Category Archives: Oceania

Institution news Deadline for nominations: 5 March 2021

Would you like to have a say in how the future of the Institution is shaped internationally?

The Institution has more than 31,000 members based outside the UK and this number is growing all the time.

Nominations are now open for the positions of Regional Chair and Young Member Representative for :

Deadline for nominations: 5 March 2021

It is the role of the Chair to represent the Region and to work with the volunteer groups to raise the profile of the Institution and encourage more people to get involved. This could be through organising or attending events, strengthening links with industry and local institutions, or taking a role on a committee.

The Young Member Representative will support and represent other young members, and

This is an ideal opportunity to influence the Institutions future international development. Please visit ourOceania and North East Asiapages where you will find a nominee pack, an application form and more information about the criteria and duties for each role.

Contact Mary Newton, mary.newton@imeche.orgif you have any questions or would like further information regarding the nomination process.

We look forward to your participation.

Follow this link:

Call for nominations - Oceania and North East Asia Regional elections 2021 - Professional Engineering

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Today were talking about fall armyworm spread and control around the world with Dr. Robert Bertram, Chief Scientist with USAIDs Bureau of Resilience and Food Security, which is charged with advancing nutrition and food security around the world. In that capacity hes working with the FAOs recently established Global Action for Armyworm Control program, for which he serves as Chair of the technical committee.

AgriBusiness Global: Lets start by defining the problem. Fall Armyworm was once relegated to the Americas and has since spread to Asia and Africa. How big is this problem, and what regions are being affected the most?

Dr. Bertram: Thats right. It was a pest in the Americas that we know how to handle. We call it fall armyworm because it migrates long distances. For example, it is endemic in Florida year-round, and it reaches Minnesota by the fall. That fact is the key to the situation in Africa. Once it was introduced there 4-5 years ago, its been able to spread across Africa, up to the Middle East through Egypt, east into South Asia, and eventually into East Asia, and just this year into Australia.

It is a remarkably mobile pest. It can travel up to 700 kilometers, and the generations are rapid. This makes it a new challenge for many parts the world, and in some of those parts of the world, farmers are poorest and least able to adapt to a new pest. And of course its unknown there, so its causing huge losses. Fall armyworm can cause just as much damage, but it affects a larger area because its not a single swarm. Its much more diffuse kind of problem but a very large one that is affecting livelihoods, food security, and food safety and affecting millions of people across Africa and Asia, people who are in many cases the least able to adapt to any additional threat to their food security and wellbeing.

AgriBusiness Global: And this problem is endemic for them now?

Dr. Bertram: Yes, its not going anywhere so were not talking about eradication. The pest is there, and weve been actively partnering with researchers and institutions in both the public and private sectors in the Americas, where the bulk of expertise is on this pest, and also now in the countries where it is endemic.

Our first efforts were about leveraging the knowledge in places like Brazil, the tropics, Florida, and experts from universities and agencies like the USDA and help bring that to their counterparts in sub-Saharan Africa and subsequently in Asia.

Now as time goes on, its more about adapting to the pest now that we know more about it in these new contexts where it is.

AgriBusiness Global: The FAO says Africa is loosing as much as 18 million tonnes of corn annually, accounting for $4.6 billion in economic loss. Do we have any other metrics that can tell us how widespread or pervasive this is?

Dr. Bertram: We can say overall that its taking out about 10% of sub-Saharan Africas maize crops. The valuation of that is variable, and thats about the same as the hit from the locusts. 10% [collectively] might not sound like its a wipeout, but it can be in areas, and thats the problem. If you have a lot of rain, then its not as severe of a pest. If you theres not as much rain, then you can have a very severe outbreak, and one of the challenges we have with it is that it is a very insidious pest. When it shows up, you really have to know what to look for, and then it gets inside the plant in the whorl or in the ear where you cant get at it so you have to be fast on the draw. This is where in many cases access to information, biocontrols, and chemical controls might be lacking. [Crop damage] is certainly in the billions of dollars [in Africa]. I dont think we have estimates yet for Asia, but again its going be very large.

The other thing that is important is that this isnt restricted to just maize. It goes after sorghum, too. There is also a rice biotype of the pest and many of us are fearful that either the current pest could adapt rice in Asia and Africa or the rice biotype could become introduced. That would be a terrible blow because the rice crop is such a staple for so many parts of the world.

