how many inches is 7xm
The former Picture Palace is the 26th historic building in Prescot town centre to benefit from restoration work as part of Knowsley Council’s wider regeneration programme for the town. The Grade II listed building is a rare example of its type and was one of the earliest cine-variety houses in the country. The expert restoration work focussed on the exterior of the building and was carried out by Knowsley Council with support from Purcell, specialist conservation-accredited architects. Historical photographs were used to help recreate some of the original design features, which were created in the flamboyant Edwardian Neo-Baroque style. This has all helped to bring the building back to its former splendour. READ > Works to major M62 junction to cause 'unavoidable delays' The work has been funded jointly by Historic England and Knowsley Council as part of the Prescot Heritage Action Zone project. The work includes: Cllr Tony Brennan, Knowsley’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic development said: “The restoration of the former Prescot Picture Palace building is the single biggest project the council has undertaken as part of our successful High Street Heritage Action Zone project here in Prescot. "The architectural heritage and cultural history of this iconic building is incomparable, and I am delighted that we have been able to safeguard this building and its heritage for many more years to come.” A picture taken inside Prescot Picture Palace in 2021 (Image: Stock) Associate Architect at Purcell, Jane Roylance added: “We are proud to have contributed to the conservation of the Grade II listed Prescot Picture Palace, a much-loved icon of Knowsley’s heritage, which has carefully restored the building’s original features. The works form the first phase of the building’s regeneration which will secure its future for generations to come.” Historic England’s Julie Griffiths said: “We’re delighted to see this historic gem in the heart of Prescot now fully restored and ready for a new use. This is testament to the hard work of Knowsley Council, local people and expert contractors who’ve worked together to make this happen.” The former Prescot Picture Palace Cinema at 8-14 Kemble Street was established in 1912. The Prescot Picture Palace Company Ltd purchased number 12 to 14 Kemble Street (a pair of amalgamated C19 town houses) and plans were approved by the Urban District Council for their conversion into a cine-variety theatre in September of that year. At its opening it was described as presenting a palatial appearance and ‘quite luxurious’ with the theatre seating 630 customers, which increased with the addition of a balcony around 1913. The U-shaped balcony, carried on ten pairs of columns, was accessed by a central L-shaped staircase off the foyer. The Picture Palace served as a picture-drome, music-hall and Variety Theatre. It was operated as part of the J F Emery Circuit by 1923, renamed ‘Palace Cinema’ in 1927, and equipped with a British Thomson-Houston (BTH) sound system by 1929. In 1957 the cinema closed, and the building became a carpet and furniture warehouse. The plan form remained unchanged until the mid-1970s, although the 1920s cinema seating was removed from the auditorium and stored in the upper floors. Around 1975 former shops (8-10 Kemble St) were purchased by Tudor Bingo and incorporated into the cinema building. Number 8 was a purpose-built early-C20 shop, with an Edwardian shopfront to the ground and first floor, and Number 10 a former C19 house converted to a shop. Both shop frontages were boarded up and modifications included the creation of internal access between the newly purchased buildings and the former cinema, and the removal of the cinema entrance entablature for a fascia sign. A flat roof extension was added to the rear of numbers 8-10 and another at the south end of the auditorium’s east elevation. Internally the east arm of the balcony was extended to the south end of the auditorium, over the stage and beneath the proscenium arch. Coral Bingo took over the bingo club in the late 1980s and established a social club, with the loss of the shop front to number 10 for the insertion of two ground floor windows. In 1995 the buildings were purchased by Prescot Community Church (an Elim Pentecostal Congregation), who remained in residence until 2021. Knowsley Council acquired the building in 2021, and the revival of the building is the single largest project of Prescot’s High Street Heritage Action Zone project, jointly funded by Knowsley Council and Historic England. Prescot was selected as one of the 68 high streets to benefit from the High Streets Heritage Action Zone scheme in 2020. The £3.1 million heritage-led regeneration programme has seen major investment from Knowsley Council and Historic England into a number of key projects in Prescot town centre.
Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers?
