Oceania is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands but sometimes including Australia—in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The exact scope of Oceania is defined variously, with interpretations including Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and those parts of Indonesia east of the Wallace Line.

For the oceans of the Earth, see Oceans.

Overview

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The primary use of the term Oceania is to describe a macrogeographical region that lies between Asia and the Americas, with the Australian continent as the major landmass and consisting of some 10,000 islands in the Pacific. The name Oceania is used because, unlike the other regional groupings, it is the ocean and adjacent seas rather than a continent that link the lands together.

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Christian Science Monitor | World

Latin leftists reshape democracy
Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Bolivians vote Sunday on the fate of President Evo Morales and other top officials.
U.S. Army microgrants help revive small businesses
Sat, 09 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
But soldiers say the program taxes platoon resources – meaning that recipients are often not held accountable for the grants.
Calls for France to rethink its Africa role
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500
A Rwandan report this week charged Paris with complicity in the 1994 genocide.

NPR Topics: World

The Political Games In Beijing
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:19:00 -0400
President Bush is among 80 world leaders attending the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. NPR News Analyst Juan Williams and host Alex Chadwick discuss the who's who of leaders attending, and staying away from, the ceremony.
Fireworks Mark Olympic Opening Ceremony
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0400
The Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing began with a series of fireworks across the city. NPR's Howard Berkes describes the ceremony, which took place in the stadium known as the Bird's Nest, to host Madeleine Brand.
Georgian Forces Launch South Ossetia Offensive
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0400
A battle has begun on the border between the Republic of Georgia and Russia. Georgian forces backed by warplanes have launched a full-scale internal offensive in the region of South Ossetia. They're fighting with Russian-backed separatists over control of the breakaway region. Madeleine Brand talks with Lawrence Sheets about the fighting.

NYT > World

Gates Pushing Plan for Afghan Army
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:57:29 -0000
A $20 billion plan would aid the Afghan Army and restructure the military command of U.S. and NATO forces in response to a growing Taliban threat.
Musharraf Won’t Resign, Allies Say
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:56:18 -0000
President Pervez Musharraf will stage a spirited defense against impeachment charges the governing coalition is pursuing against him, his key allies said Friday.
Bin Laden Driver Sentenced to a Short Term
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:15:13 -0000
Salim Ahmed Hamdan, the first detainee convicted after a war crimes trial in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, could complete his punishment this year.

World business news - CNNMoney.com

The dollars and cents of the Olympics
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:39:37 -0400
The Olympics have become a multi-billion dollar business, and the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China are expected to set record revenues.
UBS to settle securities case for $19.4B
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:19:19 -0400
The Massachusetts Secretary of State's office says Swiss bank UBS has reached a $19.4 billion agreement to buy back bonds to settle claims that it misled investors into buying high-risk securities.
Dollar roars to five-month high
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:31:18 -0400
Read full story for latest details.

FRONTLINE/World - Reports | PBS

Libya: Out of the Shadow
Thu, 03 Aug 2006 21:00:00 -0500
Libya is not the first place that springs to mind as a hot-ticket destination. But much has changed in the country in recent years as Libya and its leader Colonel Gaddafi have returned to the diplomatic fold. Who better to explore the mysteries of present-day Libya than our roving world-music reporter Marco Werman? And what better way to get inside the country than to tag along with the 10,000 astronomy enthusiasts who descended on Libya earlier this year to watch the solar eclipse?
Italy: One-Way Ticket to Europe
Thu, 27 Jul 2006 21:00:00 -0500
As Europe grapples with the rising numbers of migrants arriving to its shores, this week's Rough Cut/Fellows report travels to the small Italian island of Lampedusa, off the Libyan coast, where hundreds of African migrants arrive daily through the summer in search of a better life. The story offers an unsettling glimpse of life for these new immigrants and exposes how complex and divided the issue of illegal immigration has become.
India: A Pound of Flesh
Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:00:00 -0500
In this week's Rough Cut, Samantha Grant heads to Chennai in southern India to explore the illicit kidney trade. Traveling between India's high-tech center of Bangalore and the slums to the south, Grant spoke to government officials, doctors, kidney brokers and donors to try to find out why so many people are still getting paid to give up their kidneys even though a law was passed 12 years ago to heavily regulate the practice.

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