Pacific Islands countries are deeply saddened by the on-going devastation of bush-fires in Australia, destroying livelihoods, ecosystems, homes and cost lives across the country. Issuing a statement on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum, Tuvalu Prime Minister, Kausea Natano sent deep condolences of every Pacific Islander to their counterparts in Australia for their losses. “My […]
Tag: Australia
Posted inWorld News
Australia commits billions of dollars to wildfire recovery
SYDNEY — Australia’s government on Monday said it was willing to pay “whatever it takes” to help communities recover from deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was committing an extra 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) toward the recovery effort in addition to the tens of millions […]
Posted inWorld News
Some flee, others restock before Australia’s wildfires grow
PERTH, Australia — Thousands of tourists fled Australia’s wildfire-ravaged eastern coast Thursday ahead of worsening conditions as the military started to evacuate people trapped on the shore further south. Cooler weather since Tuesday has aided firefighting and allowed people to replenish supplies. Vehicles formed long lines at gas stations and supermarkets, and traffic was gridlocked […]
Posted inTop Stories
Operationalization of PNMS, work in progress
January 1 marked the beginning of the biggest undertaking Palau has ever done as a Republic, the full implementation of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PMNS), closing off 80% of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or about 500,000 square kilometers of ocean to any type of extractive activity, no fishing, no mining, no removal of […]
Posted inOpinion
Framing the islands: strategic denial and integration
SYDNEY,24 DECEMBER 2019 — Australia’s deepest, oldest instinct in the South Pacific is strategic denial, striving to exclude other major powers from the region. As Australia can never achieve complete dominance in the South Pacific, the instinct is beset by a faint, constant ache. Throughout the 20th century, that ache was directed variously at France, […]
Posted inTop Stories
Australia steps up level of bilateral relations with Palau
Australia is stepping up the level of bilateral relations with Palau as it now in the motion recruiting staff members for its newly opened embassy here. The embassy will also have its first Resident Ambassador in early 2020. In an interview Wes Knight Chargé d’Affaires of the Australian Embassy said Canberra has now set up […]