Wesco Declares Quarterly Dividend on Common Stock and Preferred StockPlymouth Industrial REIT, Inc. ( NYSE:PLYM – Get Free Report ) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, December 13th, NASDAQ Dividends reports. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.24 per share on Friday, January 31st. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Plymouth Industrial REIT has a payout ratio of 1,285.7% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Research analysts expect Plymouth Industrial REIT to earn $1.98 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.90 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 45.5%. Plymouth Industrial REIT Price Performance Shares of Plymouth Industrial REIT stock opened at $17.73 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $19.26 and a 200 day moving average of $21.49. Plymouth Industrial REIT has a 52 week low of $17.22 and a 52 week high of $24.71. The company has a market cap of $804.75 million, a PE ratio of 886.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on PLYM Insider Transactions at Plymouth Industrial REIT In other news, Director Pendleton P. Jr. White acquired 5,000 shares of Plymouth Industrial REIT stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $18.39 per share, for a total transaction of $91,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $91,950. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, CEO Jeffrey E. Witherell bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.49 per share, with a total value of $36,980.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 252,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,664,065.52. The trade was a 0.80 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock. About Plymouth Industrial REIT ( Get Free Report ) Plymouth Industrial REIT, Inc (NYSE: PLYM) is a full service, vertically integrated real estate investment company focused on the acquisition, ownership and management of single and multi-tenant industrial properties. Our mission is to provide tenants with cost effective space that is functional, flexible and safe. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Plymouth Industrial REIT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Plymouth Industrial REIT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Burrell Boom farmer remanded for illegal firearm and ammunition charges
Cal State University students, faculty and staff rallied this week to voice their concerns and frustrations with what protestors called the CSU management’s suppression of free speech, absence of shared governance and lack of accountability. The CSU chancellor’s office, in a statement, said it takes the concerns seriously — but the students remain at the center of its decision making. Professors, lecturers, counselors, coaches, librarians and students gathered outside of the CSU Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, in Long Beach, urging that trustees prioritize student learning and success in and out of the classroom. “We are the voice of the people and we are here to remind them that we matter,” Vang Vang, California Faculty Association treasurer and Fresno State librarian, said during the rally. “We are the heart and soul of the universities and we will make sure that they hear us every single day.” During the rally, there were speeches from students, faculty and staff. Many said they were done with the trustees’ limit of one minute per speaker for public comment during board meetings, so holding their own public comment offered a space for people to share their experiences at the CSU. CFA members also put on a street theater performance, during which they criticized the actions of CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia and brought attention to issues of limited free speech, how tuition money is being spent, courses being cut and more happening at the 23 campuses across the CSU system. “It was a creative way to express our frustration towards the chancellor’s office,” said Elaine Bernal, a lecturer in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at Cal State Long Beach, who participated in the performance. “They’re not going to listen to use in our one-minute comments, so might as well get really creative with it and really showcase what’s going on inside.” Luis Ortiz, a student at Cal State Long Beach and member of Students for Quality Education, said that he had been coming to the chamber for three years and has felt ignored by the CSU Board of Trustees. “Every single cry for change, tears were shed in that chamber, their backs turned against us but we won’t give up,” Ortiz said. “We don’t do it for ourselves; we do it for the next generation.” In a statement on Wednesday, the CSU Office of the Chancellor said that they acknowledged the concerns expressed by the CFA members and “take them seriously.” “But our collective focus must continue to keep students at the center of our decision-making,” the statement said. “We have a shared responsibility to empower students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve their academic and personal goals, and our faculty and staff play a critically important role in helping the CSU fulfill that promise.” Protestors also accused the chancellor’s office of silencing and intimidating faculty and students for exercising their free speech and academic freedom on CSU campuses, especially with the new “ Time, Place and Manner” policy that was implemented earlier this year after a rise in pro-Palestininan students setting up encampments and protesting for universities to divest from Israel as the ongoing war in the Middle East continues. The policy restricts face coverings and requires advance written approval for posters, signs, banners and chalking, protestors said. “The CSU is committed to freedom of speech and expression as an essential component of its educational mission,” the chancellor’s office said in a statement. “Through its new systemwide policy, the CSU will ensure that individuals and groups are afforded wide latitude in lawfully exercising the right of free expression and that their constitutionally protected right to free expression is not abridged.” Students and faculty