Countries of the World

[CaaC (John)+]

Wojtek the Soldier Bear memorial in Princes st Garden, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Wojtek (1942–1963; Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjtɛk]; in English, sometimes spelt Voytek and pronounced as such) was a Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) bought, as a young cub, at a railway station in Hamadan, Iran, by Polish II Corps soldiers who had been evacuated from the Soviet Union. In order to provide for his rations and transportation, he was eventually enlisted officially as a soldier with the rank of private and was subsequently promoted to corporal.

He accompanied the bulk of the II Corps to Italy, serving with the 22nd Artillery Supply Company. During the Battle of Monte Cassino, in Italy in 1944, Wojtek helped move crates of ammunition and became a celebrity with visiting Allied generals and statesmen. After the war, mustered out of the Polish Army, he was billeted and lived out the rest of his life at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.

Wikipedia

[Carnivore Chris]

 

[CaaC (John)+]

11 abandoned underwater sites and the history behind them

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11 abandoned underwater sites and the history behind them

• Some towns have been abandoned and flooded in order to create reservoirs or lakes, such as The Lost Villages of Ontario in Canada.
• Other ancient cities ended up underwater due to earthquakes, like the Egyptian city of Thonis-Heracleion dating back thousands of years.
• Abandoned places already have an eerie vibe to them, echoing with the people and stories that no longer occupy them. Underwater abandoned places are especially mysterious. Buried beneath the waters of oceans and lakes, these haunts are unnervingly well-preserved since the water protects them from erosion.

[CaaC (John)+]

In pictures: Rare solar eclipse darkens Asia on the summer solstice

Skywatchers in parts of West Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, South Asia, southern China and Taiwan have been treated to a dramatic solar eclipse.

Photographers have taken photos of the annular eclipse - also known as a ring of fire - where the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, leaving just a thin ring of light visible.

This eclipse coincided with the summer solstice - the northern hemisphere's longest day of the year.

Annular eclipses occur every year or two and are only visible across a narrow band of our planet, known as the centreline. This eclipse lasted for just under 90 seconds at its point of maximum duration.

People hundreds of kilometres from the centreline did not see the actual eclipse, but they did see light drain from the day.

According to astronomers, watching the eclipse is the equivalent of switching from a 500W bulb to a 30W bulb.

Here are some of the best photos.

Guangzhou, China

Manila, Philippines

Chiayi, Taiwan

Mumbai, India

Karachi, Pakistan

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-53120704

[CaaC (John)+]

The historic Saharan dust plume is darkening skies in the Caribbean and will soon stretch into the US

(CNN) - The current Saharan dust episode is leading to the worst dust storm in the Caribbean in decades.
Over the weekend, Saharan dust moved into the Caribbean. By Monday, it had changed the tropical blue skies into a hazy brown-grey colour.
On Tuesday, this sunset enhancing, blue sky limiting, tropical threat reducing dust plume continues its 5,000-mile journey toward the US.

FULL REPORT

 

[CaaC (John)+]

The most colourful sights on Earth

Long-distance travel is currently off the cards, so we thought we’d bring some of the planet’s most spectacular natural places to you.

PHOTOS - 1/8

[CaaC (John)+]

Scotland's Gaelic language could die out in 10 years, says study

The number of Gaelic speakers suffered a sharp contraction in the 1980s and continues to decline.

(CNN)Gaelic-speaking communities in Scotland are in crisis and the language could die out within 10 years, according to a new study.

A team of experts from the University of the Highlands and Islands and the Soillse research project studied a number of Gaelic communities and found that "the social use and transmission of Gaelic is at the point of collapse," according to a press release published Thursday.

The language has been used in Scotland for more than 1,500 years. While its use has declined, Gaelic is "a valuable part of Scotland's cultural identity, especially for people in the Highlands and Islands," the Scottish government says.

The language does receive support from the Scottish government but researchers say existing policies have failed.

The team published their findings in a new book titled "The Gaelic Crisis in the Vernacular Community: A comprehensive sociolinguistic survey of Scottish Gaelic."

Study author Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, professor of Gaelic research at the University of the Highlands and Islands, told CNN that the language could be gone within 10 years due to a rapid decline in the number of speakers that started in the 1980s.

For the 1981 census, 80% of people on the islands reported an ability to speak Gaelic, but by the 2011 census that had fallen to 52%. This represents a net loss of 9,660 Gaelic speakers over 30 years, with younger people in particular not speaking the language.