AgriBusiness Global: Lets talk about how were working to help control this. The FAO started the Global Action for Armyworm Control program in December 2019. What is that program focused on and hows it going?

Dr. Bertram: It is FAO and this is something that USAID and other counterparts around the world had advocated for the FAO to play a key role as they have with other pests. So the global action is basically trying to equip those countries where this pest is new with the information they need to combat it. I talked earlier about leveraging the knowledge that exists in North and South America, and several years ago we started a Research for Development Alliance, which is a partnership between universities, governments, and the FAO, and that was intended to build the evidence base in Africa and then Asia and the Middle East. And what weve done under the global action is distill the knowledge both from what we know in the Americas and also what were learning overseas. What kinds of varieties are resistant? Transgenic maize is totally resistance. Farmers in South Africa, Vietnam, and Philippines are growing biotech maize and they dont need to spray for the pest.

We information on biological controls and good agricultural practices, so the technical committee that I lead has worked this year to pull this all together and synthesize it in a way thats going to make it accessible to sophisticated partners, and we also want to have that information available to farmers because you need millions of smallholder farmers acting on good information and access to control.

Early warning is not a big deal in this because its endemic. But in the areas where its migratory, then being able to say when it has migrated in is important. So all this knowledge is important to access control methods, including chemistries.

[In terms of chemical controls] we need to think about the policies surrounding access. Some of the new chemistries that are available are safer than some of the older pesticides, especially in the developing countries where pesticides are not well regulated often. People might not have all the knowledge or be able to interpret a label. So our work is giving better options, sooner to equip countries and also the farming communities within them to adapt to this new pests.

AgriBusiness Global: Lets get deeper into some of those recommendations coming out of the technical committee. Youre providing support to national task forces and coming up with specific protocols and IPM strategies: Can you discuss some of the hallmarks of some of those programs, given that some of them are region-specific.

Dr. Bertram: Its fair to say that a lot of this is a work in progress. We have this Research Development Partnership that is going after a range of approaches to agro-ecological management practices that include biological controls, chemical controls using both biopesticides and synthetic pesticides, and better germ plasm. So what were done is aggregated those in a table that is soon to be available and we categorize them in three ways:

Weve also categorized them by safety, efficacy, compatibility with biological control, cost, and access in terms of policy (approved registrations). Some countries have more restrictions than other on the ability to bring a new product to market. Were trying to allow people to benefit from the global knowledge thats there instead of reinventing their own system.

AgriBusiness Global: You touched on this briefly already: How available are control options? Some legacy chemistries might be applicable but some new ones might be more affective. You talked about the fragmentation in regulatory systems. What is the role of private enterprise in helping to make technologies available to combat these emerging pests?

Dr. Bertram: Its very important and we have seen development of new chemistries and approaches, seed treatments, for example, that confer resistance for the first six weeks to two months of the plants life. Thats an extremely critical period to protect the plant from attack. That allows the crop to get off to a good start. Its not necessarily widely available yet as in some places, and because its new and has to go through a regulatory review in some countries [it is harder to access]. In a continent like sub-Saharan Africa, you have a lot of small countries with a lot of hurdles. So some of the work we do at USAID is working with partner countries in regions to try to harmonize systems so that if a sed variety is approved in two countries in East Africa, then the rest of the countries will adopt it, and the same thing can be applied in this space.

There is a virus-based spray out of California that is really exciting, but its expensive and not available everywhere. But these things are far preferable to some of the legacy chemistries. Often these are chemistries that are no longer used in North America, Europe, or Australia, for example. So that combined with misuse or misapplication or lack of personal protective equipment. Everyone knows what PPP is now, but in the plant protection business it has been a household term for a long time, and thats often lacking in the context where we are.

Good agricultural practices, good seed. We are getting non-transgenic based sources of resistance. Theyre not as good as the transgenic resistance that farmers in the Americas use but they help. So there is a range of things that can be done and it requires judgement and the farmer being able to see the problem and use an appropriate approach, and for a number of reasons, farmers choices are limited.

