NewsBite

Fiji

October

Packer’s 108-metre yacht IJE.

Opulent yachts of Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer meet in Fiji

The billionaires’ vessels were recently spotted in an exclusive Pacific cove after Packer appeared on TV talking up one of his oldest friends.

  • Mark Di Stefano

September

Australia is planning to co-host alongside Pacific islands that are vulnerable to sea level rise and severe storms.

Bringing COP31 Down Under will be an unprecedented opportunity

Australia could co-host the global climate meeting in 2026 well on the way to emissions targets, and ready to drive fresh momentum.

  • Kerry Schott and John Connor
Ex-BoQ chief executive George Frazis isn’t crying over spilt Fiji water.

George Frazis becomes the Madonna of banking

“George” is the banking equivalent of a triple threat: he can handle it all!

  • Myriam Robin

July

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong is practising subsea cable diplomacy.

Australia doubles down on its subsea cable diplomacy in South Pacific

The rollout of undersea cables has become a major focus of the strategic competition between Western nations and China to gain influence in the Pacific.

  • Updated
  • Staff

May

A Fiji Airways plane at Sydney Airport. The island is hoping to be a crucial connector between Australia and the United States.

This tiny airline wants to give the big guys a run for their money

Fiji is home to fewer than 1 million people, but its flag carrier is taking the charge to Qantas with an elaborate dining experience for long-haul travellers.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Advertisement
Air Vanuatu has been placed into liquidation.

Nauru Airlines flies in for a look at collapsed Air Vanuatu

The national carrier of Vanuatu collapsed into liquidation on Friday. Fiji Airways has already expressed interest in acquiring whatever is left of the airline.

  • Updated
  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Fiji Airways is closely watching Air Vanuatu to see what opportunities arise.

Fiji Airways keen to keep Virgin Australia at bay

The Pacific’s biggest airline would consider a tilt at Air Vanuatu if its liabilities are limited to keep Virgin sidelined.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

April

Bula billionaires! Welcome to Fiji’s most expensive island

For $9000 a night, it’s little wonder Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney check in to COMO Laucala Island resort – because too much luxury is never enough.

  • Myriam Robin

March

A small section of an atoll at Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

US passes long-delayed deal to fund crucial Pacific Island agreements

Although the three island nations involved are tiny, they span 4000 km across the Pacific, providing critical access for the US to operate in the Indo-Pacific region.

  • Demetri Sevastopulo and Kathrin Hille

January

Lang Walker photographed at his $100 million Kokomo Private Island ahead of its opening in 2018.

How Lang Walker got the most out of life

From burnt toast to knock-off panama hats, time with Lang Walker at his great passion project Kokomo Private Island revealed what made this old-school Rich Lister tick.

  • Fiona Carruthers

October 2023

Emiliano Boffelli of Argentina has an enviable kicking record.

Where the Rugby World Cup semis will be won and lost

Don’t believe reports that the semi-finals will be walkovers for New Zealand and South Africa.

  • Simon Poidevin
Sitiveni Rabuka and Anthony Albanese.

Pacific ‘realistic’ on call for Australia to stop fossil fuels

Australia and Fiji have upgraded ties following prime ministerial talks in Canberra.

  • Andrew Tillett
Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka.

‘Don’t make us choose’: Fiji PM’s fears over US-China tensions

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the rivalry between the United States and China is intensifying.

  • Andrew Tillett
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 15: Kurt-Lee Arendse of South Africa breaks to the try line to score his team’s first try during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 Quarter Final match between France and South Africa at Stade de France on October 15, 2023 in Paris, France.

Classic matches show the best of rugby, and what the Wallabies must do

It’s hard to remember a set of four quarter-finals of this quality, showing just how good rugby can be when played at its best.

  • Simon Poidevin
Ireland’s Jack Conan reacts after narrowly losing the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match against New Zealand at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris,

All Blacks resist Ireland fightbacks to win epic Rugby quarter-final

Ireland goes home after falling short again with an eighth Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat.

  • Updated
  • Jerome Pugmire
Advertisement
Ireland’s Johnny Sexton (left) and Tadhg Beirne celebrate after the Rugby World Cup Pool B win over Scotland.

Winning strategies for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals

A deep dive into the performance stats reveals how the teams should approach these four matches between northern and southern hemisphere nations.

  • Updated
  • Simon Poidevin
Rodrigo Marta of Portugal scores his team’s third try during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Fiji and Portugal at Stadium de Toulouse.

A weekend of rugby drama sets up titanic quarter-final clashes

A match with two winners confirmed the Wallabies as the Rugby World Cup’s biggest losers, and sets up a mouthwatering series of Rugby quarterfinals.

  • Simon Poidevin
Samu Kerevi makes a break during the Wallabies win against Portugal in Saint-Etienne on October 1.

Crunch games as Wallabies’ World Cup hopes hang by a thread

Australia still have a slim chance of reaching the quarter-finals if Portugal beat the favoured Fiji in the last round of group games at the Rugby World Cup.

  • Simon Poidevin
Westpac will retail its bank in PNG amid pressure from the federal government.

Westpac to maintain Pacific presence, cancels sale of PNG, Fiji banks

The federal government is keen for Westpac to maintain its foothold in the South Pacific, as China’s influence in the region expands.

  • James Eyers and Andrew Tillett

September 2023

Eddie Jones.

Farewell Eddie, it’s time for the Wallabies to move on from the misery

It is unconscionable that the Wallabies’ coach carries on. Forget all the flannel that he could yet turn Australia into world-beaters in 2027.

  • Updated
  • Oliver Brown

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/fiji-9ps