once again brought up the concern of the 34% tuition hike over the next five years , which the board approved last year after much opposition. Raising fees would further disproportionately affect marginalized students – such as native, Black and brown students, students with disabilities, and trans students who are already under tremendous financial strain, protestors said on Wednesday. “I was here last year trying to avoid the tuition hikes but that didn’t work, so I want to know, where is that money going?” said Britneey Ochoa, a student from Cal State Northridge, “because obviously we’re not being shown that, because our campus is not providing anything new for us.” The CSU raised tuition twice in the past 13 years, according to the CSU chancellor’s office. “No university system can sustain financial viability for that length of time without a tuition increase,” the chancellor’s office said in a statement. “The revenue from the tuition increase is essential to provide the CSU with the financial stability it needs to continue to serve students today and in the future, invest in our academic programs, and support our workforce. “In fact, one-third of new tuition revenue from the recent increase is dedicated to financial aid,” the statement added, “ensuring that we can continue to make higher education attainment affordable for all students.”Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her bid for a second term this month, despite strong backing from union members, a key part of the Democratic base but gravitating in the Trump era toward a Republican Party traditionally allied with business interests. “Lori’s strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds behind our Agenda for unprecedented National Success - Making America Richer, Wealthier, Stronger and more Prosperous than ever before!” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice Friday night. For decades, labor unions have sided with Democrats and been greeted largely with hostility by Republicans. But with Trump's populist appeal, his working-class base saw a decent share of union rank-and-file voting for Republicans this year, even as major unions, including the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers , endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the White House race. Trump sat down with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union leadership and members this year, and when he emerged from that meeting, he boasted that a significant chunk of union voters were backing him. Of a possible Teamsters endorsement, he said, “Stranger things have happened.” The Teamsters ultimately declined to endorse either Trump, the former president, or Harris, the vice president, though leader Sean O’Brien had a prominent speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokesperson, told the Associated Press that O’Brien met with more than a dozen House Republicans this past week to lobby on behalf of Chavez-DeRemer. “Chavez-DeRemer would be an excellent choice for labor secretary and has his backing,” Deniz said. The work of the Labor Department affects workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employers' rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. On Election Day, Trump deepened his support among voters without a college degree after running just slightly ahead of Democrat Joe Biden with noncollege voters in 2020. Trump made modest gains, earning a clear majority of this group, while only about 4 in 10 supported Harris, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 120,000 voters nationwide. Roughly 18% of voters in this year's election were from union households, with Harris winning a majority of the group. But Trump's performance among union members kept him competitive and helped him win key states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Chavez-DeRemer was one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act, which would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The measure would weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Trump's first term saw firmly pro-business policies from his appointees across government, including those on the National Labor Relations Board. Trump, a real estate developer and businessman before winning the presidency, generally has backed policies that would make it harder for workers to unionize. During his recent campaign, Trump criticized union bosses, and at one point suggested that UAW members should not pay their dues. His first administration did expand overtime eligibility rules, but not nearly as much as Democrats wanted, and a Trump-appointed judge has since struck down the Biden administration’s more generous overtime rules. He has stacked his incoming administration with officials who worked on the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” blueprint, which includes a sharp swing away from Biden’s pro-union policies. “Chavez-DeRemer’s record suggests she understands the value of policies that strengthen workers’ rights and economic security,” said Rebecca Dixon, president and CEO of National Employment Law Project, which is backed my many of the country’s major labor unions. “But the Trump administration’s agenda is fundamentally at odds with these principles, threatening to roll back workplace protections, undermine collective bargaining, and prioritize corporate profits over the needs of working people. This is where her true commitment to workers will be tested.” Other union leaders also issued praise, but also sounded a note of caution. “Educators and working families across the nation will be watching ... as she moves through the confirmation process,” the president of the National Education Association, Becky Pringle, said in a statement, “and hope to hear a pledge from her to continue to stand up for workers and students as her record suggests, not blind loyalty to the Project 2025 agenda.” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler welcomed the choice while taking care to note Trump's history of opposing polices that support unions. "It remains to be seen what she will be permitted to do as secretary of labor in an administration with a dramatically anti-worker agenda,” Shuler said.
