Hurricane Maria slammed into the US Virgin Islands on Tuesday, lashing the archipelago with rain as Puerto Rico braced for the Category Five storm’s expected landfall on Wednesday. On St John Island, which was also battered by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago, locals reported seeing trees dramatically swaying in swirling winds, with rain pouring “sideways.”
The UN General Assembly on Friday put French Polynesia on the global body's decolonization list at a meeting boycotted by France. The resolution, passed by consensus in the 193 member assembly, was called for by the Solomon Islands and other Pacific states that back the Pacific territory's pro-independence parties.