There are currently around 11,000 Gaelic speakers in Scotland and most are over the age of 50, Ó Giollagáin said, but their networks are increasingly isolated and the language is not being passed down to younger generations.

A bilingual sign on Stornoway, the main town in the Western Isles.

"Language is a social competence," said Ó Giollagáin, adding that speakers need friends to converse.

Researchers say the existing government policy -- which has included the building of Gaelic primary and secondary schools in Glasgow and Edinburgh to improve access to education -- has failed.

A radically different approach is needed to arrest the decline of the language and if things continue as they are then in the near future those learning Gaelic will only do so in a classroom rather than in communities, added Ó Giollagáin.

"Gaelic language identity will essentially become a second language, or a heritage identity, in Scotland, and not a lived reality of a community of speakers," he said.

Existing efforts have been "largely symbolic," according to Ó Giollagáin, and the government needs to do more, such as setting up a Gaelic Community Trust and encouraging networks of speakers to use the language in a social setting.

A spokesperson for the Scottish government said Gaelic is a vital part of Scotland's cultural identity and it supports efforts to help people learn and use the language.

Mairi MacInnes, chair of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, an organization that promotes Gaelic, said the group is "willing to discuss with island communities what else they want to happen, in addition to the many positive things which are already in place, to encourage greater use of Gaelic in the islands and elsewhere."

CNN

[CaaC (John)+]

Desert dancers highlight the Andean culture

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(CNN) - South America's Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, resembles some of the faraway planets monitored by giant telescopes there.

The lack of humidity provides optimal conditions to watch the sky and study the origins of the universe.

"It is pure visual silence," said photographer Andres Figueroa. "It is amazing. There is absolutely no humidity, and (these conditions) create some striking contrasts."

There, in that clear, inhospitably arid environment, Figueroa turned his camera lens toward another discussion on cosmology, one rooted in the ancient folklore of the Andean people.

Taking along his mobile lighting studio, Figueroa photographed a series of religious festivals that take place every July in the Atacama. In his "Dancers of the Deserts" series, Figueroa chronicles these festivals, which attract about 200,000 people to some otherwise quiet mining towns in Chile.

"I have always wanted to see the desert. Even though I am not very religious, I've always been curious about their traditions," said Figueroa, who is from the Chilean capital of Santiago.

Figueroa worked hard on cataloguing and differentiating the ceremonies and their complex rituals -- at times playing the role of an artist, others as an anthropologist -- but he always remained faithful to his love for classic portraiture.

"From an anthropological standpoint, I was interested in documenting all the signs and symbols that appear in each costume and character, all the indigenous and Catholic syncretism," he said. "My lighting studio allowed me to pick up on these details.

"From a portraiture standpoint, I used a formal approach to explain this living culture that is constantly growing and reinventing itself. I asked each character to stop to be photographed, taking them away momentarily from the festival in a more intimate scenario."

Photographing adobe walls, desert landscapes and the ubiquitous camping sites where pilgrims come to gather, Figueroa said each character is perched in his or her own context.

Bears and devils pose in the desert in striking contrast. These photos highlight the uniqueness of Andean culture, which draws influences from Europe, the Inca and more recently, Chinese traditions. There are endless nuances, not always perceived by the naked eye.

"It is a very special festival. When you see the bears, you see them participating in the different roles, blending in with the (the devils)," Figueroa said. "And sometimes, you see them as a central figure in a festival of their own. It is amazing, a tradition brought by the Chinese near Peru."

Figueroa, who befriended many of the musicians and dancers, said it was important to take part in the festival in order to understand its meaning to the community.

"I had to understand the hierarchy and protocols of each group," he said. "As a photographer, it is important to create the conditions for things to happen. You can have it all planned and set up in order for things to naturally take place."

Figueroa said the desert festivals have a deeper role in a region that struggles with social problems such as drug trafficking and poverty. It is the glue that binds families, and young people heavily invest their time and money to make their costumes and parade with pride.

The festivals "are a form of social protection," Figueroa said. "I felt the presence of love ... their love and effort in communicating with their divinity and holding together as communities."

CNN

 

[Carnivore Chris]

 

 

@Berserker You should come there bro.

@El Profesor So should you in fact! Have you ever been to Colombia before?

In fact, while we are inviting people, don't by shy @Mpache

Start In Bogota(only because that's where the flight lands, so might as well stay 2 days or so), go to Medellin for about 5 and then hit the Caribbean coast(which is when you boys should join me) to Santa Marta and Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona for about 9 days.

