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Argentine leader threatens to sanction oil firms
LONDON, UK, 4 September 2026 (BBC) - Argentina's president has heightened tensions with the UK over the Falkland Islands, warning he will impose economic sanctions on firms which exploit oil close to the British overseas territory. |
The Arctic habitat where global heating threatens more ice, not less
NUNAVUT, Canada, 3 September 2026 (Guardian) - It is an area of 85,000 sq km that goes by at least three names: 19th-century whalers called it the North Water; Kalaallit (Inuit of Greenland) call it Pikialasorsuaq, or “the great upwelling”; and to the Inuit of Nunavut, it is Sarvarjuaq, “the place that never freezes”. A stretch of year-round open water (known as a polynya) this far north is a boon to life of all kinds, from the algae that bloom in the summer and feed an entire web of other creatures to the whales that need access to the air in the depths of winter. |
Taste the spirit of the Azores on a food tour of its islands
WASHINGTON, US, 3 September 2026 (Nat.Geog) - Isolation has long demanded resourcefulness in the Azores. Across these far-flung Atlantic islands, generations of farmers, fisherfolk and winemakers have transformed maritime trade, local know-how and fertile, volcanic landscapes into one of Europe’s most distinctive food cultures. |
Yeosu World Islands Expo opens
SEOUL, South Korea, 3 September 2026 (Chusan) - Yeosu World Islands Expo opens with the theme: 'Islands, Connecting Sea and Future' and it will run for 61 days until November 4. The main venue will feature eight exhibition halls, including the Theme Island showcasing the value and future of islands, the Marine Ecology Island, Future Island, Culture Island, Treasure Island, International Exchange Island, and the Restaurant and Market Island. |
The Pacific's cocaine highway
KOROR, Palau, 3 September 2026 (Conversation) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a $600 million program to strengthen aerial and maritime surveillance across the Pacific, targeting the narco-submarines and small vessels used to move drugs through the region. |
Taiwan's Bunun people fear for the future of their culture
TENGJHIH HAMLET, Taiwan, 2 September 2026 (Mongabay) - More than a hundred Bunun Indigenous people were forced to resettle in lowland areas after 2009’s Typhoon Morakot destroyed the only road leading to Tengjhih, their mountain settlement, in southern Taiwan. The Bunun, who believe the connection to their ancestors is a pillar of their identity, still wish to return to their ancestral land, saying it would allow them to preserve rituals and traditional knowledge. |
Why Pacific Island states should seek collective security for the region
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, 2 September 2026 (Conversation) - Many participants at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau this week would like to talk about anything but great power rivalry: transnational crime, energy security, climate change, development finance, seabed minerals, transport links. Instead, the meeting has been pulled toward the question that now shadows every Pacific regional gathering: what happens when the world’s great powers decide your part of the world is strategically important? |
Pacific risks becoming a ‘fortress’ under new security deals
KOROR, Palau, 2 September 2026 (PANG) - The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) has warned Pacific Islands Forum Leaders against approving negotiations on two proposed regional security agreements, arguing they could formalise an already expanding military architecture without sufficient political control or public oversight. In a new report, Fortress or Partner? Analysing Regional Insecurities and Pacific Militarisation Through Regional Compacts, PANG said the key question facing the region was not whether the Pacific needed security, but “who defines it, who controls it, and who bears its consequences.” |
Trump says US position on Falkland Islands is under review
WASHINGTON, US, 1 September 2026 (Guardian) - Donald Trump has suggested he is reconsidering US support for Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, in a move likely to strain the “special relationship” between Washington and London. It follows reports last week that the US administration was prepared to oppose British rule of the overseas territory as an incentive to encourage Andy Burnham to increase defence spending, |
Pacific Islands Forum off to a decidedly shaky start
MELBOURNE, Australia, 1 September 2026 (Conversation) - The annual Pacific Islands Forum is underway in Palau, and already there has been controversy. First, it’s a leaders meeting with a distinct lack of leaders. Second, China is reportedly furious that Taiwan is represented at the meeting in its own right. The fact the leaders of five of the forum’s 18 members are absent – Kiribati, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Solomon Islands – has raised questions about China’s role in their withdrawal. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the collective absence was “highly suspicious” but did not make any direct accusation. |
Why are we removing the scientists from Macquarie Island?
HOBART, Australia, 1 September 2026 (Conversation) - Scientists have worked at Macquarie Island for more than 70 years, and withdrawing all personnel will disrupt long-term wildlife, climate, atmospheric and geological monitoring, well beyond the bird flu response. |
World leaders need to see rising oceans in Pacific
KOROR, Palau, 31 August 2026 (AFP) - A UN report published Monday showed a record pace of sea level rise driven by warming oceans and glacier melt. Up to 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050, with Pacific island countries experiencing sea level rise at twice the global average, it said. It also highlighted a financing gap, with developing countries needing $310-$365 billion to adapt, yet having only $26 billion in adaptation finance available in 2023. |
Global coral reef coverage risks irreversible decline
SYDNEY, Australia, 31 August 2026 (Reuters) - Coral reefs are experiencing bleaching events so frequently that they no longer have time to recover before the next one strikes, scientists have warned. Global coral cover is now well below normal levels and at risk of irreversible decline, the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) said in a report released on Monday. |
Siraya language finds its voice again in Taiwan
TAINAN, Taiwan, 29 August 2026 (Mongabay) - A family of Siraya activists in Taiwan is a major driving force behind the revival of their ancestral language - more than a hundred years after it was last spoken. The work to revitalize the Siraya language, which began more than 20 years ago, helped secure the community’s legal recognition as Taiwan’s 17th Indigenous group. |