INPEX Advances FEED for Blue Hydrogen Project in Japan Australia’s Ichthys LNG facility will provide feedstock, along with production from legacy Japanese gas fields that will also serve as repositories for CO2 storage. Japan’s INPEX has initiated front-end engineering and design (FEED) work for a blue hydrogen production project, utilizing the company’s legacy natural gas fields in Niigata Prefecture as both a feedstock source and depleted reservoir space to support the development of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) business in parallel. The projects are among five net-zero businesses that INPEX aims to develop by 2050. By 2030, the company expects to bring three of those projects on stream, producing and supplying 100,000 tons or more of hydrogen and ammonia per year. It also plans by then to inject volumes of at least 2.5 million tons of CO into its depleted reservoir stock. INPEX is Japan’s largest exploration and production company. It operates Australia’s Ichthys LNG project which will also provide feedstock to the new blue hydrogen plant. In announcing the startup of FEED on 18 December, INPEX reported that it had completed the design concept and feasibility studies for the project. The planned hydrogen production plant with 100,000 ton/year capacity in Niigata Prefecture will source its raw materials from natural gas produced at the INPEX-operated Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field (Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture) together with LNG imports arriving at INPEX’s Naoetsu LNG Terminal (Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture). The LNG will be come mainly from the Ichthys LNG in Australia. INPEX plans to market hydrogen to domestic customers in Niigata Prefecture and neighboring regions for power generation and heating applications with an eye to satisfy 10% of Japan’s domestic energy demand by 2050, the company said. CO generated during the hydrogen production process will be captured and injected (as a CCS initiative) into depleting gas fields in Niigata Prefecture, enabling the hydrogen to be marketed as blue (low-carbon) hydrogen. INPEX has been engaged in oil and gas exploration and production as well as projects to supply pipeline gas in Niigata Prefecture for more than 60 years. More recently it moved into LNG terminal operations. the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at INPEX Advances FEED for Blue Hydrogen Project in Japan, Double Zero Holdings and SJ Environmental Collaborate to Transform Natural Gas into Blue Hydrogen OUSTON, Oct. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Double Zero Holdings and SJ Environmental are excited to announce a... Europe’s Blue Hydrogen Plans Risk Generating Annual Emissions on par With Denmark – DeSmog This story is the fourth part of a DeSmog series on carbon capture and was developed with the support... Equinor Cancels Blue Hydrogen Export Plans to Germany Amid Low Demand Norway’s Equinor (EQNR.OL), opens new tab has scrapped plans to export so-called blue hydrogen to Germany because it is too expensive and...
CHICAGO (AP) — When the Chicago Bears threatened to score in the closing minutes of a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, fans expressed their feelings loud and clear. They weren't cheering for a touchdown or field goal. They had something else in mind. “Sell the team!” they chanted. With their skid at 10 games, a season that started with playoff hopes can't end soon enough for the Bears (4-12). They will wrap it up when they visit the rival Green Bay Packers on Jan. 5. “My job is to go out there and win games,” quarterback Caleb Williams said. “And we don’t focus on the outside noise. The fans are going to cheer and maybe boo sometimes. And you can’t react to that. It’s not something that we react to.” Chicago is 14-36 in three seasons under general manager Ryan Poles and has two double-digit losing streaks. The Bears dropped their final 10 in 2022 when they were tanking as part of a franchise-record 14-game skid that stretched into last year. They've never lost more than 10 in a row in a single season. The slide was at six games when they fired former coach Matt Eberflus the day after a loss at Detroit on Thanksgiving, following a series of poor late-game decisions. They're 0-4 under interim coach Thomas Brown, and they've been dominated by Green Bay in recent decades. What’s working The defense. A defense that has gone from ranking seventh in yards per game through the first six weeks to 25th did its part against Seattle. The six points allowed were a season-low and the 265 yards the Bears gave up were their second-lowest. “As we know, our defense has a certain standard and we’ve showed it,” cornerback Kyler Gordon said. “So, obviously syncing a little bit. Just getting back on the guys to get back right. It’s just important to know what we can do and just go in there and execute.” What needs help Pass protection. Williams was sacked seven times, bringing his NFL-leading total and individual franchise record to 67. The Bears broke their previous mark of 66 sacks allowed in 