WEATHER ALERT
Samoa warns of 'highly probable' fuel spill after New Zealand navy ship caught fire and sank
Read full article: Samoa warns of 'highly probable' fuel spill after New Zealand navy ship caught fire and sankSamoa's acting prime minister says a fuel spill is “highly probable” after a New Zealand navy ship grounded, caught fire and sank off the coast of the Pacific island nation.
Along Mexico's Pacific coast, flooding from Hurricane John left devastated towns and 17 dead
Read full article: Along Mexico's Pacific coast, flooding from Hurricane John left devastated towns and 17 deadAlong Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, floodwaters have begun to recede, leaving behind devastated towns and 17 dead, after John struck the coast once as a hurricane and again as tropical storm Desperate residents in the town of Coyuca de Benitez, about 35 miles west of Acapulco, are organizing teams of volunteers to go to outlying areas to burn the decomposing bodies of farm animals that drowned.
Hurricane John falls apart after causing deadly mudslides on Mexico's southern Pacific coast
Read full article: Hurricane John falls apart after causing deadly mudslides on Mexico's southern Pacific coastHurricane John fell apart as quickly as it formed but left destruction along Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, including deadly mudslides and flooding that may linger.
Pacific leaders' summit erases mention of Taiwan after Chinese anger, fracturing a shaky accord
Read full article: Pacific leaders' summit erases mention of Taiwan after Chinese anger, fracturing a shaky accordTurmoil over China’s influence in the affairs of South Pacific island nations has flared as it emerged that a Pacific leader at the region’s most important diplomatic summit apparently pledged to erase an affirmation of Taiwan’s involvement in the meeting from its closing statement.
New Zealand official says Western neglect of Pacific Islands let other nations boost their influence
Read full article: New Zealand official says Western neglect of Pacific Islands let other nations boost their influenceNew Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters says Western nations, including the United States and New Zealand, failed to understand swiftly enough the geopolitical importance of island nations in the South Pacific, leaving a power vacuum that allowed other countries to increase their diplomatic influence.
Palau's president says China is weaponizing lucrative tourism over his refusal to break Taiwan ties
Read full article: Palau's president says China is weaponizing lucrative tourism over his refusal to break Taiwan tiesPalau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. says Beijing weaponizes tourism to the Pacific Island archipelago in an effort to force it to sever ties with Taiwan.
New Caledonia police detain independence leader and 10 others in wake of revolt against French rule
Read full article: New Caledonia police detain independence leader and 10 others in wake of revolt against French rulePolice in the restive French Pacific territory of New Caledonia have rounded up 11 people, including an independence leader.
New Caledonia reopening its international airport and shortening curfew as unrest continues to ebb
Read full article: New Caledonia reopening its international airport and shortening curfew as unrest continues to ebbThe French Pacific territory of New Caledonia is shortening its overnight curfew and reopening its international airport that was closed to commercial flights for more than a month because of deadly violence.
Macron suspends voting reform in New Caledonia that had sparked violence
Read full article: Macron suspends voting reform in New Caledonia that had sparked violenceFrench President Emmanuel Macron has suspended plans for the controversial voting reforms in New Caledonia following a spate of unrest in the French Pacific territory.
France to lift state of emergency in efforts to allow political dialogue in riot-hit New Caledonia
Read full article: France to lift state of emergency in efforts to allow political dialogue in riot-hit New CaledoniaFrench President Emmanuel Macron has decided to lift the state of emergency in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia.
From Zambia to Afghanistan, WFP warns El Nino's extreme weather is causing a surge in hunger
Read full article: From Zambia to Afghanistan, WFP warns El Nino's extreme weather is causing a surge in hungerThe UN’s World Food Programme says extreme weather attributed to the El Nino phenomenon is causing a surge in hunger in several countries, including Zambia and Afghanistan, and called on donors for much-needed help.
A UN agency targets 35% growth in aquaculture production by 2030 to meet demand and fight hunger
Read full article: A UN agency targets 35% growth in aquaculture production by 2030 to meet demand and fight hungerThe U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has set a target to further increase aquaculture production to meet rising demand for seafood and to fight global hunger and undernourishment.