Iceland votes against restarting talks on joining EU
LONDON, UK, 30 August 2026 (BBC) - Iceland has voted against resuming talks on joining the European Union, according to public broadcaster RUV, 13 years after they were broken off. It reported that 52.8% of the 225,031 votes cast had rejected the government's proposal, while 47.2% had said yes. Some 12,600 votes separated them. |
Islanders asked to report sightings of rare eel
GUERNSEY, Channel Islands, 29 August 2026 (BBC) - Islanders have been asked to record sightings of eels in a bid to help build a greater understanding of the fish. Guernsey Nature Commission said there had been a 95% decline in the European eel population since the 1980s due largely to freshwater habitat loss and barriers to inland feeding grounds. |
Greenland says findings on genocide allegation not final
LONDON, UK, 28 August 2026 (BBC) - Greenland's justice minister has said the government cannot conclude whether genocide was committed against the Inuit community after experts examined the use of forced contraception in the 1960&70s. |
Pacific Islands Forum meeting in turmoil
LONDON, UK, 30 August 2026 (Guardian) - Several leaders have pulled out of a the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting in Palau at the eleventh hour. Solomon Islands prime minister, Matthew Wale, has cancelled his appearance after a no-confidence motion was lodged against him at home by the Solomon Islands home affairs minister, Manasseh Maelanga. Fiji’s prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, and his Vanuatu counterpart, Jotham Napat, will also not be attending, with the Samoan leader, La’auli Leuatea Schmidt, another notable absence. |
Iceland votes on its future with the EU
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, 29 August 2026 (BBC) - For a long time, the prospect of becoming the third generation to run his family farm was an exciting one, says Davíð Clausen Pétursson. Icelandic farmers were starting to get higher prices for their meat and milk, debt was no longer an occupational prerequisite and innovation was on the rise. Now the 29-year-old is anxiously awaiting the result of a referendum on Saturday, when Icelanders will be asked whether or not they want to restart accession talks with the EU. Davíð believes joining the bloc could have negative ramifications for farmers all over Iceland, slowing down progress made in the sector and reducing profits. |
Endemic species that only exist on specific Japanese islands
TOKYO, Japan, 28 August 2026 (Metropolis) - Roughly half of Japan’s mammal species are endemic. And the further south the archipelago reaches, the more singular its passengers become, each tied to the soil of one specific shore. Tourism, roads and feral cats are the modern threats; geological isolation is the ancient gift. Both, in their own way, are still doing their work. |
H5 threat forces Australia to pull researchers from Macquarie Island
CANBERRA, Australia, 28 August 2026 (AAP) - The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is temporarily withdrawing staff from Macquarie Island research station due to the psycho-social risk to expeditioners of a potential H5 avian influenza (bird flu) outbreak. Macquarie Island is home to large elephant seal populations close to station buildings. While H5 bird flu has not yet been detected there, expert assessments predict a high likelihood of a significant mortality event during the upcoming breeding season. |
Community programs linked to lower forest loss in Borneo
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 28 August 2026 (Mongabay) - As climate and economic shocks put pressure on tropical forests, a new study suggests support for rural communities could help protect forests while strengthening their ability to withstand crises. Forest loss in protected areas of West Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of Borneo fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a larger decline in villages receiving health and livelihood support, the study finds. |
Forum struggles with missile dilemma
KOROR, Palau, 28 August 2026 (PINA) - As they gather in Palau this week for the 55th Pacific Islands Forum, regional leaders want development partners to focus on their Blue Pacific agenda on climate, oceans and human security. However, they can’t escape entanglement in the strategic competition between the US and China, symbolised by an unresolved debate over missile testing in the region. |
NZ-backed climate mobility initiative launched across Pacific
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 28 August 2026 (RNZ) - The NZ$17.9 million Pacific Climate Mobility Partnerships Programme (PCMP) has been established to help Pacific Islands strengthen regional cooperation and implement practical, people-centred responses to climate mobility challenges. Climate mobility can be described as the movement of people, whether through migration, displacement or planned relocation, in response to the impacts of climate change. |
Iceland holds knife-edge referendum on EU
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, 27 August 2026 (BBC) - Inside a waterfront factory, workers in hairnets and blue overalls are sorting freshly caught cod and haddock, and machines process the fish into fillets, mostly bound for Europe. Visir fishing boss Pétur Pálsson, who fears joining the European Union would cost Iceland jobs and drive factories abroad, says: "If we are in the EU, they will be the ones who make the policy." On Saturday, voters in this island nation of almost 400,000 people will decide whether their country should resume talks on joining the EU. It is a referendum that polls suggest is too close to call. |
U.S., allies kick off drills at strategic Norwegian island
ANNAPOLIS, US, 26 August 2026 (USNI) - U.S., Norwegian and U.K. forces deployed Wednesday to Jan Mayen, a strategic island in the Norwegian Sea for a NATO Arctic Sentry enhanced Vigilance Activity. The trilateral operation is meant to strengthen NATO’s ability to operate jointly in challenging Arctic conditions and will integrate multinational sensors, command-and-control nodes and precision fires into a joint kill web in support of NATO and U.S. Homeland defense, according to a U.S. Marine Corps release. |
The Indian Ocean is sounding the alarm
VICTORIA, Seychelles, 26 August 2026 (IPS) - Across this vast ocean, the latest monitoring by Mercator Ocean International shows marine heatwave conditions ranging from moderate to severe. At the same time, the World Meteorological Organization expects a strong El Niño to intensify through August to October, with a positive Indian Ocean Dipole also likely to develop. These are not distant scientific signals. They are an urgent warning that the ocean system on which millions depend is under mounting stress. |
After decades of struggle, is Bougainville on the brink of statehood?