AgriBusiness Global: Are you seeing private enterprises increasing registrations for new products in some of these markets that need them? Are they answering the call?

Dr. Bertram: Yes some of them are. Its a good business practice. They want to grow the business and they want to bring these better products to the farmers. We are also working to try to enhance the regulatory enabling environment so that it will be more cost effective for the private sector to come and invest. And of course they dont just invest in the products, they then invest in the value chain by investing in agro-dealers to make the information and the product available. The industry has responded. There are new products getting used. But getting them to through the last mile to the farmers, like a family in Malawi where a woman is raising five children and has about an acre of land, thats a tough one, and thats where unfortunately people need to fall back on whatever control methods are available.

AgriBusiness Global: Are there a handful of active substances that you with you could make available to regions being affected? You mentioned the biological viral spray and seed treatments:

Dr. Bertram: Yes, and in our work at FAO well be listing the active ingredients. The policy is not to list brand names, but there are safer ingredients that can be used, yes.

AgriBusiness Global: There are a litany of AIs that treat this in the US, are ones that are most applicable to sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia?

Dr. Bertram: Were still compiling the list of specific chemistries, but I can say that there are effective Bacillus Theringiensis, which is a biological pesticide that is commonly used in organic production in the US. There is interest in some of the new biopesticides. The new or modern AIs are in the families of pyrethrins and the like.

AgriBusiness Global: Can you characterize the adoption. Were just getting the guidelines and IPM protocols through the value chain through the agro-dealers and down to the farm level, so whats the response been like and hows it working so far?

Dr. Bertram: We are making progress each year as people become more prepared, more familiar, and have better access to whats happening. One of the challenges is to understand where and how severe these outbreaks are. We do have some work in a digital approach to try to track these outbreaks with colleagues at Pennsylvania State University. That kind of information is very helpful in getting a sense for the extent and the severity of outbreaks. It is variable. We do see as a problem in one location one year and less so in another. So you could say there is a capriciousness about it.

Clearly countries where we have more privates sector activity, such as Kenya, South Africa, Ethiopia is taking it very seriously, you see a better public awareness and uptake of control methods that were proposing. The germplasm piece has a built-in lag of getting access to new seed, except for some of the biotech seed. But even there were working with seven countries in the region with private sector partners that are in the lead to develop resistant varieties, which are by the way also more drought tolerant, which is huge issue in sub-Saharan Africa maize production.

And in Asia generally its a better situation because the national and private sector institutions are stronger and have better established means of getting information out and probably more sophisticated value chains. So you are seeing more rapid adoption in control approaches in places like India, Thailand, Vietnam and countries that are better positioned to adapt to this pest.

AgriBusiness Global: Can you talk a bit about how programs like these are introducing new good agricultural practices and standards for emerging economies. Are programs like these helping to modernize production systems for the slew of pests that are known and unknown that we will need to face in the coming years?

Dr. Bertram: Thats one of the big challenges. We dont want to lurch from pest to pest. We know these kinds of problems exist with insects, diseases and weeds. So we do very much try to work in a way to build systemic capacity while we do this and link it to that broader effort of understanding good agricultural practices, clean seed, better post-harvest storage and a range of things that is going to have a positive effect.

So yes, it has to be that way. We talk about it a lot. Sometimes you have a threat like this and people mobilize, and locusts are a great example. We havent had locust plagues in a long time, partly because the control methods were working so well. This past year, because of the war in Yemen, they werent able to do those early control methods. You want to have something that makes the system more resilient. And that involves the public and private sectors, as well as farmer organizations. Anything you do that succeeds and adds value for people by increasing efficiency, lowering cost, using less active ingredients whatever it might be these things have a positive effect on a system that is then better able to stay connected because its delivering value and getting good information in and its integrating innovation out of R&D. That can come out of the private sector that has a big role here, and out of the public sector, particularly in the area of seed and biological controls.

Another thing that is a challenge here on some of these approaches is that the knowledge content is very demanding. Planting a seed is one thing. Managing pest releases or pheromone traps with the proper timing is a different undertaking. But were continuing to make progress.

AgriBusiness Global: We look forward to talking to you again about the progress youre making.