La Niña looks likely in the coming months, which could mean a busy hurricane season
Read full article: La Niña looks likely in the coming months, which could mean a busy hurricane seasonLa Niña looks likely in the coming months as forecasters are seeing a likely transition from El Niño to neutral conditions by April-June 2024.
A look at atmospheric rivers, the long bands of water vapor that form over oceans and fuel storms
Read full article: A look at atmospheric rivers, the long bands of water vapor that form over oceans and fuel stormsThe storm that pummeled California this week was fueled by an atmospheric river, a plume of moisture that extended over the Pacific to near Hawaii.
Tropical Storm Pilar dumps heavy rains on Central America leaving at least 2 dead
Read full article: Tropical Storm Pilar dumps heavy rains on Central America leaving at least 2 deadTropical Storm Pilar is lashing Central America with heavy rains that have already been blamed for two deaths in El Salvador as it meanders off the Pacific coast.
Tropical Storm Pilar leaves 2 dead in El Salvador as it wanders off Central America's Pacific coast
Read full article: Tropical Storm Pilar leaves 2 dead in El Salvador as it wanders off Central America's Pacific coastHeavy rain from Tropical Storm Pilar has already caused two deaths in El Salvador as it meanders off the Pacific coast.
Hurricane Otis unleashes massive flooding in Acapulco, triggers landslides before dissipating
Read full article: Hurricane Otis unleashes massive flooding in Acapulco, triggers landslides before dissipatingHurricane Otis ripped through Mexico’s southern Pacific coast as a powerful Category 5 storm, unleashing massive flooding in the resort city of Acapulco, ravaging roads and leaving large swaths of the southwestern state of Guerrero without power or cellphone service.
This Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License is here for our version of Prime Day
Read full article: This Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License is here for our version of Prime DayOur version of Prime Day is bringing you this Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License
How a mix of natural and human-caused factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary's soggy mess
Read full article: How a mix of natural and human-caused factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary's soggy messScientists figure a natural El Nino, human-caused climate change, a stubborn heat dome over the nation’s midsection and other factors cooked up Hilary’s record-breaking slosh into California and Nevada.
Powerful Hurricane Hilary heads for Mexico's Baja. Rare tropical storm watch issued for California
Read full article: Powerful Hurricane Hilary heads for Mexico's Baja. Rare tropical storm watch issued for CaliforniaHurricane Hilary is churning off Mexico’s Pacific coast as a powerful Category 4 storm threatening to unleash torrential rains on the mudslide-prone border city of Tijuana before heading into Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years.
Hilary grows into major hurricane in Pacific off Mexico and could bring heavy rain to US Southwest
Read full article: Hilary grows into major hurricane in Pacific off Mexico and could bring heavy rain to US SouthwestHurricane Hilary has strengthened into a major storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast, and it could bring heavy rain to the southwestern U.S. by the weekend.
California seeks federal help for salmon fishers facing ban
Read full article: California seeks federal help for salmon fishers facing banCalifornia officials say they want federal disaster relief for the state’s salmon fishing industry after the 2023 fishing season for fall-run chinook or king salmon was closed for much of the West Coast.
Much of West Coast faces ban to fish salmon amid low stocks
Read full article: Much of West Coast faces ban to fish salmon amid low stocksFederal officials are expected to prohibit king salmon fishing this season along much of the West Coast, which many predict could stretch into 2024 season as the drought and other factors take their toll on the iconic Chinook fish.
Biden budget aims at China with billions for Pacific islands
Read full article: Biden budget aims at China with billions for Pacific islandsAlarmed by China's success in wooing Pacific island nations, the Biden administration is proposing to spend billions to keep three of those countries in the U.S. orbit.
Julia Moving Quickly Across Nicaragua, Approaching The Pacific Coast
Read full article: Julia Moving Quickly Across Nicaragua, Approaching The Pacific CoastAt 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Julia was located inland near latitude 12.4 North, longitude 86.2 West. Julia is moving toward the west near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this motion is...