2004, when they used four quarterbacks. Their issues on the offensive line are well-documented. And so is Williams' tendency to hold onto the ball too long, resulting in unnecessary sacks. “There were miscues,” Williams said. “There were stupid sacks that I was taking, losing 10, 14 yards, which is frustrating. But I will say that I will definitely take the heat for this one just because (of) some of the situations that I put us in.” Stock up DE Montez Sweat. The Bears gave up 53 yards rushing on Seattle's game-opening field-goal drive. But the line performed better after that. Sweat picked up his first sack since Week 12 against Minnesota on the first play of Seattle's second possession, when he took down Geno Smith for an 8-yard loss. Though he's only missed one game, Sweat has been slowed by ankle and shin injuries. His 5 1/2 sacks are a big drop from last season, when he had a combined 12 1/2 for Washington and Chicago while becoming the first NFL player to lead two teams in the same season. Stock down Williams. Coming off a promising outing against NFC leader Detroit that followed some shaky outings, Williams had a rough night. The No. 1 overall draft pick completed 16 of 28 passes for 122 yards — not much more than his low of 93 in a Week 1 win over Tennessee — after throwing for 334 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. The seven sacks for 46 yards both matched his second-highest totals. Injuries The Bears reported no injuries during the game. Key number 5 — The Bears once again had trouble sustaining drives, converting just 5 of 15 third downs and punting on seven of their 10 possessions. They tied a season low with 11 first downs and managed 179 yards. Chicago owns the NFL's second-worst third-down conversion rate at 31.8% and is averaging a league-worst 287.3 yards per game. Next steps The Bears have lost 11 straight against the Packers — the longest streak by either team in the storied rivalry — and 26 of 29 counting the playoffs. They've dropped eight in a row at Lambeau Field since a win in 2015. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLWhy I wouldn't want to miss these 2 explosive ASX growth stocksSINGAPORE: In the immediate aftermath of the United States election, all Pacific Island leaders sent messages of congratulations to president-elect Donald Trump and expressed hope that cooperation with the new administration would continue. What are the chances that the improved relationship between the US and Pacific Island countries, carefully nurtured under the Biden administration, will continue to grow? What are the areas of potential cooperation and possible conflicts of interest? A look at recent US Pacific Islands policies might provide some clues. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES The Biden administration released its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, the framework for countering Chinese influence, maintaining America's traditional strategic dominance, and signalling its desire to play a greater role in the region. One tool was to strengthen overlapping minilateral alliances, such as AUKUS and the Quad. Others were newly created, such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). After the shock of the China-Solomon Islands security deal in May 2022 , the Biden administration increased its diplomatic and economic engagement with Pacific Island countries. President Joe Biden twice hosted Pacific Island Forum (PIF) leaders at the White House for US-Pacific Summits in 2022 and 2023. The US also announced the US-Pacific Partnership Strategy, a roadmap for strengthening cooperation. Over the past four years, there have been an unusual number of high-level political visits to Pacific Island countries, including visits by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was in Fiji in early December. The Biden administration also increased its diplomatic presence, opening embassies in Tonga, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, and a US Agency for International Development (USAID) office in Fiji. After aid cuts in the years before, Biden announced a US$810 million aid package over 10 years, including US$130 million for climate change projects. This funding still has not received full congressional approval and its future under Trump 2.0 remains unclear. In March, Biden renewed the Compact of Freely Associated States (COFA), announcing an unprecedented package of US$7 billion over 20 years for the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. The US has a long-standing special relationship with these three strategic countries in the Western Pacific, which receive the lion's share of US Pacific aid and investment. COFA will continue to allow the US to provide defence, deploy forces and operate bases there. CLOSE ALLY AUSTRALIA ASSISTING America’s ally, Australia, has also been doing the heavy lifting in the South Pacific. Already the biggest aid donor to the Pacific Islands countries, Australia has further increased assistance in the last two years. To counter China’s influence with its neighbours, Australia has concluded several security and aid