Dr. Bertram: Thank you

David Frabotta is Editorial Market Development Director for Meister Media Worldwides Global Precision Initiative, editor of AgriBusiness Global, and contributor to CropLife. Contact him to any time to discuss new technologies, adoption, input supply trends, and ag economics in your region at [emailprotected]

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Fall Armyworm: New Invasion in Africa, Asia, and Oceania Require Targeted Chemistries and Cultural Practices - Agribusiness Global

BASSENDEAN, Western Australia, Feb. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --MyndVR, the premier provider of virtual reality (VR) solutions for seniors in the United States, announced today that it has signed a partnership with Technology for Ageing & Disability (TADWA), a not-for-profit enterprise that's been dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of Western Australians since 1984.

MyndVR's partnership with TADWA marks its expansion into Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania. It will enable occupational therapists and technicians to utilize customized headsets, care tablets, and MyndVR's expansive content powered by Littlstar, a leading global content distribution network, to help older people, people with disabilities, and their caregivers do what is important to them.

"We're incredibly proud to begin our expansion abroad with TADWA, an award-winning and innovative Australian provider of technological solutions," said Chris Brickler, co-founder and CEO of MyndVR. "We're looking forward to a partnership that will help lift spirits and improve quality of life through the use of immersive technology."

MyndVR has previously partnered with researchers in the United States to study how virtual reality helps improve happiness and reduce social isolation in aging residents at long-term care facilities and is excited to deliver their award-winning technology and content to the aging and disabled in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania.

TADWA's occupational therapists and technicians work with thousands of people every year to help them live life to the fullest. TADWA is a 'team of teams', operating across six different disciplines and generating a range of innovative solutions to the challenges faced by older people and those with disabilities.

TADWA CEO, Steve Pretzel, says the team is thrilled to be partnering with MyndVR: "At TADWA, our focus is on significantly improving the quality of life of our clients, their caregivers, and families through compassion, technological excellence, and innovation," he said. "Age and disability should not define a person's future or detract from leading a meaningful life. When physical mobility is limited, virtual reality can provide a sense of exploration, adventure, and fun. The MyndVR system provides great content as well as great control functionality. With the benefits of VR becoming better understood, we see a huge opportunity for families and particularly residential care facilities to reduce the impacts of isolation and improve the quality of life for residents."

About MyndVR

MyndVR is the leading provider of Virtual Reality solutions for senior living communities, home health care agencies, State and Federal Veteran homes, and individual adults aging in their own homes. The company has licensed a vast library of VR content and created MyndVR Studios to produce therapeutic experiences that positively impact the lives of seniors, veterans, and other groups. Their technology enables older adults to interact with the outside world in genuinely innovative ways that foster engagement, cognitive wellness, and above all, joy and happiness. MyndVR is committed to conducting extensive research to measure the therapeutic effect of VR. These studies will continue to measure the health care outcomes, including cognitive, visual, emotional, and physical effects on older adults. For more, visithttp://www.myndvr.com.

About Technology for Ageing and Disability (TADWA)

TADWA's goal is to help people do what is important to them. Spearheaded by specialist Occupational Therapists, TADWA works with people to understand their challenges and aspirations and to find and implement the best solutions.

TADWA's services include occupational therapy, home modifications and automation, technology support, assistive technologies, custom equipment, recreational and vehicle mobility solutions.

TADWA has been assisting older people and people with disability for over 35 years. For more, visithttps://tadwa.org.au/

Contact: Michael Vaughan, 813-210-1706, [emailprotected]

SOURCE MyndVR

https://www.myndvr.com

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MyndVR Partners with TADWA and Expands Operations to Australia, New Zealand, & Oceania - PRNewswire

The Club World Cup should be held without Oakland City FC. The New Zealanders canceled their participation in the tournament from February 1 to 11 in Qatar, in which Bayern Munich is also participating as the winner of the Champions League. International Football Confederation (FIFA) announced Auckland City on Friday. The reason for this is the quarantine regulations in New Zealand due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

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FIFA stressed that the cancellation would not change the format. As UEFA representative, Bayern Munich will only join the semi-finals on 8 February. The final will take place on February 11th.

