Pacific Islands








Environment

Mining

Mining

Eramet lifts profit outlook on manganese rally, says nickel market hard

Eramet raised its outlook for fullyear core incomes on Thursday due to a dive in manganese prices, though the French miner anticipated the nickel market to remain tough after it contributed to a drop in the group's firsthalf results. The business reported a 27% drop in first-half adjusted earnings before interest, tax, debt and amortisation (EBITDA) to 247 million euros ($ 268.17 million), notably pressured by weaker nickel rates in a sector faced with a supply surplus. Nevertheless, a rally in manganese ore rates, activated by weather-related disturbance to Australian production, led the group to increase its full-year adjusted EBITDA...

Mining

Rio Tinto class action over Bougainville mine damage set for October hearing

The very first hearing date has been embeded in a class action versus miner Rio Tinto for historic ecological and social damage caused by the Bougainville copper mine in Papua New Guinea that it operated in the 1970s and 1980s, lawyers stated. The first court hearing will take place in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby on Oct. 10, according to attorneys representing the plaintiffs. We are devoted to advancing the action versus Rio Tinto and BCL on behalf of the class, said Matthew Mennilli, partner at Sydney-based law firm Morris Mennilli in a declaration. We. intend to empower plaintiffs...

Fossil Fuels

India to look for licences to hunt Pacific Ocean for vital minerals

India will make an application for licences to explore for deepsea minerals in the Pacific Ocean as it contends to protect products of minerals vital for energy shift technologies, a leading federal government researcher told . The UN-backed International Seabed Authority (ISA) has provided 31 deep-sea exploration licences, consisting of 2 for India in the Indian Ocean, but is yet to enable mining since the 36-member body is still working on regulations. The 36-member ISA council is meeting in Jamaica this month to work out the most recent draft of a mining code. M. Ravichandran, the leading researcher at India's...

Fossil Fuels

India to look for licences to hunt Pacific Ocean for important minerals

India will obtain licences to explore for deepsea minerals in the Pacific Ocean as it completes to protect products of minerals critical for energy shift innovations, a top federal government scientist told . The UN-backed International Seabed Authority (ISA) has issued 31 deep-sea exploration licences, consisting of 2 for India in the Indian Ocean, however is yet to allow mining due to the fact that the 36-member body is still dealing with regulations. The 36-member ISA council is fulfilling in Jamaica this month to work out the latest draft of a mining code. M. Ravichandran, the leading researcher at India's...

Mining

Australia to fund road clearing to Porgera mine after PNG landslide

Australia stated it would offer A$ 2 million ($ 1.33 million) to Papua New Guinea to bring back road access to the Porgera cash cow, formerly one of the world's largest, and other assistance for survivors after a. deadly landslide in Enga province in May. 7 Australian ministers and the nation's police chief. are in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to hold security and trade talks. in the middle of competition with China for policing ties in the Pacific. Islands, and to underscore Australian humanitarian help. after the disaster last month. It was moving to see numerous people in such an...

Mining

Eramet's New Caledonia nickel plant needs supply within days, CEO says

The nickel processing plant of New Caledonian manufacturer SLN will need products of ore in the coming days to ensure its furnaces keep working, the CEO of main shareholder Eramet stated on Thursday. SLN has stopped mining in New Caledonia due to riots this month stimulated by an electoral reform and the company's Doniambo plant has actually been at performing at minimum capability. We urgently require to be able to bring ore to Doniambo, Eramet Chair and CEO Christel Bories told the group's annual shareholders' conference. If we're unable to re-supply Doniambo in the coming days, I would say the...

Mining

Papua New Guinea orders evacuations after landslide, thousands feared buried

Papua New Guinea purchased thousands of locals to leave from the path of a. stillactive landslide on Tuesday after parts of a mountain. collapsed burying at least 2,000 individuals, according to government. estimates. Authorities stated the chances of discovering survivors were slim, even. as relief groups have actually trickled into the difficult-to-access. northern Enga region of the Pacific country considering that Friday. Heavy devices and help have actually been sluggish to show up since of. the treacherous surface and tribal discontent in the remote location,. forcing the military to escort convoys of relief teams. Residents have been using shovels and...

Mining

Papua New Guinea landslide buried more than 2,000 individuals, federal government states

Papua New Guinea's huge landslide 3 days ago buried more than 2,000 individuals, the government said on Monday, as treacherous terrain hindered help and reduced hopes of finding survivors. The National Disaster Centre gave the brand-new number in a letter to the U.N., which had put possible deaths at more than 670. The variation reflects the remote site and the problem in getting an accurate population estimate. The Pacific island country's last reputable census remained in 2000 and many individuals live in separated mountain towns. Defence Minister Billy Joseph stated 4,000 individuals had been residing in the six remote villages...

Mining

More than 670 feared dead in Papua New Guinea landslide, UN company states

More than 670 people are presumed to have passed away in Papua New Guinea's enormous landslide, the U.N. migration company estimated on Sunday as rescue efforts continued. Media in the South Pacific nation north of Australia had previously estimated Friday's landslide had actually buried more than 300 individuals. However more than 2 days later the International Company for Migration (IOM) said the death toll might be more than double that, as the full degree of the damage is still unclear and continuing harmful conditions on the ground are hampering aid and rescue efforts. Only 5 bodies had been retrieved from...

