DTNZ: Trump: Climate Change the “greatest con job ever perpetrated”

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a blistering rebuke of global climate action during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, dismissing climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”

His remarks came as world leaders prepared for a UN climate summit focused on accelerating the shift to “clean energy”.

Fraser Macdonald: Why some of Israel’s staunchest support comes from the Pacific Islands

One of the most perplexing yet poorly understood aspects of the international diplomatic response to the ongoing Gaza conflict has been the overwhelmingly pro-Israel orientation of Pacific Island states.

During the voting on two United Nations resolutions (October 27th and December 12th) calling on Israel to reduce the death and suffering of Palestinian civilians, many Pacific countries voted either against the resolution or abstained.

Why would these small island countries, on the other side of the world and with no direct links to Israel, choose to either oppose or not support this essential humanitarian gesture?