Auckland was nominated by the Executive Committee of the Confederation Responsible for the Club World Cup as the representative of Oceania. It wasnt possible to play the Champions League there until the end due to the pandemic last season. It was the clubs tenth participation in the World Cup. Initially, Auckland will play Al Duhail hosts in the first round on February 1.

Since the isolation and quarantine regulations of the New Zealand authorities are outside FIFAs control, no solution has been found in the past few days despite regular discussions between FIFA, the club, the New Zealand Football Association and Oceania, FIFA said. .

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Club World Cup in Qatar: Oceania representative Auckland cancels participation - no change for Bayern - theinformant.co.nz

by Sam Claydon,The Sustainability Project

Asia; the most populous and largest continent in the world, mostly known for its diverse foods, rich culture and strong global economic presence, is also home to a unique fusion of Global Navigation Satellite Services (GNSS); an unparalleled characteristic that holds a pool of potential for business, academia and users alike.

Among all space technologies available, GNSS is arguably the most closely-tied to our daily lives and still, the field of GNSS continues to grow at vast speeds.

Multi-GNSS Asia (MGA) is a forum with a history of over 10 years, lead by the Japanese government, which promotes the unique characteristic of multi GNSS in the Asia and Oceania regions and encourages GNSS service providers and user communities to develop new applications and businesses.

Multi-GNSS Breaking New Horizons in Asia-Oceania

Multi-GNSS refers to having multiple satellites in orbit that is available for use in a specific area. The advantage of having access to multiple satellites ormulti-GNSSis heightenedaccuracy,redundancyandavailability.If the line of sight to a satellite is obstructed, having access to multiple satellites ensures uninterrupted service provision.In this case, the more satellites the better!

The Asia-Oceania region holds a unique place in the world, being served by several GNSS including Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) operated by the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan, which gives opportunities for the users to benefit from highly reliable applications. The MGA supports the interaction between academia, service providers, and young professionals/students to encourage them to take stock of this potential.

Asia has the most available satellite signals in the world. Multi-GNSS Asia proposes to tackle societal issues in Asia such as Bangkoks heavy traffic, Langkawis marine pollution, says Mr Satoshi Kogure, Co-chair of Multi-GNSS Asia / Executive Director of Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. I dont want to see horrific images of forest fires and Koalas falling to the ground. I want GNSS to help preserve the beautiful mountains, oceans and diverse wildlife for the generations to come.The Japanese Government is currently expanding its 4 satellite GNSS system called QZSS to a 7 satellite system to further contribute to higher accuracy and higher usability for users. Mr Satoshi Kogure hopes this will expedite innovation and bring benefits to citizens and to society as a whole.

As part of its mission to nurture the next generation of innovation in the field and to connect young professionals/students with experts in the field, one of the main activities we host is the Rapid Prototype Development Challenge (RPD Challenge).

What is the RPD Challenge?

The RPD Challenge is a Hackathon where participating teams come up with creative ideas utilizing GNSS, and with the help of experts in the field, to build a working prototype by the end of the course. In 2020, due to the global pandemic, MGA together with National Space Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Office, the Government of Japan and Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) in Thailand co-organized the special online version of RPD Challenge under the theme of Solutions for Disaster Management: Tsunami/Flooding. The course started by participants to study the online video content made by MGA experts, which then were followed by online workshops for Step 1: Define Scenario and Step 2: System Design & Project Planning with interaction and guidance from experts from academia and industry. Multiple experts and facilitators engaged with the participants tobring their concept to life. The final demonstration and awards are scheduled to be organized early next year.Its truly a one-of-a-kind event where participants can not only have the opportunity to develop a concept, but to also be able to engage with one of the best in the field, and to create a working prototype.

All its participants will have the potential to becoming key players in the future, utilizing GNSS, contributing to society, and bringing their innovative prototypes to this massive Asian market.

MGA has been accelerating their online activities with online events and creating online content available to the wider public to support the next generation of professionals with the knowledge they need to reap the benefits of GNSS and expand their network in the Asia- Oceania region.

More online events in the first quarter of 2021 are being planned as we speak. Connect with us on our Facebook page and check out our video content from our YouTube channel!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/multignss

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnRbp4WOfQIYf_vcBFD1CLw/featured

See the article here:

#SpaceWatchGL Opinion: Bridging Space and Asia with Multi-GNSS - SpaceWatch.Global

CrossFit announced the 10 events that will hold Semifinals for the 2021 season last night.

