How Taiwan came to dominate the global chip industry
| | LONDON, UK, 1 April 2026 (Conversation) - One firm, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), produces more than 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips. These chips are essential for smartphones, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and cutting-edge military systems. |
Norwegian archipelago is an adventure-seeker's paradise
| | VESTERALEN, Norway, 1 April 2026 (Nat.Geog) - Deep in the Arctic Circle, Vesterålen’s archipelago of 1,330 islands, should, by rights, be a frozen tundra. But, like the neighbouring islands of Lofoten, it’s warmed by the passing Gulf Stream, which thaws the archipelago into a landscape of green mountains, fields of meadowsweet and Arctic poppies, and bone-white beaches visited year-round by orcas and sperm whales. Unlike Lofoten, though, Vesterålen remains largely off the tourist radar, and its crowd-free character combines with a wide network of hiking trails and epic coastal and mountain scenery to justify its self-given nickname: ‘a hiker’s paradise’. |
Oil surge sharpens calls for Indonesia to shift away from fossil fuels
| | JAKARTA, Indonesia, 1 April 2026 (Mongabay) - As the U.S.-Israel war on Iran drives oil prices above $100 a barrel and disrupts global supply routes, Indonesia is once again confronting the costs of its dependence on fossil fuels — with growing calls not only to accelerate its renewable energy adoption, but also to make oil and gas companies help pay for the transition. |
State fishing village plan in Indonesian Papua sparks opposition
| | JAKARTA, Indonesia, 1 April 2026 (Mongabay) - Indigenous leaders in Indonesia’s South Papua province have rejected a government plan to build a state-backed fishing settlement on their ancestral land, highlighting growing tensions between national development programs and customary land rights in the country’s easternmost island. |
The Danger Islands: A risky Antarctic science expedition
| | BERLIN, Germany, 1 April 2026 (DW) - The Malizia Explorer departs from Ushuaia in southern Argentina for Antarctica - with sailing pro Boris Herrmann, scientists and journalists on board. Their mission? To study the protected Danger Islands and the large Adélie penguin colony there. Along the way, the expedition gathers data on currents, temperatures and possible pollutants. Despite storms, dense ice and seasickness, the team manages to land on one of the seven islands. |
An invasive guava is muscling out Madagascar’s forests
| | ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, 31 March 2026 (Mongabay) - Madagascar is renowned for its lemurs, which are threatened due to hunting and deforestation. Restoring native forests to ensure their survival is critical, but once damaged, forests in Madagascar are vulnerable to takeover by invasive guava trees - whose seeds the lemurs themselves are helping to spread. |
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SIDS |
 | | 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States 27-30 May 2024, Antigua and Barbuda |
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NAF |
| | North Atlantic Forum bi-annual international conference 17-21 June, 2024, Connemara, Ireland, |
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IWRA |
| | 1st Islands Water Congress 4-6 Sept, 2024, Torshavn, Faroe Islands |
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ANATOMY OF ISLANDS |
| | 12th Anatomy of Islands symposium 26-28 Sept, 2024, Jelsa, Hvar Island, Croatia |
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CIS |
| | Critical Island Studies 4th international conference 3-4 Oct, 2024, Manila, Philippines |
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CBD |
| | COP16 21 Oct-1 Nov, 2024, Cali, Colombia |
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UNFCCC |
| | COP29 11-22 November, 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan |
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ISLAND DYNAMICS |
| | DARKNESS II conference, 20-23 January 2025, Nuuk, Greenland |
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JICAS |
| | Islands And Island Studies conference 3-7 June, 2025, Jersey, Channel Islands |
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UNITED NATIONS |
| | UN Ocean Conference 9-13 June, 2025, Nice, France |
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UPEI |
| | 3rd international conference on SIS and SNIJs 16-20 June, 2025, Charlottetown, PEI |
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SICRI |
| | Island Studies International Conference 25-28 June, 2026, Tacloban City, Leyte Islands, Philippines |
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ISISA |
| | 20th Islands of the World Conference 7-11 July 2026, Shinan County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea |
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