Nick Fogarty is a journalist at the ABC's Asia Pacific Newsroom. You can follow him on Twitter: @FogartyNick
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| UpdatedIn the 1960s a US sports institute began promoting the idea of using supernatural powers to achieve athletic greatness. Some ideas were "bonkers", others are still used in sport today.
Topics: sport, sports-injuries, doping-in-sports, meditation-and-prayer, psychology, psychology-education, defence-forces, offbeat, united-states, russian-federation, australia, united-kingdom
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The fight over the trademarking of the Fijian word "bula" by a Florida businessman is escalating, with Fiji's Government announcing it will be officially contesting the trademark.
Topics: copyright, fiji, pacific, united-states
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A Florida businessman's decision to trademark "Bula" as the title for his kava and coffee bar sparks outrage among people in Fiji and an online petition to fight for the word they hold close to their hearts.
Topics: copyright, fiji, pacific, united-states
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| UpdatedThe population of an entire island in Vanuatu is set to be evacuated for the second time in less than a year as increasing ash clouds from an erupting volcano turn day into night.
Topics: volcanic-eruption, disasters-and-accidents, vanuatu, pacific
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| UpdatedThe Anglican Diocese of Polynesia has stood aside from a vote on allowing its bishops to bless same-sex relationships, putting itself at odds with the other major New Zealand-based Anglican groups.
Topics: pacific
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| UpdatedThere is some confusion on the volcano affected Vanuatu island of Ambae about plans to evacuate the inhabitants.
Topics: pacific
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| UpdatedThe social media platform Facebook is used by millions of people around the world, but lately it's been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Topics: social-media, internet-technology, foreign-affairs, world-politics, security-intelligence, pacific, papua-new-guinea, united-states, united-kingdom
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| UpdatedPapua New Guinea has joined Fiji on China's list of Free Trade Agreements under Consideration, after discussions between the two countries' Foreign Ministers.
Topics: pacific, papua-new-guinea
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| UpdatedRising sea levels caused by climate change are an obvious threat to low-lying Pacific islands - along with major weather events like Tonga's Cyclone Gita - which are happening with increased frequency.
Topics: climate-change, refugees, relief-and-aid-organisations, air-pollution, pacific, australia, tonga
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| UpdatedIt's been revealed that two shipping companies with links to the Pacific have been blacklisted by the United Nations, accused of helping North Korea get around international sanctions and smuggle oil and coal.
Topics: political-parties, world-politics, trade, oil-and-gas, pacific, marshall-islands, samoa
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| UpdatedA new six-part investigative piece details a bizarre assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to New Zealand in 1981.
Topics: royal-and-imperial-matters, law-crime-and-justice, world-politics, new-zealand, united-kingdom
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| UpdatedPublic reaction to Rick Hou's election as Solomon Islands Prime Minister has been overwhelmingly positive, with citizens taking to social media to voice their opinion on the Parliament's decision.
Topics: social-media, world-politics, elections, pacific, solomon-islands
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| UpdatedLast month Samoa began an Inquiry into Family Violence, with recent figures showing that experience of domestic violence by women has risen from 40 percent to 60 percent since the year 2000.
Topics: world-politics, domestic-violence, sexual-offences, pacific, samoa
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| UpdatedEvacuees on Ambae island remain unsure about the future of their homes, and how long they'll have to be away from them.
Topics: volcanic-eruption, non-governmental-organisations, children, emergency-incidents, telecommunications, pacific, vanuatu
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| UpdatedNew Zealand's latest Poet Laureate has been announced, and for the first time the prestigious position will be filled by a woman of Pacific Island descent.
Topics: poetry, awards-and-prizes, multiculturalism, education, pacific, new-zealand, samoa, tuvalu, france
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| UpdatedThe Samoan Cabinet has lost a senior member today with the resignation of Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, La'auli Schmidt, after criminal charges were filed against him.
Topics: corruption, world-politics, pacific, samoa
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North of Perth's central business district, Hyde Park is an oasis among the concrete and steel of the city.
Topics: homelessness, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, perth-6000