Semifinals are part of the brand new CrossFit Games season design, which starts with the Open and is directly followed by the Quarterfinals. From there, top athletes in each recognised continent advance to the in-person Semifinals and ultimately the best compete at the CrossFit Games.

CrossFit Semifinals will take place over four consecutive weekends in May and June, and will have a similar feel to Regionals, with the exception that each event is independently run.

Semifinals are Regionals and Sanctionals kind of combined, taking the best of both worlds and bringing them together, said Dave Castro, CrossFits General Manager of Sport, in aninterviewexplaining the later stages of the new CrossFit Games qualifying format.

Each Semifinal event will host 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams, with all six recognised continents hosting at least one Semifinal event and sending at least one man, one woman, and one team from that continent to the CrossFit Games.

There will be four CrossFit Games qualifying events in North America for the top 120 men, 120 women, and 80 teams on the continent. They are:

The top five men, top five women, and top five teams will advance to the Games from each Semifinal, for a total of 20 men, 20 women and 20 teams from North America at the 2021 CrossFit Games.

There will be two CrossFit Games qualifying events in Europe for the top 60 men, 60 women and 40 teams on the continent. They are:

The top five men, top five women, and top five teams will advance to the Games from each Semifinal, for a total of 10 men, 10 women and 10 teams from Europe at the Games.

There will be one CrossFit Games qualifying event in Oceania for the top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams on the continent. That event will be:

The top three men, top three women, and top three teams from Oceania will advance to the Games.

There will be one CrossFit Games qualifying event in Asia for the top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams on the continent. That event will be:

The top two men, top two women, and top two teams from Asia will advance to the Games.

There will be one CrossFit Games qualifying event in South America for the top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams on the continent. That event will be:

The top two men, top two women, and top two teams from South America will advance to the Games.

There will be one CrossFit Games qualifying event in Africa for the top 30 men, 30 women, and 20 teams on the continent. That event will be:

The top man, top woman, and top team from Africa will advance to the Games.

The number of Semifinals and qualifying spots for each event were based on historic Open participation data for each continent.

The deeper the field goes and the more participants you have in any given continent or area, the more opportunities for events and the more opportunities for sports at the Games you have, explained Castro.

Representation was a priority when establishing the continental boundaries and rules for the Semifinals.

CrossFit will determine who qualifies to the Semifinals based on athletes performance in the Quarterfinals. Each Semifinal event will be able to design its own programming and scoring system with the guidance of CrossFit.

CrossFit recognizes regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic vary by location. CrossFit is regularly monitoring the changing circumstances and working closely with the Semifinal event organizers as we approach the competition season.

If a live, in-person Semifinalis cancelled or cannot be held, the competition will move to an online format hosted by CrossFit, LLC. All athletes and teams from the respective Semifinal competition will compete in the online format with an opportunity to advance to the CrossFit Games. The online Semifinalwill take place on the same weekend as the original date of the in-person competition.

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10 CrossFit Semifinal Events Announced: Semifinals Are the New Regionals - BOXROX

Hawaiis Pacific Islander communities have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is not clear if they are actually receiving the vaccine.

It was a rainy day outside Kalihi Palama Health center as people over the age of 65 sat in front of the facility waiting to get their COVID-19 vaccination. It was part of a clinic put on by We Are Oceania, a Micronesian advocacy group.

It takes trust, said Josie Howard, the organizations program director.

When they see familiar faces, when they hear people who can speak their language, and who can understand the culture, and the language makes it really easy for them to trust. And I think because we have a relationship established already, that it made it easier for us. And having staff from each community on our team made it really easy.

Pacific Islanders account for about a quarter of the states COVID-19 deaths despite making up only about four percent of the states population.

A survey by the state department of health showed that Black, Pacific Islander and Samoan communities are least likely to trust the vaccine--and advocates say that may be due to a lack of access.

The Pacific Empowerment and Advancement Executive Director at the University of Hawaii, Tina Tauasosi-Posiulai worried that the COVID-19 vaccine was not reaching Pacific Islander communities.

