Author: TMC Palau
[Photo: FILE] The Ministry of Housing says demolition of homes under the proposed Public Health Amendment Bill should only be used as a last resort, with proper consultation required before families are displaced. Permanent Secretary for Housing Manasa Lesuma says while the Ministry supports action to address unsafe and unsanitary conditions, enforcement must consider the circumstances of affected households, particularly vulnerable families living in informal settlements. He highlighted this while making a submission on the Public Health Amendment Bill. “Under the powers to demolish buildings, the ministry recognizes that demolition may be necessary where a building presents a serious public…
Fiji’s Taniela Rainibogi has a gold medal in the men’s 110 kilogram weightlifting at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.He lifted 170kg in the snatch and 208kg in the clean and jerk – both Commonwealth Games records – for a total lift of 378kg, another Games record.England’s Cyrille Tchatchet II came second, lifting a total of 374 kg, and Canada’s Xavier Lusignan got bronze, lifting 356kg.Tonga’s Joshua Uikilifi Jr came fourth, 25kg away from a medal.Vanuatu’s Thomas Wilbur and Samoa’s Jack Opeloge did not finish.Weightlifting Fiji head coach Henry Elder told FBC it hadn’t been an easy road.”We have been through this…
[Photo: FILE] Fiji’s inflation rose to 6.1 percent in June, up from 3.9 percent in May and -1.2 percent in June last year. The Reserve Bank of Fiji states in its latest economic review that this increase was largely driven by higher fuel and gas prices, alongside higher electricity costs as Energy Fiji Limited’s fuel surcharge took effect. Governor Ariff Ali says these factors directly accounted for approximately 4.5 percentage points of the June inflation rate. Ali states renewed conflict between the United States and Iran led to a sharp increase in global oil prices, with Brent crude rising slightly…
Australian aid At its triennial national conference, the Australian Labor Party adopted its latest policy platform which says that the party will “increas[e] aid every year that we are in office” and “work on sustainable pathways towards allocating 1% of the federal budget for overseas development assistance expenditure … “. While aid will increase in nominal terms, Australia’s aid spending will decline both in real terms and as a share of the federal budget over the forward estimates. It is projected to fall from its historic low of 0.17% in 2026-27 to 0.14% of Gross National Income (GNI) over the…
Amid escalating rivalry between the United States and China, a pristine paradise in the western Pacific is confronting what it means to be part of the “tip of America’s spear” in the region.Home to around 18,000 people, the nation of Palau is comprised of hundreds of tiny, uninhabited, volcanic islands jutting out of the surrounding ocean. The archipelago is covered in lush vegetation and surrounded by turquoise lagoons and coral reefs.The distinctive limestone islands that make the nation such an international drawcard are just a short walk from 18-year-old Dior Imaim Ngiraboi’s home.The recent high school graduate has fond memories…
A new Human Rights Watch (HWR) report says that the Indonesian government is silencing environmental activists in Papua region, known internationally as West Papua.The report, titled Grabbed Land, Silenced Justice, examines how parts of Papua, in particular South Papua, are seeing a greater military presence in service of massive national development projects.Indonesian govt silencing Papuan activists – reportPacific WavesThese projects, its argues, are causing mass deforestation and displacement throughout the province, directly threatening local livelihoods. All the while, journalists and activists who speak out tend to be arrested and mistreated.HRW’s Andrea Harsono, a lawyer and one of the report authors,…
Nauru has officially changed its name to ‘Naoero’, the Micronesian Island nation’s governments announced in a statement on Wednesday night.The Nauruan parliament had passed a constitutional amendment in May to rename the country ‘Naoero’ after the proposal was initially tabled by President David Adeang in January.Adeang said at the time that while the name ‘Nauru’ had been recognised internationally since the island’s independence, the proposed change sought to “more faithfully honour our nation’s heritage, our language, and our identity”.However, a national referendum was expected to follow to complete the constitutional procedures.Nauru is the world’s smallest independent republic, with a population…
[Source: Reuters] The Trump administration said on Wednesday it will immediately release $600 million in congressionally appropriated funds for vaccines for the world’s poorest countries after Washington withheld the money over unsubstantiated safety concerns raised by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said in June that it was time to re-engage with the Geneva-based global alliance Gavi, which helps the world’s poorest countries buy vaccines to protect children from diseases such as measles and diphtheria, citing both congressional concerns and “our goals on global health.” The previous month, Gavi’s chief executive Sania…
Former Fijian Holdings Ltd Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Nouzab Fareed outside the Suva High Court The Suva Magistrates Court dismissed a bail application filed by former Fijian Holdings Ltd Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Nouzab Fareed this afternoon. Fareed appeared before Chief Magistrate Josaia Waqaivolavola, represented by lawyers Hemendra Nagin and Ritesh Singh. Defense counsel argued that Fareed posed no risk and had upheld all previous bail conditions; however, Chief Magistrate Waqaivolavola ruled that the presumption in favor of bail was displaced following his conviction. He noted that an accused person loses their right to liberty once convicted, and that bail…
[Photo: File] Extending reliable internet access to remote Pacific communities remains one of the region’s biggest digital infrastructure challenges despite significant investment in submarine fibre cables. Pacific Telecommunications Council President and CEO Brian Moon says while submarine cables have transformed regional connectivity, connecting communities beyond major centres remains difficult because of the Pacific’s dispersed island geography. Moon says bringing fibre cables to Pacific countries is only the first step, with the greater challenge being extending that connectivity to outer islands and remote communities. He adds that low Earth orbit satellite services are emerging as a practical solution for areas where…