I'm going to make sure the corona business has completely fucked off by then though as the thought of being stuck on the other side of the world, in quarantine,  with no way home wouldn't be nice. I don't mind getting stuck in Spain, for example as it'd be easier to find a way back, but anywhere outside of Europe would be a rough experience, so I'm going to hold on if until I know it's spot on. But it's happening. After looking at a bunch of countries for ages(Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, USA, Canada, Costa Rica...) it's decided now.

 

[Berserker]

4 hours ago, Carnivore Chris said:

 

 

@Berserker You should come there bro.

@El Profesor So should you in fact! Have you ever been to Colombia before?

In fact, while we are inviting people, don't by shy @Mpache

Start In Bogota(only because that's where the flight lands, so might as well stay 2 days or so), go to Medellin for about 5 and then hit the Caribbean coast(which is when you boys should join me) to Santa Marta and Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona for about 9 days.

I'm going to make sure the corona business has completely fucked off by then though as the thought of being stuck on the other side of the world, in quarantine,  with no way home wouldn't be nice. I don't mind getting stuck in Spain, for example as it'd be easier to find a way back, but anywhere outside of Europe would be a rough experience, so I'm going to hold on if until I know it's spot on. But it's happening. After looking at a bunch of countries for ages(Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, USA, Canada, Costa Rica...) it's decided now.

 

Sounds excellent bro, i still plan to do the motorcycle trip up to northern Brazil or Venezuela so if i do i'll cross over to Colombia and meet you mate.

[El Profesor]

4 hours ago, Carnivore Chris said:

 

 

@Berserker You should come there bro.

@El Profesor So should you in fact! Have you ever been to Colombia before?

In fact, while we are inviting people, don't by shy @Mpache

Start In Bogota(only because that's where the flight lands, so might as well stay 2 days or so), go to Medellin for about 5 and then hit the Caribbean coast(which is when you boys should join me) to Santa Marta and Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona for about 9 days.

I'm going to make sure the corona business has completely fucked off by then though as the thought of being stuck on the other side of the world, in quarantine,  with no way home wouldn't be nice. I don't mind getting stuck in Spain, for example as it'd be easier to find a way back, but anywhere outside of Europe would be a rough experience, so I'm going to hold on if until I know it's spot on. But it's happening. After looking at a bunch of countries for ages(Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, USA, Canada, Costa Rica...) it's decided now.

 

 

I´ve never been to Colombia, Chris. Having said that, it´s a good choice. Beautiful country. 

[CaaC (John)+]

Ancient Americans made epic Pacific voyages

New evidence has been found for epic prehistoric voyages between the Americas and eastern Polynesia.

DNA analysis suggests there was mixing between Native Americans and Polynesians around AD 1200.

The extent of potential contacts between the regions has been a hotly contested area for decades.

In 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl made a journey by raft from South America to Polynesia to demonstrate the voyage was possible.

Until now, proponents of Native American and Polynesian interaction reasoned that some common cultural elements, such as a similar word used for a common crop, hinted that the two populations had mingled before Europeans settled in South America.

Opponents pointed to studies with different conclusions and the fact that the two groups were separated by thousands of kilometres of the open ocean.

Alexander Ioannidis from Stanford University in California and his international colleagues analysed genetic data from more than 800 living indigenous inhabitants of coastal South America and French Polynesia.

They were looking for snippets of DNA that are characteristic of each population and for segments that are "identical by descent" - meaning they are inherited from the same ancestor many generations ago.

"We found identical-by-descent segments of Native American ancestry across several Polynesian islands," said Mr Ioannidis.

"It was conclusive evidence that there was a single shared contact event."

In other words, Polynesians and Native Americans met at one point in history, and during that time children with both Native American and Polynesian ancestry were born.

Statistical analyses confirmed the event occurred around AD 1200, at about the time Pacific islands were originally being settled by Polynesians.

The team were also able to localise the source of the Native American DNA to indigenous groups in modern-day Colombia.

Previous studies of the genomes (the full complement of DNA in the nuclei of human cells) of people from these regions have focused around contact on Easter Island - famous for its giant stone faces - because it is the closest inhabited Polynesian island to South America.

However, the study in Nature journal supports the idea that first contact occurred on one of the archipelagos of eastern Polynesia - as proposed by Heyerdahl.

Wind and current simulations have shown that drift voyages departing from Ecuador and Colombia are the most likely to reach Polynesia and that they arrive with the highest probability in the South Marquesas islands, followed by the Tuamotu Archipelago.

Both of these archipelagos lie at the heart of the region of islands where the researchers found an ancestral genetic component from Colombian Native Americans.