There was a lot of people that were interested in getting the vaccine and then we found out later that you have to be 75-years-old to get the vaccine, she said.

My concern is that this Pacific Island population, it's a very young population compared to the Asians and the whites. So if you're looking at them starting at age 75 getting the vaccine, they leave left out a lot of Pacific Islanders.

According to the state Department of Business and Economic Development those over the age of 65 make up less than 5% of the Pacific Islander community in Hawaii. In comparison, 22% of Japanese and 12% of white residents are over the age of 65.

In fact, only 2% of Marshallese residents are in that elderly age group.

That means even fewer are over the age of 75-- the age group the Department of Health is currently vaccinating.

These population counts are why Dr. Emmanuel Kintu at Kalihi Palama Health Center is willing to vaccinate those 65 and above.

It gave me the strength and ammunition to go to the state and say, Well, you know what, I learned something myself as well. As we talked to the community. They presented this situation, we checked it out, he said.

There are very few people in this community who are 75 and above in the Pacific Islander community, so for them, I think we need to be a little bit more flexible when it comes to age.

Tauasosi-Posiulai was concerned that if she continued to push people to get the vaccine, but theres no place for them to get it, it will degrade long-built relationships.

We're trying to do more education, why COVID-19 testing is very important for our population. But that trust, I don't want to lose that trust, she said.

She thought another barrier was the lack of many Pacific Islander non-profit groups beyond We Are Oceania, the Marshallese Community Organization of Hawaii and newly developed Pacifica Empowerment and Advancement. She noted that many of the positions are volunteer-based and not paid.

It is not yet known who has been vaccinated because DOH has not yet released that information.

A department spokesperson said they are still working on getting their vaccination partners to consistently enter data into the federal Vaccine Administration Management System.

Hawaii Public Radio will continue to explore the states vaccine hesitancy and how to fix it.

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Vaccination Hesitation: How the Lack of Access Affects Trust from the Pacific Islander Community - Hawaiipublicradio

Internet connectivity can be expensive, especially when you upgrade your plan to get the best connection possible. Some areas in the United States pay as high as $7 per megabit. But what if you had a bad connection? How much would you still be willing to pay? According to Surfshark, the worst internet in the world is also the least affordable.

Using information from the Digital Quality of Life index, Surfshark was able to determine that the regions that pay the most for internet also receive the worst-quality connections. Oceania has the most affordable and also the best overall quality internet in the world, followed by Europe and Asia. The Americas have the fourth-most-expensive internet and also have the second-worst connectivity. Africa comes in last for quality and affordability.

The average global cost of internet connectivity is $18,584.96 over the span of a lifetime. But US residents can expect to pay $32,400 for a lifetime of internet, while residents of Nigeria will pay $50,680 over a lifetime for what has been shown to be worse internet quality in terms of speed and reliability.

The Internet Affordability Index has the global average score at 11.0, with Oceania, Europe, and Asia all surpassing that mark. Meanwhile, the Americas sit at 0.06 and Africa is at just 0.03. Overall, this means that 75% of countries have to work more than the global average just to afford internet.

Countries including Nigeria and Kenya must put in 34 hours and 14 hours of work, respectively, in order to afford internet service. Many residents of Central and South American countries put in an average of between 6 and 10 hours of work, while the United States only requires 52 minutes. For context, Canada residents need only 7 minutes of work, and Israel just 17 seconds.

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Africa and the Americas Pay the Most for the Worst Internet Service - PCMag India

