Opposition lawmakers in Nauru's Parliament ousted President Rene Harris' government yesterday in a vote of no-confidence and elected Ludwig Scotty as leader in the latest twist in this tiny Pacific island nation's political turmoil.
The change may break a deadlock in the 18-member legislature over how to deal with the country's economy, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Nauru has been financially crippled from corruption and waste of its natural resources for years.
PHOTO: AFP
Harris' ouster came while he was in Australia negotiating a deal with creditors on payment of US$172 million owed to US firm General Electric Capital Corp.
The no-confidence vote was taken after Finance Minister Kinza Clodumar dropped his support for Harris in Parliament and backed Scotty, Nauru Embassy official Helen Bogdan said.
"They've elected Ludwig Scotty as president, and he appointed Mr. Clodumar as finance minister in his government," she said.
It was not immediately clear why Clodumar switched sides, but Bogdan said the finance minister was "obviously not happy with the government of Rene Harris."
Leadership of Nauru has switched numerous times in the past decade -- last year, it changed three times in a single month. Allegiances are made by politicians individually and Harris' collection of allies had not even formed a party.
Harris, who was in Melbourne yesterday, told reporters, "I'm not disappointed in losing power, that doesn't last forever, but I'm disappointed in my dear friend who crossed the floor, whom I thought was a friend, but not so."
Former Justice Minister Russel Kun said Monday that Harris had planned to dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections because the legislature was at an impasse.
"Government can't legislate or anything, the house can't legislate or whatever. No business is going forward," Kun told Radio New Zealand.
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
Indonesian police have arrested 13 people after shocking images of alleged abuse against small children at a daycare center went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, officials said on Monday. Police on Friday last week raided Little Aresha, a daycare center in Yogyakarta on Java island, following a report from a former employee. CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most younger than two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic. Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room just 3m by 3m. “So
About 240 Indians claiming descent from a Biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. The newcomers passed under a balloon arch in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, as dozens of well-wishers welcomed them with a traditional Jewish song. They were the first “bnei Menashe” (“sons of Manasseh”) to arrive in Israel since the government in November last year announced funding for the immigration of about 6,000 members of the community from the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. The community claims to descend from
‘TROUBLING’: The firing of Phelan, who was an adviser to a nonprofit that supported the defense of Taiwan, was another example of ‘dysfunction’ under Trump, a US senator said US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been fired, a US official and a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in another wartime shakeup at the Pentagon coming just weeks after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ousted the Army’s top general. The Pentagon announced his departure in a brief statement, saying he was leaving the administration “effective immediately,” but it did not provide a reason or say whether it was his decision to go. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Phelan was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to
RSS