Previously, researchers had noted superficial similarities between monolithic statues in Polynesia and others found in South America.

But other evidence comes from a correspondence between the word for sweet potato (a crop that originated in South America), which is "kumala" in Polynesia and "cumal" in, for example, the language used by the Cañari people of Ecuador.

Heyerdahl embarked on his "Kon-Tiki" raft expedition from Callao, Peru, on 28 April 1947 with five companions. They sailed on the raft for 101 days, traversing 6,900km (4,300 miles) of the ocean before smashing into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotus on 7 August 1947.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53338203

[Carnivore Chris]

19 hours ago, El Profesor said:

 

I´ve never been to Colombia, Chris. Having said that, it´s a good choice. Beautiful country. 

Colombia and Brazil actually have many similarities and I've realised this lately. Very similar cultures, the lay out of the countries are similar and same with the people. Colombia being a Spanish speaking country is the reason I am choosing there though. It was Mexico at first, but you're limited in where you can go there nowadays after research.

 

 

20 hours ago, Berserker said:

Sounds excellent bro, i still plan to do the motorcycle trip up to northern Brazil or Venezuela so if i do i'll cross over to Colombia and meet you mate.

Who do you think you are? Che Guevera?

That would be some journey from Buenos Aires to the Colombian Coast on a motorcycle

 

110 hours according to google and that's going the quicker route, rather than through Brazil and Venezuela.

[Berserker]

1 hour ago, Carnivore Chris said:

Colombia and Brazil actually have many similarities and I've realised this lately. Very similar cultures, the lay out of the countries are similar and same with the people. Colombia being a Spanish speaking country is the reason I am choosing there though. It was Mexico at first, but you're limited in where you can go there nowadays after research.

 

 

Who do you think you are? Che Guevera?

That would be some journey from Buenos Aires to the Colombian Coast on a motorcycle

 

110 hours according to google and that's going the quicker route, rather than through Brazil and Venezuela.

Haha yeah, but i love travelling on a motorcycle so i would enjoy it.

[Carnivore Chris]

18 hours ago, Berserker said:

Haha yeah, but i love travelling on a motorcycle so i would enjoy it.

If you can leave your bike in Venezuela, such as a compound or whatever, then fly to Colombia, I will even see if I can pay your flight from there bro as it works out cheaper for us English cunts due to the currency and the flight would be the most expensive part for you. Everything else will be cheaper than in Argentina I'd have thought?

Speaking of flights, that is the only expensive part about travelling anywhere from Mexico down for an English man, it's one of the plus sides. Saying that, it's going to cost me atleast about 800 quid in flights I'd have thought.

[Berserker]

On 10/07/2020 at 12:12, Carnivore Chris said:

If you can leave your bike in Venezuela, such as a compound or whatever, then fly to Colombia, I will even see if I can pay your flight from there bro as it works out cheaper for us English cunts due to the currency and the flight would be the most expensive part for you. Everything else will be cheaper than in Argentina I'd have thought?

Speaking of flights, that is the only expensive part about travelling anywhere from Mexico down for an English man, it's one of the plus sides. Saying that, it's going to cost me atleast about 800 quid in flights I'd have thought.

Haha no worries bro, as long as there are no farc i'd do the trip on the bike. Well normally that would be the case, everything here used to cost double or triple the price than in every other country under the US until a few years ago but since the brutal devaluations of the last 2 years i don't think there's much of a difference except maybe in the price of restaurants, cars and maybe electronics.

[Mpache]

On 08/07/2020 at 13:01, Carnivore Chris said:

 

 

@Berserker You should come there bro.

@El Profesor So should you in fact! Have you ever been to Colombia before?

In fact, while we are inviting people, don't by shy @Mpache

Start In Bogota(only because that's where the flight lands, so might as well stay 2 days or so), go to Medellin for about 5 and then hit the Caribbean coast(which is when you boys should join me) to Santa Marta and Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona for about 9 days.

I'm going to make sure the corona business has completely fucked off by then though as the thought of being stuck on the other side of the world, in quarantine,  with no way home wouldn't be nice. I don't mind getting stuck in Spain, for example as it'd be easier to find a way back, but anywhere outside of Europe would be a rough experience, so I'm going to hold on if until I know it's spot on. But it's happening. After looking at a bunch of countries for ages(Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Colombia, USA, Canada, Costa Rica...) it's decided now.

 

Would love to, hopefully this Pandemic rolls over soon!