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 27 August 2026 (RNZ) - We could be about to find out whether a part of the Pacific Islands will become the world's newest nation. After a seven-year wait, Papua New Guinea's parliament is today expected to finally table the question of whether to approve of independence for the country's autonomous region of Bougainville. |
Kiribati considers constitutional change
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 27 August 2026 (RNZ) - Kiribati could be on the brink of amending its constitution to stop future governments from switching diplomatic recognition back to Taiwan, with its parliament set to vote on a bill declaring that maintaining ties with countries not recognised by the United Nations is "embarrassing" and like a poor marriage. The Pacific nation has switched diplomatic recognition between China and Taiwan three times, most recently in 2019 when it dumped Taipei and re-established diplomatic ties with Beijing. |
Only 1,325-1,648 wild elephants left in Indonesia, government says
DELISERDANG, Indonesia, 25 August 2026 (Mongabay) - A new 10-year plan for elephant conservation released by the Indonesian government places the country’s wild elephant population at an estimated 1,325-1,648 individuals. The previous figure, published in 2007, was 2,400-2,800 individuals, meaning the new estimate represents a decline of 41-45%. |
Minesto Dragon 4 sets tidal energy production record in Faroe Islands
STUART, US, 25 August 2026 (ECO) - Minesto has announced that the Dragon 4 power plant, upgraded with a new power-take-off (PTO) system that improves energy production throughout the tidal flow cycle, has delivered record-breaking electricity generation over the summer in Vestmannasund, Faroe Islands. |
Bodies found on S Korean holiday island
SEOUL, South Korea, 26 August 2026 (BBC) - Four missing people have been found dead on South Korean holiday island Jeju, as local police face mounting public criticism for allegedly mishandling missing persons cases. |
Raising a generation to protect the Blue Pacific
SUVA, Fiji, 26 August 2026 (IPS) - For generations, Pacific children have grown up with the ocean as part of everyday life. It is where families fish, where stories are passed down, where livelihoods begin and where cultures are rooted. Yet many young people are inheriting an ocean facing pressures unlike anything their ancestors experienced, from warming seas and coral bleaching to plastic pollution and declining marine ecosystems. Across Fiji, a quiet movement is helping change how the next generation sees the ocean. |
Can REDD+ deliver for Philippines’ Iraya Mangyan?
PUERTO GALERA, Philippines, 26 August 2026 (Mongabay) - The Mindoro Forest and Biodiversity Conservation Programme combines Indigenous forest patrols, ancestral-domain support, carbon monitoring and livelihood projects to protect more than 40,000 hectares (nearly 99,000 acres) of Iraya Mangyan forest. Indigenous patrollers and local officials say the program has already strengthened monitoring and helped reduce timber poaching and small-scale mining, while surveys have documented hundreds of plant and animal species across the project area. |
Island could protect 30% of waters in marine plan
SARK, Channel Islands, 26 August 2026 (BBC) - An island wants to protect 30% of its waters under plans aimed at safeguarding marine life. The proposal would see about 50 sq miles (128.8 sq km) of sea around Sark in the Channel Islands receive additional protection under plans developed by the island's agriculture, environment and sea fisheries committee with support from the Blue Marine Foundation, local fishermen and marine experts. |
US territories hit out at Trump plan for Pacific deep sea exploration
HAGATNA, Guam, 24 August 2026 (Guardian) - A US government plan to lease out millions of hectares of seabed near the Mariana Trench for deep sea exploration has drawn opposition from US territories in the Pacific, as the Trump administration remains locked in a race with China for control of critical ocean minerals. On Tuesday, the Marine Mineral Administration (MMA), an agency under the US department of the interior, released a proposal to auction deep sea mining leases for 28m hectares (69m acres) of seafloor off the coast of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. |
Bomb fishing is reducing coral reefs to 'rubble'
LONDON, UK, 21 August 2026 (ICN) - Off the coast of Indonesia’s Spermonde Archipelago, underwater microphones captured over 3,500 explosions in just 3,600 hours of recording, according to researchers from the Zoological Society of London. The source? Blast fishing - a globally banned technique that uses plastic bottles packed with explosives to stun and kill everything in a 90-foot radius. The highly destructive practice has been documented in at least 34 countries, from Lebanon and Libya to Brazil and Ecuador. |
ZDCs have not led to additional reductions in deforestation
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 25 August 2026 (Mongabay) - In the past decade, palm oil-producing countries, such as Indonesia, have introduced policies and company-level commitments to curb deforestation. In both concessions linked to companies with zero-deforestation commitments (ZDCs) and those not linked to ZDCs, data suggests annualized deforestation has dropped dramatically from the 2000s. Despite this drop, a new study suggests ZDCs have not, in fact, led to additional reductions in deforestation. |
Singapore's island merger plan fuels nuclear power speculation
HONG KONG, 25 August 2026 (SCMP) - Singapore's plan to merge several islands off its southwest coast into a new hub for industry, defence and “new power generation infrastructure” has stirred speculation over whether the site could one day host a nuclear power plant. The city state is studying advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs), as part of its long-term planning for a net-zero power system, but the government has not decided whether to deploy nuclear energy, let alone where any future plant could be sited. |
Australia's marine parks protect ‘places no one goes’
LONDON, UK, 23 August 2026 (Guardian) - The Australian government has been accused of leaving waters near the mainland largely unprotected by establishing the bulk of highly protected marine parks in remote areas. More than 270 leading marine scientists from 84 research institutes have written to the environment minister, Murray Watt, urging stronger protections for marine ecosystems, as a once-in-a decade view of marine parks gets under way. |
Norwegian company assesses subsea tunnel to Westman Islands
BODO, Norway, 24 August 2026 (HNN) - The newly established Eyjagöng has signed an agreement with Norwegian consulting firm Norconsult to carry out a comprehensive cost and feasibility assessment for the construction of a subsea tunnel between the Icelandic mainland and the Westman Islands. |
Sri Lanka's long-delayed animal welfare law
KANDY, Sri Lanka, 24 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Sri Lanka’s government has greenlit the country’s long-delayed animal welfare bill, which proposes stringent penalties for cruelty to animals and would replace a century-old animal cruelty law. The draft law has reignited a fierce debate over the centuries-old practice of using domesticated elephants in religious processions. |