deals, among them the recent security agreement with Tuvalu which gives Australia a veto power in Tuvalu’s foreign and security affairs. In December, Australia concluded a rather controversial agreement with Nauru which gives it veto power of pacts that Nauru might want to conclude with third countries. The five-year deal continues to secure Australia’s detention facility for Australia-bound refugees and comes with a A$140 million budget (US$87 million) and police support for Nauru. The Australia-Solomon Islands security arrangement , announced recently on Dec 20, will fund A$190 million into the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force and set up a new police training centre in the capital Honiara. This deal is a major achievement of the Labour-led Albanese government to counter the China-Solomon Islands security agreement. THE SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: WHAT TO EXPECT? Trump is likely to focus primarily on the security aspects. Fiji and Papua New Guinea had become the main beneficiaries of the Biden administration's strategy over the past two years, with landmark defence and security agreements. Increased economic ties between Papua New Guinea and China will loom large over any potential US disengagement or trade sanctions. The Trump administration can be expected to honour previous agreements, so as not to create loopholes for potential Chinese security-related engagement. But the new administration must also be mindful of the growing discontent over the use of the Pacific as a strategic theatre for the US and China. Pacific Island leaders have voiced concerns about ongoing intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing in the Pacific, complaining about an American ICBM test in November that flew over the Marshall Islands and a Chinese ICBM test in the South Pacific in September. PIF Secretary General Baron Waqa recently said: "Geopolitical manoeuvring mean nothing to Pacific peoples who have cyclones on the horizon [and] are focused on building resilience, peace and prosperity for our families, communities and nations." The three COFA nations may also come into focus again. Trump's first administration regarded the ability to use US military installations in these three island nations as an important part of his Indo-Pacific strategy. He hosted the leaders of the three countries at the White House in May 2019. This view of their "usefulness" to the US is likely to prevail. However, a longstanding practice has been to allow citizens of the three COFA states to live and work in the United States and access federal benefits like food stamps and healthcare. This may be at odds with the proclaimed immigration agenda of the second Trump administration. A partial US revision of the COFA articles is unlikely to be acceptable to the three partner countries. There is a strong possibility that the second Trump Administration will leave Biden’s 14-member economic initiative IPEF. Fiji, being the only Pacific Islands member, will probably search for alternative trade agreements. CLIMATE ACTION THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE The biggest obstacle to the relationship between the US and Pacific Island countries will be climate change, as their positions are diametrically opposed. Trump is expected to withdraw from the Paris Agreement a second time and focus US energy policy on oil and gas. Pacific Island countries have become leaders in the global fight against climate change , such as in two United Nations groups – the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Tuvalu's prime minister has called on major polluters to make concrete commitments to phase out fossil fuel production. Current policies – leading to new coal, oil and gas projects - are a "death sentence", he insisted. Samoa rallied UN member states to press for more progress on " loss and damage finance ". And it was Vanuatu that brought about a landmark UN resolution, backed by 130 countries, on climate justice and countries' obligations to address climate change. Under the second Trump administration, there will be difficult discussions at the UN between AOSIS, SIDS and the US. Expect also the Biden climate change package for Pacific Island countries to be reduced or scrapped. PRAGMATIC COOPERATION FOR A LOUDER VOICE The second Trump administration will have to take into account that Pacific Island countries have become more pragmatic and have more options than in the past. Geopolitical wrangling has also meant that other donors, both governmental and non-governmental, are willing to step in. PIF countries have shown that they can overcome some of their internal regional divisions, coordinate their positions and work with like-minded countries outside the Pacific. This pragmatic “New Pacific Diplomacy” has strengthened their climate voice in UN negotiations. The geopolitical power competition has provided Pacific Island leaders the opportunity to leverage their unique position to advance some of their most pressing issues, climate emergency and infrastructure investment. No doubt, they will use it in the next four years.