Australia & Pacifics

SUVA, Dec 24 (NNN-PIN) – Sitiveni Rabuka, leader of the People’s Alliance (PA) party, was elected prime minister of Fiji’s new coalition government, for the next four years, after the first sitting of parliament here today.

According to the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, the 74-year-old Rabuka received 28 votes, while the FijiFirst party (FFP) leader, Voreqe Bainimarama, gained 27 votes.

Meanwhile, Tui Cakau Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu has been elected the new speaker of parliament.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fijian police on Thursday said they were calling in the military to help maintain security following a close election last week that is now being disputed.

It was an alarming development in a Pacific nation where democracy remains fragile and there have been four military coups in the past 35 years. The two main contenders for prime minister this year were former coup leaders themselves.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged New Zealand to take a leading role in focusing on the environmental destruction his country is suffering as a result of Russia’s invasion.

Zelenskyy delivered his message via video link to lawmakers who packed the debating chamber at 8 a.m. Wednesday. He became just the second foreign leader to address New Zealand’s parliament, after Australia’s Julia Gillard did so in 2011.

Zelenskyy said it was possible to rebuild a nation’s economy and infrastructure, even though it may take many years.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Australian police are investigating the extremist views of three people who shot and killed two officers and a neighbor at a rural property before they were killed hours later by police in a gunfight.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Six people, including two young police officers, were shot and killed at a property in rural Australia after officers who arrived to investigate reports of a missing person were ambushed, authorities said Tuesday.

Police said the violence began about 4:45 p.m. Monday when four officers arrived at a remote property in Queensland state.

CANBERRA, Dec 12 (NNN-AAP) – The Australian government has announced new laws that will force big companies to disclose their emissions reduction efforts.

In a speech today, Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said, the proposed Australian climate risk disclosure system would provide clarity and certainty for investors and businesses looking to manage climate risks and invest in new opportunities.

Under the plan, big businesses, including banks would be compelled to reveal publicly what they are doing, to reduce their carbon emissions and fight climate change.

SYDNEY, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Australia's New South Wales Ministry of Health (NSW Health) has launched an investigation into a Salmonella outbreak following a conference with more than 200 people present last week.

NSW Health said on Wednesday that 69 attendees from NSW, the Northern Territory and Queensland are known to be unwell with symptoms of food poisoning, of which 27 people have confirmed Salmonella infections. At least 31 of them are so far known to have attended emergency departments.

CANBERRA (Australia), Dec 7 (APP): The largest-ever Australia-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group with 38 members has been established at the 47th Parliament of Australia.

The group comprises members from both the Houses of the Australian Parliament – the Senate and the House of Representatives with representation from all the Australian States.

The Parliamentary Friendship Group is chaired by Maria Vamvakinou MP from the ruling Australian Labor Party (ALP), while Rowan Ramsey MP from the opposition Liberal Party is the vice chair.

CANBERRA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of new coronavirus cases in Australia has risen for consecutive weeks.

According to the latest weekly update from the Department of Health, more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported across Australia in the seven days to Nov. 29 -- an average of 14,346 per day.

It marks a 20 percent increase from 11,953 new cases per day in the previous week.

WELLINGTON, Dec 2 (NNN-XINHUA) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4, jolted New Zealand’s North Island last night, according to New Zealand’s geoscience research service provider.

It occurred at 18:07 local time (0507 GMT), striking 20 km south-east of Tokoroa, a town in the Waikato region, of the North Island of New Zealand, at a depth of 159 km, said the GNS Science.

More than 9,000 people reported feeling the quake but there are no reports of casualties, so far.