World's largest heavy lift vessel carries oil platform to Shetland
LERWICK, UK, 23 August 2026 (BBC) - The world's largest lifting vessel has arrived in Shetland carrying a giant North Sea oil platform to be broken up. Allseas's Pioneering Spirit is 1253ft (382m) long and 407ft (124m) wide, with a 5,000 tonne crane for lifting the topsides of platforms. The twin-hull vessel arrived in Lerwick Harbour early on Saturday morning with the North Cormorant platform on its deck. The platform was then placed on a barge to be brought ashore to the quayside at Dales Voe to be decommissioned. |
China opens new Arctic trade route
OXFORD, UK, 21 August 2026 (Conversation) - Sea Legend, a Chinese shipping line, recently announced it was launching a regular container service between China and Europe via the Arctic. The announcement follows a trial crossing in 2025 that saw a container ship travel from the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in eastern China to Felixstowe in the UK in 20 days. |
Why link to Sicily is still a dream despite 2,000 years of plans
MESSINA, Italy, 22 August 2026 (Guardian) - For more than 2,000 years, it has been an obsessive dream: a plan to link the Mediterranean Sea’s largest island to mainland Italy. It began with the Romans, who, according to Pliny the Elder, built a bridge of boats and barrels across the strait of Messina in 251BC to transport 140 war elephants captured from the Carthaginians.- |
The idyllic holiday island that once housed a Nazi fortress
WOLIN ISLAND, Poland, 21 August 2026 (CNN) - Something is hidden in the thick pine and beech forest. Just outside Swinoujscie, a resort town on Poland’s Baltic coast, Wolin Island greets you with endless coastal dunes and seemingly untouched nature. But there’s a darker side to this idyllic-looking escape. Its sandy soil conceals an enormous, once top-secret bunker city. |
Russia's missile tests around disputed islands anger Japan
TOKYO, Japan, 21 August 2026 (Guardian) - Japan has criticised missile tests carried out by Russia’s navy around the disputed islands visited by Vladimir Putin last week amid continuing tensions between the two countries. Russia’s Pacific fleet said on Thursday that it had fired Bastion surface-to-ship missiles from Etorofu, the largest island in the disputed archipelago, simulating an attack on enemy vessels, hitting all of its targets approximately 300km away. |
The libertarian utopia on a Caribbean island
ROATAN, Honduras, 22 August 2026 (ABC) - Alice Chen opens a glass door and leads the way past a wall of stickers bearing slogans such as "Make Death Optional" and "Live on Bitcoin". The room we've entered is part messy science lab, part share-house kitchen. Chen retrieves a beaker from a small fridge inside. "You can't find this anywhere else in the world," she says, holding up a vivid green liquid. This is what she came all the way from Canada to Próspera, a libertarian enclave on the Honduran island of Roatán, to develop - a live algae drink she says could add 20 years to your life. "It's only possible here in Próspera because of their meta-regulatory framework," Chen says. |
Spain proposes 23 new MPAs in the Canary Islands and Med
SPOLETO, Italy, 21 August 2026 (Mongabay) - The Spanish government has launched a consultation process to establish 23 new marine protected areas (MPAs) in Canary Islands waters and the Mediterranean Sea as part of efforts to meet a national commitment to protect 30% of its waters by 2030. |
The unlikely seed dispersers on a Japanese island
KOBE, Japan, 21 August 2026 (Mongabay) - In the humid, coastal forests of Japan’s Ishigaki Island, near Okinawa, a parasitic plant relies on some unusual allies to spread its seeds: land hermit crabs and cockroaches. |
Ancient Polynesians took a 1,700-year break from voyaging
WASHINGTON, US, 21 August 2026 (Nat.Geog) - The Polynesians were perhaps the ancient world’s greatest sea voyagers. But their epic explorations were not continuous. Clues in the archaeological record indicate that there was a period lasting roughly 1,700 years during which the Polynesians stopped making long-distance ocean voyages. Then, around A.D. 900, they returned to the waters and began a new era of exploration and discovery. Scholars call this gap “the Long Pause,” but the reason behind the hiatus remains a mystery. |
Puerto Rico is rationing water
COLLEGE STATION, US, 20 August 2026 (Conversation) - Imagine turning on your kitchen faucet and nothing comes out. Not for an hour, but for two full days. Then the water returns, only to stop again two days later. That is what more than 180,000 customers in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and six nearby municipalities have been dealing with since Aug. 7, 2026, and officials expect 48-hour rotating outages to continue at least through August. The official explanation is drought that has depleted the island's reservoirs but a large, aging pipe system that carries water to the metro area, also ruptured in June, severely reducing supplies. |
Giant whales move into Greenland waters as ice disappears
LONDON, UK, 20 August 2026 (BBC) - Sea ice has been disappearing from East Greenland, allowing giant whales to take advantage and move into previously inaccessible areas. That is the conclusion of a decades-long study that has recorded - and filmed - hundreds of the world's biggest whales including humpbacks, minke and fin whales, feeding in ice-free seas along the coast in summer. None of these marine mammals were historically found here as they have been locked out of the coastal waters by ice. |
How an invasive deer in Hawaii is being turned into dinner
LONDON, UK, 20 August 2026 (Guardian) - In 1868, the government of Hong Kong gave eight axis deer to Hawaii’s King Kamehameha V. Now, more than a century after their introduction, an estimated 60,000 traverse the Hawaiian islands of Lanai, Maui and Molokai in herds that are reshaping the environment. Axis deer are also uniquely destructive. Thankfully, they are also delicious. For one company, that overpopulation is an opportunity. Maui Nui Venison harvests the deer from privately owned ranches, whose owners advise how many animals they want hunted. |
How we found Haida Gwaii's first marbled murrelet nest
VANCOUVER, Canada, 18 August 2026 (Conversation) - Scrambling through dense salal in the dark, weaving between the majestic western red cedars of northern Haida Gwaii, I could barely imagine where we were just days before - crossing Dixon Entrance off the coast in an open skiff, pushing head-on through ocean swells and salt spray. These were two vastly different worlds, connected by one strange little bird: the marbled murrelet. |
Fiji church leaders told to lead by example
SUVA, Fiji, 20 August 2026 (RNZ) - The president of the Methodist Church in Fiji wants all lay pastors and ministers to refrain from the over-consumption of kava (yaqona) and stop smoking cigarettes. In Fiji, nearly 70 percent of the population is Christain. The Methodist Church is the largest denomination and is especially dominant among indigenous iTaukei Fijians. |
What really happened on Easter Island?