Solomon Islands agreed to accord after China references axed
Read full article: Solomon Islands agreed to accord after China references axedThe Solomon Islands foreign minister says the nation agreed to sign an accord between the United States and more than a dozen Pacific nations only after indirect references to China were removed.
Drowning island nations: 'This is how a Pacific atoll dies'
Read full article: Drowning island nations: 'This is how a Pacific atoll dies'Heads of state from Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands have launched a “Rising Nations Initiative” as they race toward solutions to a rising ocean level that will make their countries all but uninhabitable in the coming decades.
Mexico's earthquake coincidence drives anxiety for many
Read full article: Mexico's earthquake coincidence drives anxiety for manyThe parents of children killed when a school collapsed during Mexico’s 2017 earthquake were celebrating a Mass in their memory, And then the ground began to shake again, as people cried out: “No, not again.
Taiwan warns China drills show ambitions beyond island
Read full article: Taiwan warns China drills show ambitions beyond islandTaiwan has warned that Chinese military drills aren’t just a rehearsal for an invasion of the self-governing island but also reflect ambitions to control large swaths of the western Pacific.
Pacific defense chiefs meet against backdrop of rising China
Read full article: Pacific defense chiefs meet against backdrop of rising ChinaDefense chiefs from across the Indo-Pacific gathered this week to bolster their connections against a backdrop of China’s ongoing campaign to expand its influence and military presence in the region.
US sends Sherman, Kennedy to visit the Solomon Islands
Read full article: US sends Sherman, Kennedy to visit the Solomon IslandsThe U.S. is sending a high-profile diplomatic delegation to visit the Solomon Islands next week led by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and including Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy.
Caroline Kennedy says US needs to engage more in the Pacific
Read full article: Caroline Kennedy says US needs to engage more in the PacificNew U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy said Friday the United States needs to engage more with the Pacific region at a time when China is asserting its presence.
Hurricane Bonnie steams westward off Mexico's Pacific coast
Read full article: Hurricane Bonnie steams westward off Mexico's Pacific coastA strengthened Hurricane Bonnie is moving in the Pacific roughly parallel to Mexico's southern coast, after crossing over Central America from the Caribbean, dropping heavy rain and contributing to two deaths.
Agatha hits southern Mexico coast as strongest May hurricane
Read full article: Agatha hits southern Mexico coast as strongest May hurricaneHurricane Agatha has become the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in May in the eastern Pacific as it swept ashore on a sparsely populated stretch of tourist beaches and fishing towns in southern Mexico.
1st hurricane of 2022, Agatha heads for Mexico tourist towns
Read full article: 1st hurricane of 2022, Agatha heads for Mexico tourist townsThe first hurricane of the season has formed off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast and it's rapidly growing stronger ahead of an expected strike along a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing towns as a major storm.
NHC tracking the movement of Tropical Storm Agatha in Pacific
Read full article: NHC tracking the movement of Tropical Storm Agatha in PacificWe’re less than a week out from the start of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season and the National Hurricane Center is watching the southern part of the Bay of Campeche.
China's foreign minister starts Pacific tour in the Solomons
Read full article: China's foreign minister starts Pacific tour in the SolomonsChina’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a 20-strong delegation have arrived in the Solomon Islands at the start of an eight-nation tour that comes amid growing concerns about Beijing’s military and financial ambitions in the South Pacific region.
Australian opposition party vows to train Pacific armies
Read full article: Australian opposition party vows to train Pacific armiesAustralia’s opposition party has promised to establish a Pacific defense school to train neighboring armies in response to China’s potential military presence on the Solomon Islands.
US officials heading to Solomons over China pact worries
Read full article: US officials heading to Solomons over China pact worriesThe U.S. is sending two top officials to the Solomon Islands following a visit by an Australian senator over concerns that China could establish a military presence in the South Pacific island nation.
Western pressure mounts on Solomons to quash pact with China
Read full article: Western pressure mounts on Solomons to quash pact with ChinaAustralia and the United States are stepping up diplomatic outreach to the Solomon Islands after China signed a security deal with the South Pacific island nation that could lead to Beijing establishing a military presence there.
