A group of sailors who had been stranded on a remote atoll in the Pacific Ocean for more than a week have been rescued after officials spotted a “HELP” sign they spelled out with palm leaves on the beach. In a press release issued on April 9, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said a family […]
VENTURA, Calif.—Bulldozers built giant sand berms Friday to protect beachfront homes in one of California’s coastal cities hit hard this week by extraordinary waves generated by powerful swells from Pacific storms. Dozens of people watched construction of the emergency barriers in the Pierpont area of the city of Ventura, where a rogue wave on Thursday […]
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected Russia’s Pacific fleet and warplanes on the fourth day of his visit to Russia, raising concerns over potential military cooperation between the two nations. Mr. Kim, along with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, toured the Knevichi airfield in Vladivostok on Sept. 16, where he was shown Russia’s strategic […]
MEXICO CITY—Tropical Storm Eugene headed away from Mexico’s Pacific coast Sunday and was expected to weaken. Eugene brought some rain to Baja California. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Eugene was centered about 210 miles (340 kilometers) west of the Baja resort of Los Cabos on Sunday afternoon. Its maximum sustained winds remained at about […]
The Biden administration announced it will be strengthening U.S. ties with Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the broader Pacific by posting a Coast Guard vessel to the country in August. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement on July 27 during his visit to PNG, which is the first time a U.S. secretary of defense […]
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador—A powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of El Salvador shook much of Central America from Nicaragua to Guatemala on Tuesday, sending residents in some cities streaming into the streets. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the epicenter was 27 miles (43 kilometers) south of Intipuca, El Salvador […]
MANZANILLO, Mexico—An Australian sailor who had been adrift at sea with his dog for three months has been rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, the fishing vessel’s owner said Monday. Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, was aboard his incapacitated catamaran Aloha Toa in the Pacific about 1200 miles (1900 kilometers) from land when […]
Australia’s Foreign Minister raised concerns about the Solomon Islands on Tuesday. A day earlier, the Solomon president signed a deal with China on police cooperation: One of nine deals struck during his visit to Beijing. While there, he said his country had “a lot to learn” from China, but Australia warns the policing deal will […]
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has concluded that Japan’s plans to release radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean are consistent with international safety standards. In a report published on July 4 (pdf), the IAEA, a United Nations body, said that the findings followed a comprehensive assessment and safety review of […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand—A 7.7 magnitude earthquake caused a small tsunami to wash ashore on South Pacific islands Friday. No damage has been reported, and the threat passed in a few hours. Waves 60 centimeters (2 feet) above tide level were measured off Lenakel, a port town in Vanuatu, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Smaller […]
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) introduced new legislation on Thursday to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing influence in the Pacific with a permanent U.S. special envoy to the region’s leading policy forum. The bill (pdf), known as the “U.S. and Pacific Islands Forum Partnership Act,” proposes to establish a permanent special envoy to the Pacific […]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand police said Wednesday they found more than 3 tons of cocaine floating in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean after it was dropped there by an international drug-smuggling syndicate. While they had yet to make any arrests, police said they had dealt a financial blow to everyone from the South […]
Heavy coastal rain and mountain snow from a potent atmospheric river are falling across the western United States, with more to come later this week. All 11 Western states are expecting rain or snow, with the heaviest impacts predicted for California. The atmospheric river—a long, narrow region in the atmosphere that can transport moisture thousands […]
The United States Space Force will activate its first component command in the Indo–Pacific this week, aimed at deterring aggression in the region, as tensions with China and North Korea continue to rise. The U.S. Indo–Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said on Twitter that the new Space Force unit will be activated Tuesday, making INDOPACOM the first […]
The United States needs to ramp up diplomatic ties with Freely Associated States (FAS)—Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia—to restrict Beijing’s expansionism in the Pacific region, according to a new report. The United States Institute for Peace said Beijing saw Pacific nations as a “low-investment, high-reward” opportunity. “China has not focused on the FAS in its […]
The Central Tonga Islands welcomed the birth of a new baby—a baby island, that is. The new baby island emerged in the southwest Pacific Ocean, where underwater volcanoes are plentiful. One of these submerged volcanoes awoke on September 10, spewing lava, steam, and ash, according to a statement from the NASA Earth Observatory. Just eleven […]
As Chinese and Russian leaders met in Uzbekistan, so did the two nations’ navies in the Pacific. Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Thursday that Russian and Chinese forces have started joint military exercises in the Pacific Ocean. Warships from the two nations were set to perform drills in tactical maneuvering, signals communication, artillery fire, and shipboard […]