WILMINGTON, US, 18 August 2026 (SCIAM) - Archaeology, ancient DNA and aerial survey data now challenge the claim that the Rapanui suffered a self-inflicted collapse before Europeans arrived. The emerging picture is of a small society that sustained itself for centuries by adapting its farming methods and water management to one of the most isolated places on Earth. The catastrophe that reduced the Rapanui to a remnant came later, after European ships brought disease, slave raiding, forced labor, annexation and confinement. The old story now looks like an accusation that hardened into a conclusion. |
SpaceX Starship the talk of remote Australian island
LONDON, UK, 19 August 2026 (Guardian) - Engineers from Elon Musk’s SpaceX are on their way to a remote Australian island to retrieve part of a Starship that dived into the Indian Ocean. The spacecraft – now floating off the coast of Christmas Island – was launched in Texas on 24 July, in the 13th test of the technology. After reaching orbit and releasing 20 non-functioning satellites, the upper stage of the rocket re-entered the atmosphere, landing in the ocean. |
The world's quietest islands
BERKELEY, US, 19 August 2026 (BR) - The world has grown louder and harder to switch off from, so much so that people are now taking trips just to turn the volume down. Islands, wild and remote, have long been the places people go to escape the noise. BookRetreats.com’s first Unspoilt Index analysed 100 of them against the European Environment Agency‘s benchmark for a quiet place: a pleasant soundscape, where unwanted sound is absent or at least not dominant. |
An ancient ritual evolves to protect an endangered cockatoo
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 18 August 2026 (Mongabay) - A new study has found that the Huaulu Indigenous community on Indonesia’s Seram Island is adapting a centuries-old coming-of-age ritual to help protect the endangered salmon-crested cockatoo. |
Solomon Islands living culture
LONDON, UK, 19 August 2026 (TDM) - The people of the Solomon Islands are renowned for their gentle ways and omnipresent smiles, so it’s hard to imagine these so called ‘Hapi Isles’ were once feared as the home of the South Pacific’s fiercest head hunters. Those days may be long gone but given this 992-island archipelago is still relatively untouched by mass tourism, the centuries-old cultural ways of the Solomon Islands remain as some of the richest to be found in the South Pacific. A fantastic way to experience the Solomon Islands’ living culture is to visit one of the colourful festivals held throughout the year. |
Rats weren't to blame for bringing plague to Mallorca in 1820
MINNEAPOLIS, US, 19 August 2026 (CIDRAP) - The findings of Mallorca's epidemic challenge longstanding narratives that rodents were the primary drivers of plague outbreaks in Europe. Caused by the bacterium Y pestis, plague can take several forms. The study posits that historical records from the epidemic on the rural Mediterranean island describe a disease pattern that is inconsistent with bubonic rat-borne plague, partly because of the extremely high fatality rate. Instead, they say the epidemic was likely fueled by pneumonic or septicemic plague. |
A new discovery at Easter Island could rewrite history as we know it
NEW YORK, US, 17 August 2026 (PM) - For decades, archaeologists have debated whether the writing system of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), known as Rongorongo, was invented independently or influenced by Europeans. A study that uses radiocarbon dating to assess the age of four Rongorongo tablets shows that one of the tablets predates the arrival of Europeans in the 1720s. However, the date only reflects when the wood was felled, and sample size of one isn’t large enough to be entirely certain. |
To save the reef, this island is raising clams by hand
ARLINGTON, US, 19 August 2026 (CI) - As legend goes, the tiny Pacific island nation Palau began with a giant clam. For generations, Palauans have harvested the clams to feed their families. But as demand for wild clams has grown alongside an expanding tourism industry, and climate change has accelerated, clam populations have plummeted. Of the eight giant clam species found in Palau, several are endangered, while the true giant clam - the largest of them all - is now critically endangered. Across the entire Pacific, populations have dropped by roughly 80 percent over last century. |
PSC rules monitoring commercial fishing vessels is unconstitutional
MANILA, Philippines, 19 August 2026 (Mongabay) - The Philippine Supreme Court (PSC) struck down a regulation requiring commercial fishing vessels to continuously transmit their locations and submit electronic catch reports. The requirement was partially implemented before being suspended in 2022 during a court challenge, with devices installed on about 52% of targeted vessels. Small-scale fishers and scientists warn reduced oversight could increase commercial incursions into coastal waters where many fish stocks are already overexploited. |
Norfolk Island voted to leave Australia. Canberra shrugged.
CANBERRA, Australia, 17 August 2026 (Politico) - The Albanese government has worked for years to bring Pacific island nations closer into Australia’s orbit and sees itself in a permanent contest with China for influence in the region. But on Australia’s own Pacific island, the federal government’s legitimacy is in question as a movement to leave the country gains prominence. On Norfolk Island, population 2,188, hundreds of Australians lined up at polling booths on New Year’s Day and voted to secede in an election that is still being dismissed by officials in Canberra eight months later - and often, it seems, barely noticed at all. |
Mobile queen conch hatcheries strive to help the species
BELMOPAN, Belize, 18 August 2026 (Mongabay) - International demand for queen conch meat and shells has led to severe overharvesting, while habitat degradation, pollution and warming waters add further threats. In a bid to slow the decline of the queen conch, researchers are partnering with local conservation organizations across the Caribbean to establish a network of mobile hatcheries aimed at protecting the giant marine snail through its vulnerable early life stages. |
Indonesia leads global tally of abuses linked to Chinese investments
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 18 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Indonesia recorded 96 allegations of human rights and environmental abuses linked to Chinese investments in transition minerals from 2023 to 2025, the most of any country, with 90 involving nickel, according to a new report. |
4,000 year old rock painting in Indonesia offers clues to migration
CANBERRA, Australia, 17 August 2026 (Conversation) - Some 4,200 years ago, people started to leave what is now Taiwan to migrate to the thousands of islands to the south, spanning as far west as Madagascar in the western Indian Ocean and as far east as Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the eastern Pacific Ocean. We can trace this migration through the way language spread, creating the largest-scale language dispersal in prehistory. |
Kangaroo Island's new ferry service delayed again
PORT PIRIE, Australia, 17 August 2026 (ABC) - Kangaroo Island's long-awaited new ferry service has been delayed yet again, more than 12 months after it was supposed to start. Electrical components on the second ferry were damaged during final testing, causing the delay. |
Aceh's community fishers struggle to preserve tradition
