Island

More than 1,000 people were in shelters across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands as Sinlaku moved awaySuper Typhoon Sinlaku hammered the Northern Mariana Islands, flipping over cars, toppling utility poles and ripping away tin roofs.Authorities were just beginning to assess the damage left behind by the typhoon, which first hit the islands on Tuesday night local time and continued with a barrage of fierce winds and relentless rains for hours on Wednesday. So far, there have been no reports of deaths. Continue reading...

Stephen Doughty says US withdrawal of support means bill cannot complete passage through parliamentA treaty over ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has become “impossible to agree at political level” and the corresponding bill will not complete its passage through parliament, a Foreign Office minister has said.Stephen Doughty told the Commons that the agreement with Mauritius was initially negotiated in close coordination with the US, but Donald Trump’s position “appears to have changed”. Continue reading...

Typhoon expected to make landfall Tuesday in Northern Mariana Islands and bring heavy winds, rain and floodingA dangerous super typhoon in the Pacific Ocean is barreling toward a group of remote US islands.Super Typhoon Sinlaku is expected to make landfall Tuesday in the Northern Mariana Islands and bring destructive winds, widespread heavy rain and flooding, the National Weather Service said Monday. Continue reading...

Rapidly strengthening storm brings destructive winds, flooding risk and dangerous seas to western PacificThe Mariana Islands archipelago in the western Pacific, home to the US territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, is bracing for extreme weather early this week as Super Typhoon Sinlaku approaches.The system originated as a cluster of thunderstorms over the seas of Micronesia before strengthening into a tropical storm and then a typhoon on Friday and Saturday. Continue reading...

Mauritian foreign minister pledges to ‘spare no effort’ to regain control of islands, as US fails to give approval of deal A senior official in Mauritius’ government has vowed that the Chagos Islands will be “decolonised” after Keir Starmer was forced to shelve legislation to hand the islands back to Mauritius.On Friday, UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks, after a lack of support from Donald Trump. Continue reading...

Cyclone crossed coast near Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain and large swellsCyclone Vaianu made landfall in New Zealand’s North Island on Sunday, triggering floods, power outages and forcing hundreds to evacuate.The cyclone crossed the coast near the Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain and large swells, national weather provider MetService said, describing Vaianu as a “life-threatening” system. Continue reading...

Officials accept that time has run out to pass law after US dropped its support for planThe UK government has been forced to shelve its legislation to hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius, after the US dropped its support for the agreement.On Friday, UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks. Continue reading...