Free Republic

The US Environmental Protection Agency moving to enforce the shutdown of coal and oil-fired... In East Palestine, Ohio there's something new to talk about besides the toxic smoke plume... Russia has introduced a UN Security Council resolution on the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines... At the White House National Security spokesman John Kirby saying the US welcomes any decisions by allied nations to provide fighter planes to Ukraine... Tonight the US Embassy in Suriname is condemning what it calls: "an unacceptable attack on democracy"... Earlier today a protesting crowd of thousands driven back by tear gas and buckshot at...

A teen eco-warrior is going viral for a live radio interview in which she ripped people flying to vacation hotspots like Fiji — before admitting she’d just got back from that exact trip with her family. Izzy Cook, 16, left NewstalkZB host Heather du Plessis-Allan laughing hysterically with her admission Friday while discussing the Greta Thunberg -inspired School Strike 4 Climate she is leading in Wellington, New Zealand. During the chat, the teen environmentalists pushed a plan for people to have to apply to take gas-guzzling flights and only for approved events. When her interviewer asked if people would be...

Science has retracted a 2014 study on coral reefs in Fiji co-authored by Danielle Dixson of the University of Delaware, Lewes. PETE OXFORD A major controversy in marine biology took a new twist last week when the University of Delaware (UD) found one of its star scientists guilty of research misconduct. The university has confirmed to Science that it has accepted an investigative panel’s conclusion that marine ecologist Danielle Dixson committed fabrication and falsification in work on fish behavior and coral reefs. The university is seeking the retraction of three of Dixson’s papers and “has notified the appropriate federal agencies,”...

(Video at the link) The news here is that the Russian superyacht "Amadea" had fled to Fiji to avoid sanctions and Fiji has consented to the seizure and forfeiture of the ship to United States authorities. Amadea becomes the first Russian superyacht to fly a US flag. About the superyacht Amadea: Amadea is a motor yacht with a length of 106.1m. The yacht's builder is Lürssen from Germany who delivered superyacht Amadea in 2017. The superyacht has a beam of 18.0m, a draft of 4.1m and a volume of 4,402 GT. The Amadea features exterior design by Espen Øino International,...

Thirty-six people on a flight from Fiji tested positive on landing about a week ago on the first plane to arrive since the nation reopened its borders this month. All 54 passengers were isolated at a facility, but at least four cases were since reported in the community, including a security guard at the isolation center.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A tuna fishing boat based in the Pacific island nation of Fiji that has been accused of essentially enslaving its crew was blocked Wednesday from importing seafood into the United States, part of an increasing effort to keep goods produced with forced labor from entering the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued an order to stop any shipments in American ports from the Hangton No. 112, a longliner operated by a Chinese national, after the agency determined there was credible evidence that the crew was subjected to conditions defined as forced labor under international standards. It’s...

Neo-feudalism: The elite is hiding out from the devastation their policies have caused. News that billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page has been hiding out on and buying isolated private islands in Fiji to avoid tourists who aren’t allowed in once again underscores how the elite is using the fallout from the pandemic to segregate themselves from the general public. Page has been living off grid for over a year and forced a state-owned news website to remove an article about his activities that was also de-listed by Google in an apparent effort to conceal his location. “He has spent months...

Rat DNA clues to sea migration This carving shows Pacific rats on the face of a Polynesian ancestor Scientists have used DNA from rats to trace migration patterns of the ancestors of today's Polynesians. People are thought to have arrived in Polynesia, comprising the Pacific islands of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, by boat some 3,000 years ago. Rat data suggests the journey was more complex than the popular "Express Train" theory, which proposes a rapid dispersal of people from South Asia. Details appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Elizabeth Matisoo-Smith and Judith Robins from the University of...

In recent days, the family says the CDC ruled out influenza or infectious disease as their cause of death. "So they have turned their focus to toxins or anything that may have been ingested," Calanog said. That includes the possibility they were poisoned. The family says they're not ruling anything out and are awaiting toxicology results from Australia in the coming weeks. A video Michelle took of David at a restaurant in Fiji was shared there as investigators try to re-trace the couple's steps, including what and where they ate

The Health Ministry in Fiji said an investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. "Influenza has been ruled out, and at this stage, we do not believe there is a risk to the public," the Fiji Ministry of Health said in a statement released on Tuesday. "It would be premature to speculate further on the cause of death until the investigation is complete." Five people, including medical staff who came in close contact with the couple at the clinic where they were treated and both died, have been quarantined and are being monitored at a hospital in Nadi, Fiji,...

“They knew something was going on in their body and were able to get to the hospital,” Michelle’s sister-in-law Tracey Calanog told local TV station KVUE. Friends said the Air Force veteran and his wife loved to travel and tried to get away on annual trips with just each other leaving behind their young son, 2, David’s daughter from a previous relationship, and their dog, Zooey. According to Calanog, Michelle died first, then David, before he could be airlifted to Australia for treatment. An investigation into the cause of their deaths is ongoing, but a recent World Health Organization alert...

