County Pacific Financial News

New Delhi: India is considering expanding its solar STAR-C initiative, run by the International Solar Alliance, to a number of Pacific Island countries, according to persons aware of the matter. The programme aims to boost solar power ecosystems in the poorest countries. In the Pacific, it currently runs in Tonga.

G20 ministerial in Goa and Chennai, ministers from 14 countries including the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Vanuatu, Colombia, have under the banner of the High Ambition Coalition called on G20 hosts India and other members to agree on measures such as phasing out fossil fuel use to ensure that average increase in global temperature does not exceed 1.5°C compared to the 1850s. “We urge you, as leaders of the G20, to accelerate your efforts to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions, to expand your cooperation and lead the way in phasing out all fossil fuels and in transitioning to a green sustainable energy future where access to energy is guaranteed for all,” the ministers wrote in an open letter to the G20.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff next week will become the highest-profile U.S. official to visit Samoa, as the Biden administration steps up its outreach to Pacific island nations

U.S. attempts to foster closer military integration among allies are extending into space. The U.S.

Sentiment was buoyed by the relative stability in long bond yields in the second quarter, reflecting well-anchored market expectations for longer-term inflation and interest rates.

An Australian sailor who was stranded for months off the coast of Mexico with his dog Bella is finally back on dry land after being rescued by fishers.

agricultural, labour and government sectors. -Shamina Singh is the current Executive Vice President of Sustainability at Mastercard and is a member of the company's Management Committee.

By Lucy Craymer

Fishing gear plastic formed nearly three-quarters of the plastic debris documented through underwater visual surveys of coral reefs across the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans, new research published in the journal Nature said. Revealing the extent of plastic pollution on coral reefs, an international team of researchers from the California Academy of Sciences (US), University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), University of Oxford (UK), and other collaborators found that debris increased with depth and is correlated with proximity to marine protected areas. The team conducted more than 1,200 visual surveys across 84 shallow and mesophotic reef ecosystems located in 14 countries. Mesophotic, or 'twilight zone', coral reefs exist between 30 and 150 metres deep. Of the total debris, 88 per cent was macroplastics larger than about five centimetres. Human-derived debris was found in nearly all locations studied, including some of the planet's most remote and pristine coral reefs, such as those adjacent to uninhabited islands in the central Pacific. The lowest density of plastic pollution was seen in the Marshall Islands, a coral island group in eastern Micronesia (Oceania), while the highest was recorded at Comoros, an island chain off the southeast coast of Africa, at nearly 84,500 items per square kilometre.

India and France on Friday said that they believe in free, open, inclusive, secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific regions. The two nations noted that they seek to secure economic and security interests and build a balanced and stable order in the region. The two nations have released India-France Indo-Pacific Roadmap.

By Deborah Kyvrikosaios and Liliana Salgado

El Niño, the warm current in the Pacific Ocean that is exacerbating bad weather in the Global South. Check out this Plain Facts piece and its 6 charts to understand why the world could be staring at a food shortage. On the other side of the coin, Sayantan Bera explained why India should consider limiting the advertising of junk food, based on the World Health Organisation's recommendations.

Cory Monteith at the age of 31, and his former partner Lea Michele is reflecting on the impact he had on her life. The actress took to social media on Thursday to share a heartfelt tribute dedicated to her late Glee co-star and former boyfriend. Alongside a black-and-white throwback photo of the two, Michele wrote, «Hey you. 10 years.» «It feels like only yesterday that you were here, and yet it also feels like a million years ago. I cherish all of our memories in my heart, where they will remain safe and never forgotten,» expressed the 36-year-old actress. Michele and Monteith portrayed the beloved characters Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson on the popular Fox series. Their on-screen romance blossomed into a real-life relationship in 2012, but tragically came to an end a year later with Monteith's unexpected passing. On July 13, 2013, Monteith was discovered deceased at Vancouver's Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel. His death was the result of a combination of heroin and alcohol. Less than three months following his passing, Glee paid tribute to both the character Finn and Monteith himself in a highly emotional episode of the show's fifth season, titled «The Quarterback.» This paved the way for the cast and crew to pay homage and honour their late co-star. During an appearance on the podcast «And That's What You REALLY Missed» hosted by Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale, Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy expressed his regrets about the decision to continue the series after Monteith's tragic death.

The hum of air conditioners is getting louder and more expensive in parts of the U.S. where people used to open a few windows to stay cool in summer. In the Pacific Northwest, residents are cranking up the air conditioning sooner than ever before and paying more to do it, according to data from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

PepsiCo Inc.’s second-quarter results handily topped Wall Street’s expectations and the food and beverage company raised its full-year forecasts

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) has completed its annual talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The country is expected to see gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year, the IMF concluded, in a recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and the contraction of its fishing industry. Climate change and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) remain a threat, however. 

Nasa’s Centre for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). The meteor’s official name is CNEOS 20140108 and is also referred to as IM1 (for interstellar meteor).

United Pacific railroad has reached a tentative deal with a major union regarding paid sick leave

TORONTO (Reuters) — Talks in Pacific Canada between striking dock workers and their employers have resumed after four days away from the negotiation table, a statement on Saturday by the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) showed.

New Delhi: India’s score has jumped to 93.55% in 2023 from 90.32% in 2021 in the United Nation’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific’s (UNESCAP) latest global survey on digital and sustainable trade facilitation. “The 2023 survey, covering more than 140 economies and evaluating 60 trade facilitation measures, has positioned India at the forefront of global trade facilitation efforts, with an impressive score of 93.55% in 2023 vis a vis 90.32% in 2021," the ministry of finance said in a statement.

Global temperature maps have become dark red as rising temperatures capped the world’s warmest day since record-keeping began in 1979, while last month was the hottest June, according to new data from U.S. and European scientists.