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, 17 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Coastal communities in Indonesia’s Aceh province have practiced community fish trawling since the time of the Aceh Sultanate, but the tradition today exists in only a handful of communities across the semiautonomous province. It is under threat due to the increasing burden of plastic and other household waste accumulating in nearshore waters and along beaches.. |
Inside Australia's $150m gamble on the Pacific climate summit
CANBERRA, Australia, 17 August 2026 (PINA) - In October, Australia – one of the world’s top coal and gas producers – will host a climate summit in Fiji and Tuvalu, at a cost to taxpayers of $50 million, in what Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says is an effort to bring global attention to the Pacific’s plight. The summit, which is the centrepiece of a broader $150 million Pacific package, is the result of the Albanese government’s shift in approach to Pacific relations, which is built on a conspicuous public embrace of the region’s climate prodding, and a bet that the green transition can be an economic and diplomatic boon for Australia. |
Coyotes thwarting sea turtle nest decoy effort on Sanibel island
TAMPA, US, 16 August 2026 (WUSF) - Coyotes ate well last summer after digging deep into the beach on Sanibel Island when sea turtle hatchlings were still developing in their shells. This year, researchers at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation have been trying to frustrate the animals into losing interest in sea turtle nests on Bowman's Beach by using decoys with no reward buried in the sand underneath. |
New rule allows dogs on Alaska's Pribilof Islands for anti-rat duties
JUNEAU, Alaska, 14 August 2026 (AB) - For decades, dogs have been verboten on the Pribilof Islands under a rule imposed by the federal government to protect the world’s largest concentration of northern fur seals. Now, dogs are welcome - with important caveats. Under a new interim rule enacted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, dogs may be brought to the islands, but only for the specific purpose of hunting for rats. |
Endangered blue-tailed skinks released on Cocos (Keeling) Islands
KARRATHA, Australia, 15 August 2026 (ABC) - More than 500 blue-tailed skinks have been released on Horsburgh Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in an effort to bolster numbers. Numbers of the species dropped dramatically due to introduced predators on Christmas Island. It is hoped that the blue-tailed skinks will breed and establish a large colony on Horsburgh Island, enabling them to be removed from the critically endangered list. |
How women farmers are helping to protect a Sumatran NP
LUBUK KEMBANG BUNGA, Indonesia, 14 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Tesso Nilo National Park on the Indonesian island of Sumatra is notorious for human-wildlife conflicts, but women farmers living in its buffer zone are working to protect the park. They plant citrus trees, which elephants avoid, around their farms, while also growing fruits that the animals can feed on. |
Sand mining plans spark opposition from fishers in Riau Islands
NUMBING ISLAND, Indonesia, 14 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Plans to mine marine sand off Indonesia’s Numbing Island, part of the Riau archipelago between Sumatra and Singapore, have sparked opposition from fishers, environmental groups, and some lawmakers who warn of damage to fishing grounds and marine tourism. Although the government describes the project as marine sediment management and no company has begun operations, the proposal has divided local communities over the promised compensation. |
Fiji's HIV outbreak is a public health emergency
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, 14 August 2026 (Conversation) - Delegates attending the Pacific HIV Symposium in Fiji next week will be confronting one of the region’s most urgent health challenges: the fastest growing HIV outbreak in the world. HIV prevalence among adults in Fiji is now 1.6%. This means about one in 60 adults lives with the virus. This is likely the tip of the iceberg: just one-third of people living with HIV in Fiji know their status, and only a quarter are receiving treatment. |
Putin's visit to disputed islands 'absolutely unacceptable'
LONDON, UK, 13 August 2026 (BBC) - Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has criticised Vladimir Putin's first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril islands on Thursday as "absolutely unacceptable". Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu, one of four islands in the Kuril chain that are claimed by Russia and Japan. |
Norway's newest island retreat
LONDON, UK, 13 August 2026 (CN) - Traveling to Ytri Island Retreat - which bills itself as “Norway's most remote island retreat,” and is a 112-mile journey by ferry from the northern coastal city of Bodo - is no small feat. It’s perched on Husøya, one of the 477 islands of the Træna archipelago enfolded by blueberry seas - no wonder that its name means “outer point.” The concept of a luxury hotel was mooted by the locals a decade ago when, facing a hollowing-out of the regional fishing industry, the municipality and local development company Træna 365 gathered to brainstorm alternative futures for the archipelago. |
There is a vast reef network off the north coast of Australia
SYDNEY, Australia, 12 August 2026 (Conversation) - More than 1,000 uncharted northern coral reefs were recently identified using satellite imagery along the north coast of Australia. Our new Research, undertaken in partnership with the Anindilyakwa Land & Sea Rangers, merges modern science with First Nations knowledge of Sea Country to document changes to local coral reefs around Groote Eylandt, the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. |
Indonesia's wildfire season surges as haze spreads into Malaysia
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 13 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Fires in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province have sent haze across the border into Malaysia, where worsening air pollution has forced six schools in Sarawak state to switch to online classes. Indonesia is entering the peak of its fire season, with West Kalimantan accounting for more than half of the nearly 49,000 hectares (121,000 acres) burned across six priority provinces as of Aug. 9. |
Timor green pigeon nears extinction after decades of inaction
DARWIN, Australia, 13 August 2026 (Mongabay) - A new study warns the Timor green pigeon is on the brink of extinction after decades of neglect, despite being listed as endangered since 2000. Researchers estimate just 100-500 birds remain, with Timor-Leste now the species’ last viable stronghold after it has all but disappeared from Indonesia. |
Cook Islands election
RAROTONGA, Cook Islands, 12 August 2026 (Guardian) - As voters in the Cook Islands prepare to head to the polls in a high-stakes general election, they will have much to reflect on. Over recent years, politics in this small island nation has been defined by fierce debates about deep-sea mining, diplomatic rifts with ally New Zealand and a major reshaping of the country’s foreign partnerships. |
Phillip Island penguins to be rounded up for bird flu vaccine
MELBOURNE, Australia, 12 August 2026 (ABC) - Victorian authorities are planning to round up 5,000 little penguins over several weeks to vaccinate them against H5N1 bird flu. Birds need two doses of the vaccine for effective coverage, with about 1,500 doses acquired nationally so far by the federal government. |
On Sumatran peatland, a farmer fights to bring back lost mangroves
