Fiji

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka revealed on Tuesday that the state will provide F$200 (NZD$144) per child to families who earn less than F$50,000 per year.

The education initiative - a first by the three-party coalition - was aimed at ensuring children from "lower-income homes have the best possible start to the 2023 school year", Rabuka said.

"This is due to the hardship many families are facing in the last couple of years due to Covid-19 and the contraction of our economy, whereby a lot of people have lost their jobs," he said.

Due to this, the Health Ministry states it is ready to review some public health border measures.

The sub-variant, also known as Kraken, was descended from the Omicron XBB subvariant, itself a cross between two earlier strains: BA.2.75 and BA.2.10.1.

It comes just a day after New Zealand revealed the variant had also been detected in the country late last week.

The World Health Organization said it has been detected in at least 31 other countries.

Medical superintendent Jemesa Tudravu told FBC news the variant had high transmissibility.

The met service issued the statement in light of the formation of the season’s first tropical cyclone, TC Hale over the weekend.

According to the Nadi Weather Office, TC Hale posed no direct threat to the Fiji group as it tracked southeastward away from the country yesterday afternoon.

However, the weather office says a low-pressure system is anticipated to affect the country this weekend, with showers expected throughout the week.

The Ministry of Health says the first Covid-19 death is a 64-year- old man from Suva.

He was presented at a health centre on 23 December with pre-existing medical conditions and later tested positive for Covid-19.

FijiVillage reports the Ministry also says he later passed away on the same day.

He was vaccinated with 2 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Ministry says the second death reported was of a 34-year-old female Tuvaluan citizen living in Fiji since 2018.

She was admitted at the CWM Hospital in Suva with diabetes complications on 6 December.

Rabuka, who has assumed the role of head of government for the second time in his political career delivered his inaugural statement to the people of Fiji via the state's social media.

Fijian voters voted out Frank Bainimarama's FijiFirst government's stronghold on the nation's governance after two terms in power, signalling their appetite for change.

Rabuka's message to his fellow citizens was one promising a better and united Fiji for all.

"Our country is experiencing a great and joyful awakening," he said.

Pio Tikoduadua says the commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho has however asked that they follow the process of the Constitutional Offices Commission.

Minister Tikoduadua said he respects his decision, and we will let the law take its course.

The Minister added he has no issue with the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces.

A border alert has been issued by Fiji's Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for Opposition MP and former Attorney General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

One of the hallmarks of Fiji's tourism industry is the world-class hospitality of the Fijian people.

Thanks to this kind of dedication from Fijian hospitality staff like Asenaca Nitayaqa - who you will meet properly a little later - the industry is on track to smash all its expectations for a recovery in 2022.

Fiji Tourism chief executive Brent Hill said at the start of the year they had set a goal to try and achieve visitor numbers of around 400,000.

They are now on track to almost doubling that number.

Rabuka was elected Prime Minister by the Fijian Parliament and defeated former Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama by 28 votes to 27 on Saturday.

Hu'akavameiliku said in a tweet that the Tongan government looks forward to working closely with Rabuka and the Fijian Coalition government on matters of interest to both countries.

"I would like to congratulate Hon Rabuka on his election as Fijian Prime Minister and I Look forward to meeting him soon and having discussions on matters of national interest to both countries," Hon Hu'akavameiliku said.

Rabuka was elected with 28 votes to 27.

"It was a very close margin," Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa) youth forum president Ben Daveta said.

From the polls to parliament, every decision was balanced on a knife's edge.

First, no party gained an outright majority to rule.

Then it took the king-makers Sodelpa two split-votes to choose a coalition partner -- and even in the final secret ballot to elect a prime minister, someone in the opposition ranks voted for the other side.

It has been a frantic time, Daveta said.

There were jubilant scenes in Suva overnight as the kingmaker in Fiji's general election, the Social Democratic Liberal Party (Sodelpa) declared it was partnering with the People's Alliance (PA) and the National Federation Party (NFP) to form a new coalition government to end FijiFirst's eight-year reign.

The decision was made in a secret ballot by Sodelpa's 30-member management board - 16 voted in favour of the PA-NFP alliance and 14 for FijiFirst - after three days of intense negotiations.