Mining

More than 300 buried in Papua New Guinea landslide, regional media states

More than 300 people and over 1,100 houses were buried by a huge landslide that levelled a. remote village in northern Papua New Guinea, local media. reported on Saturday. Hundreds are feared dead in the landslide that hit Kaokalam. village in Enga Province, about 600 km (370 miles) northwest of. capital Port Moresby, around 3 a.m. on Friday (1900 GMT on. Thursday). The landslide in the Pacific country north of Australia. buried more than 300 individuals and 1,182 houses, the Papua New. Guinea Post Courier said, pointing out comments from a member of the. nation's parliament, Aimos Akem. Akem did...

Mining

Hundreds feared dead after landslide flattens remote Papua New Guinea town

Hundreds are feared dead after a massive landslide levelled dozens of homes and buried households alive in a remote town in northern Papua New Guinea early on Friday, a citizen said. More than 50 homes, lots of with individuals still asleep inside, were buried when the landslide struck Kaokalam town around 3 a.m., villager Ninga Function informed by phone. The death toll was almost 300, amongst them his bro and cousin, he stated. The Australian Broadcasting Corp and other local media reported that more than 100 individuals had actually been killed. One male who reversed to attempt and save his...

Mining

Macron heads to riot-hit New Caledonia as Australia, NZ leave tourists

French President Emmanuel Macron will take a trip to the Pacific island of New Caledonia late on Tuesday, his workplace said, simply over a week after riots emerged in the French abroad area, killing six. Australia and New Zealand were leaving tourists from the island as the violence left a trail of damage with looted stores, torched cars and trucks and roadway barricades limiting access to medicine and food. The protests were stimulated by anger among indigenous Kanak people over constitutional reform authorized in Paris that would modification who is allowed to take part in elections. Regional leaders fear the...

Mineral Resources

Fossil Fuels

New Caledonia nickel company KNS begins layoff treatment

New Caledonian nickel producer Koniambo Nickel SAS (KNS) has released a redundancy plan for its 1,200 workers after coowner Glencore stopped working to discover a buyer for its stake ahead of an endAugust deadline, KNS said on Friday. KNS stopped its mine and plant operations in March after Glencore decided to offer its interest following years of losses at the operation. Glencore consented to spend for employees' incomes and for the heaters to be kept hot up until completion of August at the facilities in the French southern Pacific territory. KNS stated conversations with possible investors were continuing, with 3...

Mineral Resources

Australia, NZ more cautious on China as Premier Li gos to

Regional security concerns will eclipse profitable trade ties when China's. Premier Li Qiang gos to New Zealand and Australia today,. with the mood considerably various from the last Chinese premier's. check out 7 years back. Li arrives in New Zealand on Thursday, before taking a trip to. Australia at the weekend, China's foreign ministry stated. Australia is the top supplier of iron ore to China, its. biggest trading partner, however there is competition for. Australia's rare earths required for electrical vehicles and defence. from Western security allies. New Zealand was the very first Western nation to strike a free. trade...

Mineral Resources

In restive New Caledonia, Macron sees Pacific power and influence

In 2018, a year after becoming France's president, Emmanuel Macron flew to the remote Frenchruled Pacific island of New Caledonia to describe his latest diplomacy strategy. With China's local aspirations growing, a new Indo-Pacific method was needed to avoid it from ending up being hegemonic, he stated. New Caledonia would be a crucial French anchor of that plan. I believe in the future of this area, and I think in the place that this area occupies in a wider method, he said. The Indo-Pacific is at the heart of the French project. Six years later, Macron's Indo-Pacific aspirations are facing...

Pollution

Pollution

Australia's Albanese, China's Li hold talks on trade, rights

Australia and China will take actions to improve military interaction to avoid incidents, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated after meeting Premier Li Qiang on Monday, in the first visit to the country by a Chinese premier in seven years. The visit by Li, China's top-ranked official after President Xi Jinping, marks a stabilisation in relations in between the U.S. security ally and the world's second-biggest economy, after a. frosty period of Beijing blocking $20 billion in Australian. exports and friction over defence encounters. One of the really useful measures that we spoke about was. improving military to military interaction so...

Pollution

Papua New Guinea leader sees community hit by landslide

Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape on Friday made his very first see to a remote town struck by a fatal landslide recently and thanked global help donors for their assistance. Officials are still trying to identify the number of people are buried under parts of a mountain which collapsed onto the Yambali town in the Enga area a week ago. More than 2,000 individuals might have been buried alive, according to the PNG government. A U.N. quote put the death toll at around 670. Marape apologised to homeowners for not visiting earlier, The Papua New Guinea Post...

Pollution

Papua New Guinea leader check outs neighborhood hit by landslide

Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape on Friday made his first check out to a remote village hit by a lethal landslide recently and thanked global help donors for their assistance. Authorities are still attempting to pinpoint how many individuals are buried under parts of a mountain which collapsed onto the Yambali town in the Enga area a week ago. More than 2,000 individuals may have been buried alive, according to the PNG federal government. A U.N. quote put the death toll at around 670. Marape apologised to locals for not going to earlier, The Papua New Guinea...

Energy Markets

Climate modification: little island states hail ocean court victory

A worldwide maritime court found on Tuesday that greenhouse gases make up marine contamination, a significant breakthrough for small island states threatened by the increase in water level caused by international warming. In its very first climate-related judgment, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea stated emissions from fossil fuels and other planet-warming gases that are taken in by the oceans count as marine contamination. Its judgment - an advisory viewpoint that should however offer a precedent for cases elsewhere - likewise stated nations should exceed the requirements of the landmark 2015 Paris Contract to safeguard the marine...