US-China rivalry on display at gathering of Pacific Islands leaders
Voice of America
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, Tongan Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa lead a meeting on Aug. 30, 2024, in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. The PFI rebuffed moves led by China ally Solomon Islands to sideline Taiwan. The flags of participating countries are displayed at the annual Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, on Aug. 26, 2024.
Efforts by Beijing to limit Taiwan's participation in the recently concluded Pacific Islands Forum underscore the intense and ongoing tug-of-war between Western democracies and China for influence in the region, analysts say.
Municipal employees place caution tape to restrict access for tourists due to recent seismic activities in Oia village on the Greek island of Santorini, Feb. 5, 2025. Fire service rescuers arrive at the airport of the earthquake-hit island of Santorini, Greece, Feb. 5, 2025. A passenger sits on the dock while waiting for a ferry bound for the Greek mainland, in the earthquake-struck island of Santorini, Greece, Feb. 4, 2025.
A man sits beside the wreckage of burnt military supply vehicles used by suspected Islamic State fighters in the Cal Miskaad mountain range in Bari, east of the Gulf of Aden in the city of Bosaso, Puntland region, Somalia, Jan. 25, 2025. Puntland Security Forces parade newly trained soldiers and equipment to combat Islamic State in Somalia's Puntland region, Jan. 30, 2025. Puntland security forces patrol after capturing Islamic State bases in the Cal Miskaad mountain range in Bari, east of the Gulf of Aden in the city of Bosaso, Puntland region, Somalia, Jan. 25, 2025.
A U.S. military plane deporting Indian immigrants lands in Amritsar, India Feb. 5, 2025.
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Guards stand in a corridor Syrian Democratic Forces-run Gweiran Prison, now called Panorama, which houses men accused of being Islamic State fighters in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, Jan. 31, 2025. An inmate accused of being an Islamic State fighter stands inside a cell at the Syrian Democratic Forces-run Gweiran Prison, now called Panorama, in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria, Jan. 31, 2025.
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Tourists pass by closed shops in Fira town as Greek authorities are taking emergency measures in response to intense seismic activity on the popular Aegean Sea holiday island of Santorini, southern Greece, Feb. 3, 2025. Passengers board a ferry to Athens' port of Piraeus after a spike in seismic activity raised concerns about a potentially powerful earthquake in Santorini, southern Greece, Feb. 3, 2025.
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