SUNGAI APIT, Indonesia, 12 August 2026 (Mongabay) - A palm oil grower in an Indonesian village on Sumatra has spent 15 years studying the role of mangroves in coastal ecosystems and pushing local action to restore coastal forests. Research shows this area of Sumatra’s northern coastline, which is separated from the Strait of Malacca by a narrow channel and the island of Bengkalis, is experiencing coastal abrasion of more than 6 meters per year, due primarily to mangrove loss. |
Nickel expansion puts Indonesia's biodiversity goals under pressure
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 12 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Indonesia holds the world’s largest nickel reserves and has rapidly expanded production, which a new study says has grown roughly tenfold over the past decade. Nickel mining can fragment wildlife habitat as mines, roads and associated infrastructure expand, threatening biodiversity in areas of global conservation importance. |
Singapore culls ‘nuisance’ birds
SINGAPORE, 11 August 2026 (Mongabay) - A campaign to shoot crows has resumed in Singapore in response to a surge in public complaints about attacks, with authorities saying “pest” birds pose a public health risk and outcompete native species. Ecologists argue Singapore’s crow problem is human-made, with poor waste management and illegal feeding fueling a population boom. |
The science of building invisible walls
CAMBRIDGE, UK, 12 August 2026 (BirdLife) - Hidden on a hillside in the eastern part of the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, is the largest natural wall in the Iberian Peninsula. It is ‘hidden’ not only because it is in a remote corner of an island in the middle of the Atlantic, but because it is so well embedded in the landscape that it goes unnoticed. |
The race for critical minerals is clearing the path for deep-sea mining
HONG KONG, 11 August 2026 (SCMP) - We are on the threshold of a new “gold rush” for the critical minerals that fuel things like electric vehicle batteries and wind turbines designed to green the earth. But, in doing so, we may end up polluting the oceans as greed and power override scientific and environmental concerns. |
Greenland forces Trump-linked US oil firm to delay drilling
LONDON, UK, 12 August 2026 (Guardian) - Greenland authorities have forced a US oil company connected to Donald Trump to postpone drilling wells in the Arctic territory, defying claims by the US president’s envoy that Americans could be extracting crude by next year. Amid Trump’s imperialist threats, tensions have been rising on Greenland’s eastern coast after the oil company brought drilling equipment ashore in July without permission, drawing a “strong warning” from the government. |
Wind farm could have 'significant' impact on islands
LONDON, UK, 11 August 2026 (Independent) - A planned wind farm could have a “significant” impact on some island communities, conservation chiefs at the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) have warned. The charity has set out details of its opposition to the proposed MachairWind development, which would see 91 to 144 turbines sited in waters to the north-west of Islay and to the west of Colonsay on Scotland’s west coast. Developer ScottishPower Renewables has said the project could generate around two gigawatts (GW) of electricity – enough to power the equivalent of up to two million homes. |
Oman moves to contain oil spill from explosion-hit tanker
MUSCAT, Oman, 10 August 2026 (AN) - The Caroline Bezengi, part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” has been stranded for weeks near Al-Qibliyyah island. The Oman Environment Authority says the spill had affected roughly 390 square kilometers near a marine reserve established last year to protect sensitive ecosystems home to diverse marine life, including rare sea turtles. |
Opposition leader says talking to China is Taiwan's best defense
TAIPEI, Taiwan, 11 August 2026 (Time) - Cheng Li-wun once called for the destruction of the party she now leads. Back in 1988, when she was still a teenager, Cheng took the dais at a farmers’ rally to condemn Taiwan's Nationalist Party, or KMT, as “the most detestable ruling force,” urging her compatriots to “overthrow KMT tyranny and establish our own country.” Today, Cheng runs the KMT from its Taipei headquarters, where her chairperson’s office boasts the eclectic talismans of her unconventional journey: a cuddly kangaroo, a model Xiaomi electric car, and a jade Buddha statue guarding her desk. |
Wildfire ravages Indonesia's Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 11 August 2026 (Mongabay) - A massive wildfire within a national park in Indonesia has forced a total closure of one of the country’s best-known tourist destinations. Some 899 hectares of savanna and forest within Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java province have been destroyed by fire which broke out on Aug. 3 in the park’s eastern entrance and is suspected to be human-caused, |
Roman shipwreck with 500 amphorae found off coast of Sicily
PALERMO, Sicily, 10 August 2026 (Guardian) - A 2,100-year-old Roman shipwreck carrying about 500 amphorae has been discovered 3 miles off the coast of Mazara del Vallo in Sicily. Italy’s cultural heritage police, the Carabinieri, investigated the wreck with the help of divers and underwater cameras after receiving a tip-off from fishers. The vessel was found at a depth of about 46 metres (151ft) and was carrying hundreds of amphorae – ancient two-handled ceramic jars with a narrow neck – thought to have been used mainly to transport wine. |
How Malta became a magnet for big film shoots
LONDON, UK, 10 August 2026 (Guardian) - Malta has over the last decade risen to become one of the most popular places in Europe for American and British film-makers to set their works in, taking a lead in what has been described as an “arms race” to lure big movie productions with tax incentives. |
Dragon roars with record power in Faroe Islands
SCHIEDAM, The Netherlands, 10 August 2026 (OE) - Swedish tidal energy developer Minesto has revealed an electricity generation record in the Faroe Islands, where its tidal power plant set a new production record over the summer, after being upgraded with a new power-take-off (PTO) system that improves energy output throughout the tidal flow cycle. |
Inis Meain marks 50 years in business on the Aran Islands
DUBLIN, Ireland, 10 August 2026 (IT) - "Whatever you do, make it beautiful,” counselled Áine de Blacam to her son Ruairí three years ago, when he and his wife Marie-Thérèse took over Inis Meáin Knitwear on the Aran Islands, which marks 50 years in business this year. Founded by Ruairí’s parents Tarlach and Áine in 1976 to build a sustainable life on the wild island out in the Atlantic, that same imperative, along with the ability to draw from a rich heritage and a wide back catalogue, drives Ruairí’s vision for the company. |
The (booze) battle over Hans Island still holds lessons
TORONTO, Canada, 10 August 2026 (NP) - Battered by fresh U.S. threats of tariffs and annexation, Canada is turning toward Europe, with speculation among some that we might one day even join the European Union. After all, Canada does share a land border with an EU country. This is the story of Hans Island, the “Whisky War” and how Canada and Denmark resolved a major disagreement over territory in the Arctic without firing a shot. Or at least not the kind that comes from a firearm. |
Restoring resilience in Tonga’s 'Eua National Park