Virus enters Tonga along with disaster aid, lockdown planned
Read full article: Virus enters Tonga along with disaster aid, lockdown plannedTonga will enter a lockdown Wednesday evening after finding coronavirus infections in two port workers helping distribute aid arriving in the Pacific nation after a volcanic eruption and tsunami.
COVID hits one of the last uninfected places on the planet
Read full article: COVID hits one of the last uninfected places on the planetKiribati and several other small Pacific nations were among the last on the planet to have avoided any virus outbreaks, thanks to their remote locations and strict border controls.
International aid reaches Tonga with clean water, supplies
Read full article: International aid reaches Tonga with clean water, suppliesAid flights from Australia, Japan and New Zealand carrying food, water, medical supplies and telecommunications equipment landed in Tonga over the weekend, as the Pacific nation grapples with the aftermath of an underwater volcanic eruption and tsunami.
Cut off by volcano, Tongans relieved as contact restored
Read full article: Cut off by volcano, Tongans relieved as contact restoredAs the massive undersea Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on Saturday, Tongans from around the world gazed on as their relatives livestreamed images of the billowing clouds of ash, gas and steam emerged from beneath the depths.
First aid flights arrive in Tonga after big volcano eruption
Read full article: First aid flights arrive in Tonga after big volcano eruptionThe first flights carrying fresh water and other aid to Tonga finally arrived after the Pacific nation’s main airport runway was cleared of ash left by a huge volcanic eruption.
Fishermen protest after eruption causes oil spill in Peru
Read full article: Fishermen protest after eruption causes oil spill in PeruAn oil spill on the Peruvian coast caused by the waves from an eruption of an undersea volcano in the South Pacific nation of Tonga has prompted dozens of fishermen to protest outside the South American country’s main oil refinery.
Hurricane Rick weakens to tropical storm over Mexico
Read full article: Hurricane Rick weakens to tropical storm over MexicoA compact Hurricane Rick has roared ashore along Mexico’s southern Pacific coast with 105 mph (165 kmh) winds and heavy rain amid warnings of potential flash floods in the coastal mountains.
Remnants of former Hurricane Pamela head for Texas, Oklahoma
Read full article: Remnants of former Hurricane Pamela head for Texas, OklahomaTropical depression Pamela has dissipated in northern Mexico after slamming into the country’s Pacific coast as a hurricane, though forecasters warn that its rainy remnants still pose a flooding threat to parts of Texas and Oklahoma.
Olaf weakens after hitting Mexico's Los Cabos as Cat 2 storm
Read full article: Olaf weakens after hitting Mexico's Los Cabos as Cat 2 stormHurricane Olaf has slipped back to tropical storm force after slamming into the Los Cabos resorts at the tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula with 100 mph winds and then drenching the region with torrential rains.
New Zealand apologizes for 1970s raids on Pacific people
Read full article: New Zealand apologizes for 1970s raids on Pacific peopleNew Zealand’s government is formally apologizing for an immigration crackdown nearly 50 years ago in which Pacific people were targeted for deportation, often after early-morning home raids.
Red Cross warns that coronavirus cases are exploding in Asia
Read full article: Red Cross warns that coronavirus cases are exploding in AsiaThe International Federation of the Red Cross says coronavirus cases are exploding in Asia with over 5.9 million new confirmed infections over the past two weeks.
Gonzaga, Baylor sit atop AP Top 25; Kansas returns at No. 23
Read full article: Gonzaga, Baylor sit atop AP Top 25; Kansas returns at No. 232 Baylor remained atop Monday's latest AP Top 25, where they have been for all 13 polls this season. 8 in the AP poll to pull closer to the committee's seeding of seventh overall shortly before the Crimson Tide scored 115 points in a win over against Georgia. THE TOP TIERCoach Mark Few’s Bulldogs received 59 of 64 first-place votes in the new AP Top 25, while Scott Drew’s Bears claimed the other five. The Jayhawks fell out of last week’s poll for the first time in 12 years. Kansas was one of three new additions to this week’s poll, joined by No.