U.S. EMBASSY KOROR The 9th Mission Support Commands Task Force Oceania Team Palau helped the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Embassy at Koror carry out Operation Christmas Drop 2020. The success of OCD 20 was the result of months of planning and coordination between the U.S. military, the State Department, and several Pacific island countries.Task Force Oceanias Team Palau worked closely with local government officials in Koror, Kayangel, Anguar, Peleliu, Tobi, Sonsorol, and Pulo Anna islands to ensure the local communities would be ready to receive the Christmas bundles of food, tools, clothing, and toys.Each year here in Palau, family and friends gather together to celebrate Christmas. It is a time of promise, hope and anticipation. One thing the people anticipate most are the bundles that the U.S. Air Forces C-130s drop from above during this dual-purpose training and humanitarian mission, said Maj. Gamble See, Task Force Oceanias civil affairs team officer-in-charge. This mission to deliver love from above has been ongoing for 69 years and is an annual highlight for young and old alike across not only Palau, but also the Pacific.To overcome the challenge of managing so many drop zones on so many islands, each of the two-person civil affairs team Soldiers traveled separately to a different island each day to provide maximum support across the four-day operation.Even in our tropical paradise, Christmas is an important time of the year, said Sgt. Yangilmau, the teams cultural liaison non-commissioned officer. Everyone was very appreciative and excited but especially in the more remote islands of Anguar and Kayangel where supplies are harder to come by.This training mission is humanitarian in nature and involves low-cost low-altitude air drops from C-130 Hercules aircraft to deliver supplies to more than 20,000 people on islands spread out across 1.8 million square nautical miles."It was great to see how the kids were very excited and happy about the drops, said Tramp Derbai, a local guard force member at the U.S. Embassy. During this pandemic, people are struggling financially, and Operation Christmas Drop will help the people that need it the most, especially during this holiday season where families are trying to make ends meet."Socially distanced teams wearing recommended protective gear on shift work prepared the donations into bundles that were disinfected prior to delivery across the islands, thereby ensuring the safety of everyone who received items from the drops.COVID-19 remains a global challenge that no nation can face alone our strong network of alliances and partnerships is critical to combating this virus. U.S. Embassies, U.S. Army Pacific, and the members of Task Force Oceania across the Pacific stand ready and prepared to operate responsibly in Oceania.

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Task Force Oceania Supports Operation Christmas Drop 2020 in the Republic of Palau - United States Army

Some of the worlds most stylish hotels and resorts are opening in 2021 - theyre just waiting for guests to come and experience the plush surroundings.

From ryokans in Japan to paradise islands in the Maldives, we pick out the most luxurious new places you can stay in this year in Asia and Oceania.

1

Australia

From its upstart hipster roots in Portland, Oregon, the artsy Ace Hotel brand has now been reshaping the look of mid-range digs for 20 years, says Mark OFlaherty inThe Daily Telegraph. The brand arrives in Australia towards the end of this year, bringing the usual mix of artisanal coffee, seasonal cocktails and in-room turntables to a new 19-storey, 264-room tower in Sydney. The building is already a landmark in the Surry Hills neighbourhood of the city, which has gone from being a laid-back eastern suburb to a hub for food and design. As we have come to expect from the team behind the Ace Hotel brand, it is working with local designers to create something unique. The rooftop bar and restaurant promise to be quite the sun-drenched scene.

2

Japan

Azumi Setoda is the first hotel of a new brand inspired by traditional Japanese inns known as ryokan, says Claire Wrathall in the Financial Times. It is set to open in March on the island of Ikuchijima in Japans Seto Inland Sea, in a splendid 19th-century building that was once the home of a powerful shipping family. The building has been restored and converted to accommodate 18 suites and four duplexes, each with its own garden or balcony, by Kyoto-based Shiro Miura, an expert in sukiya, a style of architecture dating back to the 16th century that strives to balance the elements. Rather than focus on luxury, the concepts at the heart of Azumi Setoda are culture, community, arts and food. Hence the neighbouring yabune, or public bathhouse, is intended for locals as much as guests. Rates start from 560.

3

Maldives

This 100-villa resort on the beaches of the North Mal Atoll will welcome its first guests from Q2 2021. Villas are built across four paradise islands, all with ocean and lagoon views of the crystal-clear waters. Each villa will be cared for by a dedicated Aris Meeha, or personal host, to tailor guests journey and look after their every need. Guests will be able to dine at seven different restaurants, as well as enjoy treatments at The Ritz-Carlton Spa.

4

Maldives

Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi has unveiled the largest private island in the archipelagic state. The ultra exclusive destination spans 32,000sqm in the heart of the Indian Ocean and is only a 40-minute journey from Mal on the resorts Princess yachts or via a 15-minute seaplane flight. The sprawling estate accommodates 24 guests across two-, three- and four-bedroomed residences, placed across the islands private beach and overwater. The private island also comes with its own dedicated culinary team.

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Best new hotels opening in Asia and Oceania in 2021 - The Week UK