[Carnivore Chris]

14 hours ago, Mpache said:

Would love to, hopefully this Pandemic rolls over soon!

Yeah, this virus needs to have well and truly fucked off before those plans come into effect.

I think that would be a perfect trip. It would require a 16 hour stop over in Bogotá, so may aswell make that 48 hours simply to go to that look out point and see a view of the whole city, hit Medellin for 5-6 days, which I think would be enough, then atleast 8 days on the Caribbean coast. Santa Marta has the coast, plus Tayrona park, which contains a ridiculous amount of animal species, from cats, to birds, to the likes of Caimans, which you'd be sharing the beach with.... You'd get to see a bit of everything on that trip.

 

 

[CaaC (John)+]

8 Isles of Scilly beaches that will make you reconsider going abroad

SLIDES - 1/7

[Carnivore Chris]

10 hours ago, CaaC (John) said:

8 Isles of Scilly beaches that will make you reconsider going abroad

SLIDES - 1/7

The colour of the sea is amazing.

I would have gone to Southern Italy in 2 weeks instead of Dam but since I've never been before, I'd rather go at a time where I can plan it a bit more, even if a month in advance. That way you can research where you're going and plan what you're going to do on your trip.

 

[CaaC (John)+]

Marvel at some of the most colourful places on Earth

Long-distance travel is currently off the cards, so we thought we’d bring some of the planet’s most spectacular natural places to you.

Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US

Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the US, and it boasts a veritable rainbow of colours. Hot water bubbles up through a crack in the Earth’s crust, supplying the spring.

Very little can survive in the centre of the spring, where temperatures can reach nearly 90°C, so the water here is pure blue. But away from the centre, colourful, heat-loving bacteria begin to thrive, and the spring’s concentric rings of temperature create different niches.

The colours come from the photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids, that the bacteria use to manufacture energy from sunlight.

MORE - 1/6

 

[CaaC (John)+]

Mexico archaeology: Pre-Hispanic ruins found on a mountaintop

Two pre-Hispanic carved stone monuments believed to date back more than 1,500 years have been uncovered on a mountaintop in central Mexico.

Archaeologists say the site - which in its heyday would have had seven pyramids, a ceremonial area and a games court - was found by villagers.

It is thought to have been built by the Zapotecs, who lived in the southern highlands of what is now Mexico.

The carvings suggest it may have been dedicated to the god of the underworld.

The site is at a strategic point on top of the Cerro de Peña mountain in Puebla state at a height of 1,845m (6,000ft).

Archaeologists think it lay hidden since the 6th Century. Access to the site is along a rocky path, which takes two and a half hours to climb.

It was found by residents of the nearby village of Santa Cruz Huehuepiaxtla.

What has been found?

So far, two stelae (etched stone panels), as well as smaller carved stones, have been found.

One of the carvings is of a figure with horns and claws wearing a loincloth. Others are believed to represent an iguana, an eagle and female figure thought to be a deity resembling a bat.

José Alfredo Arellanes, from Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), says 87 glyphs, or symbols, have been found so far.

• Dig uncovers large Mayan palace in Mexico
• Human-built woolly mammoth traps found in Tultepec

Mr Arellanes says initial investigations suggest a ceremonial area, flanked by temples and the homes of the rulers, would have been located at the top of the mountain.

The archaeologist thinks the site would have also had seven pyramids and a court to play pelota, a game in which players used their hips to propel a rubber ball through stone hoops.

Puebla is an area rich with archaeological ruins but locals said they were proud to have led archaeologists to this latest find.

Experts are still analysing the finds but said the site could have been built by people belonging to the Zapotec civilization, also known as the "Cloud People", which originated in the area 2,500 years ago and had a sophisticated architecture and style of writing based on glyphs.

Those following the Zapotec religion believed in lots of gods, many of them associated with agriculture or animals.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-53498110

[CaaC (John)+]

Niue’s Covid election: MP wins seat on a coin toss as lawn bowls king becomes the leader

The two candidates for the seat of Mutalau, a village on Niue’s northern point, could not be separated. Both had the same number of votes, just as had happened in the last election; in 2017 it was 19-19, in 2020 it was 26-26.

The result was decided by the toss of a coin. It fell for Makaseau Ioane, and with it went the seat in parliament.

Unadulterated by formal political parties, attack ads, or costly campaigns, elections on the tight-knit Pacific island of Niue are democracy in pure form.

In this year’s poll, sitting MP Opili Talafasi was returned to his seat with 14 votes. Several other electorates were won uncontested.