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said Wednesday that he’s traveling to three South Pacific island nations to see the effects of climate change firsthand. Speaking in Fiji, the U.N. leader said he wanted to learn about the work being undertaken by island communities to bolster resilience. He said the Pacific needs stronger international support because climate change is taking place faster than efforts to address it. “The last four years were the hottest on record. The loss of ice in Greenland and Antarctica is accelerating, meaning that sea levels will rise a full meter (over 3 feet) by 2100 if nothing...

Survivor: Edge of Extinction is the thirty-eighth season of Survivor (for those unfamiliar with the show, there are two seasons each year). It begins Wednesday, February 20, 2019 on CBS at 8/7c. References: Official Survivor site at CBSWikipedia article Note: The official CBS Survivor site has not yet been updated. Check back for updates.Survivor host Jeff Probst explains Edge of Extinction twist (includes video)Season preview As with the last five seasons, this season will be held in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. This will be the 7th time overall that the show has been held in Fiji. It will consist of...

Survivor: David vs. Goliath is the thirty-seventh season of Survivor (for those unfamiliar with the show, there are two seasons each year). It begins Wednesday, September 26, 2018 on CBS at 8/7c with a special 90 minute episode. References: Official Survivor site at CBSWikipedia article'Survivor David vs. Goliath': Jeff Probst Reveals Everything to Know About Season 37Season preview As with the last four seasons, this season will be held in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. This will be the 6th time overall that the show has been held in Fiji. It will consist of 20 new players divided into two tribes...

Seagram’s liquor heiress Clare Bronfman wept in court Friday as family members signed on to pay her whopping $100 million bond, so she can stay out of jail while awaiting trial for her role in an upstate sex-slave cult. Dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt and baggy slacks, a blubbering Bronfman, 39, wiped tears from under her glasses as Brooklyn federal court Judge Nicholas Garaufis reminded her mom and brother in law that they’re there to keep her honest. “I think she knows the responsibility as well,” said Basit Igtet, a Libyan entrepreneur who is married to Bronfman’s sister, Sara....

As our two-engine speedboat starts the journey back to Port Denarau Marina, a major port on Fiji's main island, we lurch to an unexpected stop. A seal on the fuel injector on the engine has loosened, so we sputter back to the mainland at half the usual pace. But the possibility of such a transit hiccup is the chance you take when visiting a floating pizza bar in the middle of the South Pacific. Opened in 2013, Cloud 9 bobs above Roro Reef in the Mamanuca archipelago, about 45 minutes off the west coast of Fiji. "Prior to Cloud 9,...

Survivor: Ghost Island is the thirty-sixth season of Survivor (for those unfamiliar with the show, there are two seasons each year). It begins Wednesday, February 28, 2018 on CBS at 8/7c with a special two hour episode. References: Official Survivor site at CBSWikipedia article Survivor: Ghost Island: Jeff Probst gives intel on NEXT seasonSeason preview As with the last three seasons, this season will be held in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. This will be the 5th time overall that the show has been held in Fiji. It will consist of 20 new players divided into two tribes. The players range...

President Trump interrupted his speech Wednesday on his Asia trip a couple of times to drink from a bottle of Fiji water — and Sen. Marco Rubio said his drinking game needs some work. When Mr. Rubio, Florida Republican, gave the Republican response to then-President Obama’s State of the Union speech in 2013 — his first big moment in the national spotlight — he interrupted his speech to drink some water. The moment became an internet phenomenon and widely snarked at, a history that led Fox News producer Pat Ward to copy Mr. Rubio on his tweet of the Trump...

Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers is the thirty-fifth season of Survivor (for those unfamiliar with the show, there are two seasons each year). It begins Wednesday, September 27, 2017 on CBS at 8/7c. References: Official Survivor site at CBSWikipedia article Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers: Jeff Probst gives intel on NEXT seasonSeason preview As with the last two seasons, this season will be held in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. It will consist of 18 new players divided into three tribes based on dominant perceived trait: "Heroes" (those who possess courage), "Healers" (those who help others) and "Hustlers" (those...

Survivor: Game Changers — Mamanuca Islands is the 34th season of Survivor (for those unfamiliar with the show, there are two seasons each year). It begins Wednesday, March 8, 2017 on CBS at 8/7c with a special two hour episode. References: Official Survivor site at CBSWikipedia article There will be twenty returning players divided into two tribes of ten players each. The "Game Changers" theme as with some past themes, is of course utterly contrived. Apparently the original plan called for three teams consisting of (1) winners, (2) those who made the jury, and (3) those who were booted prior...