Posted
| UpdatedA group of South Pacific government ministers has praised Fiji's progress towards democracy, saying it should be rewarded with greater regional involvement.
Topics: government-and-politics, international-aid-and-trade, elections, fiji, australia, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedThe Pacific Islands Forum will consider admitting Fiji to trade talks and lifting its suspension because of the country's democratic progress.
Topics: government-and-politics, elections, media, international-aid-and-trade, fiji, australia, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedFiji's Labour leader has cautioned South Pacific governments against rushing to normalise relations with the country before there are conditions for free and fair elections.
Topics: foreign-affairs, elections, fiji, pacific, australia
Posted
| UpdatedJulie Bishop confident that Fiji will hold elections before October.
Topics: elections, bishop-julie, fiji
Posted
| UpdatedA former president of the Pacific Islands News Association has appealed to members to uphold the original reason for the formation of the organisation - to defend media freedom.
Topics: media, government-and-politics, illegal-fishing, fishing-aquaculture, new-caledonia, fiji, papua-new-guinea, australia, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedThe issue of freedom of the press was high on the agenda at the close of the Pacific Media Summit in New Caledonia.
Topics: media, print-media, fishing-aquaculture, pacific, fiji, new-caledonia
Posted
| UpdatedAustralia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says a review of travel restrictions on members of Fiji's coup-installed government is under way and will be finished within days.
Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, elections, foreign-affairs, fiji, pacific, australia
Posted
| UpdatedAustralia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirms that lifting travel sanctions against Fiji will be on the agenda during her two-day visit to the country.
Topics: world-politics, foreign-affairs, elections, australia, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedAustralian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says it's time for Australia to embrace Fiji and support planned elections.
Topics: foreign-affairs, government-and-politics, australia, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedIn this extended interview, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop discusses the aims of this weekend's talks with Fiji's leadership and the Ministerial Contact Group meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, as well as Australia's aid contributions through the Pacific and Prime Minister Abbott's upcoming East Asia trip.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, international-aid-and-trade, fiji, papua-new-guinea, australia, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedAustralia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says the country needs an aid program with a strong culture of accountability.
Topics: international-aid-and-trade, australia, fiji, papua-new-guinea, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedConservationists throughout the Pacific are hoping to strike a significant blow to the global trade in shark fin.
Topics: conservation, animals, trade, illegal-fishing, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedHealth officials are warning about the rise in mosquito-borne diseases across the Pacific region this year.
Topics: diseases-and-disorders, dengue-fever, health, pacific, french-polynesia, kiribati, fiji
Posted
| UpdatedFiji's interim government says its decision to set a new minimum wage at $FJ2 is designed to help small businesses cope with the new labour cost.
Topics: industrial-relations, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedFiji's interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama will step down as military commander at the end of next month.
Topics: defence-forces, government-and-politics, world-politics, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedPacific expert says retiring Fiji leader Commodore Bainimarama will continue to enjoy support of his military.
Topics: federal-elections, elections, government-and-politics, defence-and-national-security, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedFiji's interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has announced he will resign as head of the military in March in order to contest this year's election.
Topics: defence-forces, world-politics, fiji, pacific
Posted
Vanuatu has defended a boycott of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) foreign minister's mission to Indonesia.
Topics: world-politics, vanuatu, papua, papua-new-guinea, solomon-islands, pacific, fiji
Posted
| UpdatedThe Fiji Rugby Union says it hopes to maintain its international competition schedule despite having its funding slashed by the International Rugby Board.
Topics: rugby-union, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedThe International Rugby Board says it remains committed to the sport in Fiji despite suspending all financial support to the Fiji Rugby Union.
Topics: rugby-union, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedTonga's northern island groups of Vava'u and Ha'apai are due for hurricane-force winds in coming hours with disaster agencies on standby for a response to Severe Tropical Cyclone Ian.
Ian has intensified into a Category 5 system with winds at its centre estimated to be around 200 kilometres per hour with gusts of up to 290kph.
On its forecast track, Ian is expected to be located closest to the populated island of Vava'u at around 9am local time.
Very destructive hurricane force winds will begin several hours before it passes overhead or nearby.
The capital, Nuku'alofa, is not directly in Ian's path but will experience damaging gale force winds, heavy rains and sea flooding of low-lying areas.
The Director of Tonga's National Emergency Management Office, Leveni Aho, says residents should prepare for the worst.
Posted
| UpdatedThe erratic behaviour of Tropical Cyclone Ian continues as it moves closer to Tonga's northern islands.
Topics: cyclone, cyclones, storm-event, weather, storm-disaster, tonga, fiji, pacific
Posted
| UpdatedTonga's northern islands and regional disaster agencies prepare for the arrival of hurricane-force winds and low-lying floods.
Posted
| UpdatedForecasters are warning that a powerful cyclone directly threatens Tonga's northern islands.
Posted
| UpdatedPacific climate expert says Cyclone Ian has hit hurricane force as it moves closer to Tonga.
Topics: cyclone, storm-event, tonga, fiji, pacific