Fiji’s king-maker party set to meet on coalition agreement as military remains on call
Wellington, New ZealandReuters Fiji’s Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) is due to meet on Friday to decide if its decision to form a coalition with the opposition stands, a move that comes after the Pacific country’s military was called in to help police maintain law and order. Fiji is waiting for its president to recall […]
Fiji military called in to ‘help maintain order’ after disputed election
Reuters Fiji’s military will help police maintain law and order, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said on Thursday, citing growing concerns of ethnic tension after an election last week resulted in a hung parliament. The Pacific island nation, which has a history of military coups, has been pivotal to the region’s response to the competition between […]
Fiji’s ruling party leads provisional count after national election
Reuters The ruling Fiji First party led provisional national election results, boosted by a 31.42 per cent vote for Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, with half of polling stations counted in the Pacific island nation after Wednesday’s vote. Bainimarama, who came to power in a coup 16 years ago, is contesting his third democratic election since […]
Fiji heads to national election on Wednesday
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Fiji, a Pacific island nation pivotal to the region’s response to strategic competition between China and the United States, will hold a national election on Wednesday, the third since its leader came to power in a coup in 2006. Under Fijian election laws, a media blackout on campaign coverage was imposed on Monday […]
“Time is up”: Countries trapped in climate crisis raise alarm at UN
United NationsReuters Countries on the front lines of the climate crisis are fed up. During the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations this week, low-lying island nation Vanuatu stepped up a fight to get the world to focus on combating global warming by calling for a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty. “The time […]
Fiji, moving villages inundated by rising seas, wants big emitters to pay
Serua, FijiReuters Boats moor next to living rooms on Fiji’s Serua Island, where water breaches the seawall at high tide, flooding into the village. Planks of wood stretch between some homes, forming a makeshift walkway as saltwater inundates gardens. Village elders always believed they would die here on prized land where their chiefs are buried. […]
“No place like home”: Climate change threatens Fiji’s rugby nursery
Namakatula, Fiji Reuters The white sands of Namatakula have nurtured generations of world-class rugby talent but rising sea levels threaten to force the abandonment of the palm-fringed village on Fiji’s Coral Coast within a few years. The village is deemed “at risk” by Fiji’s government and headman Josevata Nagausaukula contemplates a future in which children […]
Pacific bloc, united, demands climate action as China, US woo
Suva, FijiReuters Pacific island nations, courted by China and the United States, put the superpowers on notice, telling the world’s two biggest carbon emitters to take more action on climate change while pledging unity in the face of a growing geopolitical contest. Leaders at a four-day summit of the Pacific Islands Forum, meeting in Fiji’s […]
“Not worth the risk”: Palau, Fiji call for deep-sea mining moratorium
Lisbon, Portugal Reuters Concerned about the potential impacts of deep-sea mining on ocean biodiversity, the Pacific islands of Palau and Fiji on Monday launched an “alliance” to call for a moratorium of the nascent industry. The backing of a moratorium comes amid a wave of global interest in deep-sea mining but also growing pressure from […]
Climate action lags as COVID hits goals in developing nations
Kingston, JamaicaThomson Reuters Foundation From higher shipping costs for solar panels to employee layoffs, a plethora of pandemic-related ills have hindered efforts to fight climate change in the Caribbean nation of Grenada. And it is not alone. Across the world, COVID-19 has hit economic growth and tax revenue, making it harder for governments – particularly in developing nations – to […]