in the new climate strategy. Countries pledged in the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees – and preferably to 1.5 degrees – compared to pre-industrial temperatures.

Persons: Kitack Lim, Simon Bennett, Albon, ” Ralph Regenvanu, John Maggs, Faïg, ”, IMO’s Lim, “ Organizations: CNN, International Maritime Organization, UN, ” Industry, International Chamber of Shipping, Clean Shipping Coalition, Environment Locations: Paris, Marshall, Vanuatu

☆ Chinese hospital ship to visit Pacific to boost 'responsible' image
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"It is to present our image as a responsible big country", navy spokesperson Liu Wensheng said in a statement. China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands last year and hopes to build similar ties with other Pacific countries. Its foreign minister has said relations with the Solomon Islands can serve as a model. The United States has pledged to triple funding for the region and it opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands in February after a 30-year absence. In May, the U.S. opened an embassy in Tonga and signed a defence pact with Papua New Guinea.

Persons: Liu Wensheng, Solomon, Albee Zhang, Ryan Woo, Robert Birsel Organizations: United, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, East Timor, United States, Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, U.S, Papua New Guinea

Search resuls for: "Vanuatu"

25 mentions found