EUA, Tonga, 10 August 2026 (SPREP) - 'Eua National Park is one of Tonga's most ecologically significant protected areas, covering approximately 451 hectares on the east coast of 'Eua island, and features an 800-meter-wide strip of protected tropical rainforest supporting a remarkable diversity of native species. The park is home to 12 endemic plant species, including the rare and endangered conifer Podocarpus pallidus, as well as several endemic fauna species found nowhere else in the world. Established as a national park in 1992, the area remains one of Tonga's most valuable natural assets. |
Falkland Islanders call for referendum on plans for huge salmon farm
LONDON, UK, 9 August 2026 (Guardian) - It is among the world’s last pristine wildernesses, with unique coastal waters rich in krill and squid that attract sea lions, elephant seals, dolphins and whales, and where penguins, of which there are five different species locally, outnumber people. But plans to make the Falkland Islands, one the most remote and furthest-flung British overseas territories, a new frontier for salmon farming has split the 3,500-strong population. Now, people opposed to salmon farming are calling for a referendum because they have lost confidence in a consultation process they claim is biased towards the industry. |
Greenland issues 'strong warning' as oil firm prepares to drill
LONDON, UK, 8 August 2026 (Guardian) - An American oil company connected to Donald Trump is preparing to sink wells in remote Greenland despite not having received permission from the local authorities. As the US president renews his threats to claim the vast Arctic territory, materials to prepare for drilling were brought ashore in recent days on Greenland’s eastern coast. That has prompted Greenland’s government to issue a “strong warning” that no approval had been granted to land the kit. |
How Sri Lanka's heirloom rice can preserve Indigenous farming
WASGAMUWA, Sri Lanka, 8 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Prior to the 1940s and the Green Revolution, Sri Lankan paddy farmers cultivated traditional rice, locally known as purana haal. These rice cultivars were resilient and known to possess various nutritional and medicinal properties yet were soon replaced by new improved rice varieties to obtain better quality and bigger yields. |
Flames reach edge of orangutan rehabilitation center
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 7 August 2026 (Mongabay) - A wildfire that reached the edge of an orangutan rehabilitation center in western Borneo is highlighting how Indonesia’s intensifying fire season threatens not just forests and wildlife, but also the conservation work taking place within them. The fire stopped just short of the facility run by the nonprofit organization YIARI, where more than 60 critically endangered Bornean orangutans are undergoing rehabilitation after being rescued from the illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss. |
RSPB vision is for a thriving network of predator-free seabird islands
SANDY, UK, 6 August 2026 (RSPB) - The Western English Channel, Celtic Sea and Islands Seascape Priority Landscape stretches from Lundy in the northeast to the Isles of Scilly in the southwest, and south eastwards to the Channel Islands, including the surrounding marine waters that connect these island groups. |
Young activists in the Maldives confront climate threats to their nation
ADDU CITY, Maldives, 7 August 2026 (AP) - A group of young people in the Maldives recently paddled kayaks to protest land reclamation work that was cutting through protected mangrove wetlands in a UNESCO biosphere reserve, even spray-painting “ECOCIDE" on a reclaimed patch. The nonprofit Project ThimaaVeshi, which means “self and surroundings,” is part of a new generation of activists in the Indian Ocean island nation tackling issues that are part of their daily lives: coastal erosion, plastic pollution and development-damaged ecosystems. |
How social media and parrotfish poop are protecting the Maldives
MATHIMARADHOO, Maldives, 6 August 2026 (Mongabay) - Parrotfish play a vital role in reef ecosystems by producing sand from consumed coral and maintaining healthy reefs by grazing algae; in doing so they support the sediment accretion processes that help low-lying atolls naturally grow and adapt to rising sea levels. A grassroots social media campaign in the Maldives raised awareness about the ecological importance of parrotfish, helping build widespread public support for their conservation after the species began proliferating in local fish markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
On the front lines of conservation in Sumatra
TANGGAMUS, Indonesia, 7 August 2026 (Mongabay) - In southern Sumatra, a small team of forest rangers is racing to protect Batutegi forest, an important watershed and refuge for endangered wildlife such as tigers and slow lorises. Batutegi faces persistent pressures from forest encroachment and the need to balance conservation with local livelihoods. Experts say protecting Batutegi will require sustained collaboration with local communities, alongside long-term conservation and forest management efforts. |
Millions of dollars pledged to eradicate cats from Kangaroo Island
NEW YORK, US, 5 August 2026 (FW) - On Australia's Kangroo Island, uninvited feral cats have posed a major threat to rare, native species, and a coalition of forces has pledged millions of dollars to eradicate them from the island completely. The eradication effort combines cutting-edge technology with community participation, using a remotely monitored landscape-scale trap network, AI-powered 4G cameras that provide near real-time cat locations, specially trained detection dogs, thermal drones and a "Call in a Cat" reporting program. |
Dodos probably weren't as stupid as historians made them out to be
ADELAIDE, Australia, 5 August 2026 (Conversation) - The dodo has been extinct for more than 300 years, wiped out within decades of humans arriving on its home island of Mauritius. This famous flightless bird has become a symbol of extinction. Its demise is often portrayed as almost inevitable: a supposedly foolish creature that naïvely approached the sailors who killed it. |
Europe's stone age hunters made sea voyages to Malta
LIVERPOOL, UK, 5 August 2026 (Conversation) - The ability to cross oceans has long been a marker of human endeavour, but when did the seas change from being barriers to movement into the maritime highways we know today? For many years the answer was thought to lie in the Neolithic period – the time when humans made the profound transition from hunting and gethering to practising agriculture and living in settled societies. Our team’s discovery of the presence of European hunter-gatherers on the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta has overturned this view. It showed that people reached Malta from their starting point in Europe (presumably Sicily) at least 8,500 years ago. In a new study, we show that these populations were engaging in repeated long-distance sea journeys of at least 100km, well before the advent of farming. |
Falkland Islands are British and self-determination lies with Islanders
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, 6 August 2026 (MercoPress) - At the heart of Argentina’s illegitimate claim over the Falkland Islands is a historical falsehood. British sovereignty over the islands dates back to 1765, some years before the Argentinian Republic even existed. On January 3, 1833, an Argentinian military garrison that had been sent to the Falkland Islands three months earlier to impose Argentinian sovereignty was expelled by British forces. No civilian Argentinian population was expelled. |
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