Australia hosts Asia forum to tackle trafficking Southeast Asian and Pacific nations will come together in Australia to discuss regional issues including people smuggling and human trafficking. AAP · Feb 8, 2023
Kiribati to return to Pacific Islands regional group, ending rift The remote atoll nation of Kiribati said on Monday it would rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum, ending a split that had threatened unity at a time of increased superpower tensions in the strategically-located region. Reuters · Jan 30, 2023
Kiribati to return to Pacific Islands Forum at vital moment for regional diplomacy Fiji’s prime minister confirmed Kiribati would be rejoining the group after he met with president Taneti Maamau The Guardian - AU · Jan 30, 2023
Kiribati confirms intention to rejoin Pacific Islands Forum after Fijian Prime Minister's attempt to heal rift The office of the Kiribati president says it had decided to return to the forum after a "fruitful, positive and successful bilateral meeting" with newly elected Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka this month. ABC News · Jan 30, 2023
‘No safe place’: Kiribati seeks donors to raise islands from encroaching seas Pacific state needs billions for its ambitious plan – its president demands wealthy nations act to help now The Guardian - US · Nov 18, 2022
Appointment of Kiribati's attorney-general as acting chief justice 'weakens democracy and transparency', says anti-corruption group Fears over democratic decline have intensified in Kiribati after the appointment of the country's attorney-general to the position of acting chief justice. ABC News · Nov 1, 2022
Report: China targets 2 diplomatic allies with Pacific aid The Lowy Institute reports Beijing is targeting its Pacific aid to new diplomatic allies Solomon Islands and Kiribati while Chinese financial support across the region continues to decline The Independent UK · Oct 31, 2022
Kiribati controversy as attorney general becomes acting chief justice Tetiro Semilota appointed from within ranks of government that fired country’s most senior judge, another from high court and whole court of appeal The Guardian - AU · Oct 30, 2022
Pacific nation leaders in Washington as US seeks to deepen ties The US is elevating its engagement with the Pacific as Beijing increases its presence in the region. Al Jazeera · Sep 28, 2022
Pacific Islands brace for prolonged droughts and more flooding as La Niña continues for third year in a row Some Pacific Island nations are still recovering from floods or facing severe drought conditions, and there is little reprieve in sight as a third La Niña is set to exacerbate extreme weather conditions across the region. ABC News · Sep 22, 2022
‘It doesn’t make sense’: Pacific leaders say Australia’s support for new coal at odds with Cop29 bid Former Kiribati and Palau presidents say Australia’s should take a leadership position on climate at a ‘very perilous moment’ for the Pacific The Guardian - AU · Sep 14, 2022
Kiribati suspends appeals court judges as constitutional crisis worsens The Kiribati government has suspended three retired New Zealand judges sitting on its court of appeal, a New Zealand official said on Tuesday, worsening a constitutional crisis that has plagued the Pacific nation for months. Reuters · Sep 6, 2022
Kiribati left without high-level court after president suspends three appeal judges The decision worsens the constitutional crisis plaguing the Pacific country, which also suspended a high court judge last month The Guardian - AU · Sep 6, 2022
Kiribati suspends all Court of Appeal judges after row over attempts to deport High Court justice David Lambourne to Australia The decision effectively leaves the Pacific Island nation without any functioning high-level courts, deepening its legal and constitutional crisis. ABC News · Sep 5, 2022
ABC News · Aug 26, 2022 Kiribati government's attempts to deport High Court justice David Lambourne to Australia found to be invalid and quashed Justice David Lambourne was suspended from his position over alleged misconduct in May and earlier this month the government of Kiribati twice tried to deport him, but an appeals court has found the move to be "invalid".
The Guardian - AU · Aug 26, 2022 Court lashes Kiribati government over treatment of Australian-born judge Kiribati’s court of appeal said government’s latest bid to deport high court justice David Lambourne on national security grounds was ‘far-fetched’
AAP · Aug 26, 2022 Bid to deport Australian judge quashed An Australian-born high court judge in Kiribati has won an appeal to stop his deportation from the Pacific island nation.
ABC News · Aug 23, 2022 Pacific Island high courts are still dominated by foreign judges, but a constitutional crisis in Kiribati is exposing the risks The battle in Kiribati between the government and an Australian-born High Court justice has caused a constitutional crisis, drawing attention to the role and vulnerabilities of foreign judges in the Pacific — and there's a lot of them. So why does the region still have so many serving on its…
The Guardian - AU · Aug 12, 2022 Australian-born judge released from immigration detention in Kiribati, after being held overnight David Lambourne, who serves on the high court of Kiribati, was detained on Thursday after a failed attempt by the Kiribati government to deport him
ABC News · Aug 12, 2022 Kiribati court grants David Lambourne bail, slams attempts to deport High Court justice back to Australia The Appeals Court orders the immediate release of Australian David Lambourne, who was placed in immigration detention following a failed deportation attempt by the Kiribati government.
ABC News · Aug 11, 2022 Fewer than 120,000 people inhabit Kiribati yet they apparently hold $682m in Australian banks Fewer than 120,000 people inhabit Kiribati and the median household income is about $12,000. Yet data released by the Australian Taxation Office reveals $682 million in Australian bank accounts belong to foreign tax residents from the tiny Pacific nation.
ABC News · Aug 11, 2022 Attempts to deport Kiribati High Court Justice David Lambourne back to Australia lead to airport stand-off David Lambourne, an Australian citizen, is in immigration dentation after a dramatic deportation attempt at Kiribati's international airport where Fiji Airlines pushed against the government, refusing to fly the judge against his will.
The Guardian - AU · Aug 11, 2022 Kiribati constitutional crisis deepens as it detains Australian-born high court justice Judge David Lambourne was detained after a failed bid to deport him, which he called a ‘devastating assault on the rule of law’ in Kiribati
The Independent UK · Jul 15, 2022 Pacific island national leaders declare climate emergency Pacific island national leaders have declared a climate emergency and agreed to try to bring Kiribati back to the region’s main diplomatic grouping
The Independent UK · Jul 14, 2022 Solomons leader: Chinese base would make his people targets Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare says his new country’s security pact with Beijing would not allow China to build a military base on the South Pacific nation