A coral island in the South Pacific, one-sixth the size of greater London, Niue is a self-governing state in “free association” with New Zealand, which is 2,400km to the south-west and which holds responsibility for its defence and international relations.

Formally, Niue is a member of the Realm of New Zealand: the Queen is Niue’s head of state.

While 1,700 Niuens live on the island, more than 30,000 – more than 95% of its people - live in New Zealand, where they enjoy citizenship rights.

This year’s general election at the end of May has brought the first change of leader in the country in a dozen years. Premier Sir Toke Talagi – the country’s only knight – was not re-elected after a dozen years in office: ill-health had kept him from much of the campaign.

New premier Dalton Tagelagi wants to open his country to other Pacific countries and its benefactor, New Zealand. Niue’s isolation has spared it a single case of Covid-19, but the country is hugely dependent on remittances, foreign aid, and tourism, which have been devastated by the pandemic shutdowns.

“I’ll be speaking with the PM of NZ later and look at opening the Pacific bubble – the Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga and Samoa. We don’t have any planes but they do,” TV Niue reported him saying.

“If [the region’s] Covid-free for a while now, I think it’s safe enough for us to say we can open up the borders a little bit.”

Tagelagi is well-known on the island. A parliamentarian for 12 years, minister for six, and the son of the country’s first parliamentary speaker, Tagelagi is also an international-level lawn bowler, having represented Niue in bowls at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.

It’s not known whether the premier will continue to bowl for his country as well as lead it politically.

Tagelagi told Pacific Media Network (PMN) Niue, that his small nation would have to make “sacrifices” to counter significant budgetary shortfalls brought by the isolation and economic destruction of the Covid-19 shutdowns and travel bans.

“We are a country dependent on aid support. We have to play our part in understanding what they [donor nations] are going through now … dealing with Covid, we must respect that and take what support comes our way.”

Tourism is a significant earner for the country’s fragile economy, but the country has been isolated for the course of the pandemic.

“Be prepared and be supportive, we need the support of our people. We … can’t always have the good days, some days are bad days, but you’ve got to make sacrifices with it, in order to return to the good old happy days.”

In the 1960s, more than 5000 people lived on Niue, but the country’s population has steadily drained in the decades since, as young Niuens, in particular, leave the island for education and employment.

Sam Pilisi, a Niuen community youth leader based in New Zealand, said retaining young people and families on Niue had been an issue for decades.

“I am hopeful for change, be it economic, social or cultural progress for Niue. There is a mix of experienced members and fresh blood in the Fale Fono (Parliament), so I hope this heralds a new way forward of embracing some new innovative ideas and solutions for Niue’s future,” Pilisi said.

Related: Niue, the Pacific island struggling to cope as its population plummets

But some commentators argue the new leader does not necessarily reflect a change in Niue governance.

“It’s interesting that people wanted to change but they defaulted to the old guard,” Dr Colin Tukuitonga, Niuen regional health expert and academic, told The Guardian.

“The majority of MPs are the same. Some were hoping for change but it really hasn’t [happened]. There is a reduction in the number of women MPs and remaining issues on accountability for public funds,” he said.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/niues-covid-election-mp-wins-seat-on-coin-toss-as-lawn-bowls-king-becomes-leader/ar-BB15O3He

[CaaC (John)+]

Paradise lost: Eviction looms for hermit living alone on Italian island

(CNN) — For even more videos from this part of the world head to Great Big Story.

 

For more than 30 years, Mauro Morandi has been the sole inhabitant of a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea.

He hoped to make it his life-long home, but that is now under threat.

Italy's answer to Robinson Crusoe faces eviction from the Isle of Budelli, off the coast of Sardinia, if he doesn't voluntarily leave -- which he has no intention of doing.

Local authorities are speeding up plans to restyle his ramshackle hut and turn it into an environmental observatory, putting an end to his blissful stay.

Morandi, a former teacher, arrived on the island by accident while attempting to sail from Italy to Polynesia 31 years ago. He fell in love with the pristine atoll's crystal-clear waters, coral sands and beautiful sunsets -- and decided to stay.

He took over from the previous caretaker shortly afterwards and, at the age of 81, he's still there and ready to fight for his home, whatever it takes.

"I'm ready to do all I can to stay here, even if that means they'll have to drag me away. I wouldn't know where else to go live, certainly not back home in the north, nor what to do -- this is my life. I just don't see myself playing cards or bowls," Morandi tells CNN Travel in Italian.

 

CNN - FULL STORY

 

[CaaC (John)+]

SLIDES - 1/13