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SUVA, Fiji Islands (March 5, 2001 - FijiLive/Pacnews/Fiji Times/Pasifik Nius)---Fiji police broke up a meeting of the deposed five party coalition government today and detained former deputy prime minister Dr. Tupeni Baba for questioning, media reports said.

Radio reports said Dr. Baba told reporters that he had not been arrested.

Police spokesperson ASP Sera Bernard said Dr. Baba was held for questioning for two hours for "breaching the public order" which police said was still in place under the emergency decree.

Bernard was quoted on FijiLive as saying that according to the emergency decree any gathering of people could not take place without a permit.

The Court of Appeal last week ruled that Fiji's interim government was illegal and must stand down by March 15.

The 1997 multiracial constitution was also upheld by the court with the implication being that the military imposed decrees after the attempted coup were also now illegal.

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SUVA, Fiji Islands (March 4, 2001 - Pacnews/Fiji’s Sunday Post/Fiji’s Sunday Times/Pasifik Nius)---The deposed elected coalition government in Fiji has appealed to acting President Ratu Josefa Iloilo to call an urgent sitting of Parliament following last week's historic Court of Appeal ruling, Pacnews reports.

The report comes as Sunday newspapers reported several political moves in the wake of the judgment upholding the 1997 constitution and ruling the interim regime illegal.

Former university professor Dr Tupeni Baba, a deputy prime minister and foreign minister in the ousted government, is reported to be making a strong bid for the leadership.

According to Pacnews, a letter addressed to the acting President was signed by Ponipate Lesavua, of the Party of National Unity (PANU); Adi Kuini Vuikaba Speed, of the Fijian Association Party, (FAP); Mahendra Chaudhry, of the Fiji Labour Party (FLP); Poseci Bune, of the Veitokani Lewenivanua Vakarisito (VLV); and Leo...

By Jason Brown

AVARUA, Cook Islands (February 27 2001 – Cook Islands News)---Public Health is cranking up its annual awareness campaign over the risks of dengue -- a mosquito-borne disease common to the tropics.

News of an outbreak in Tahiti has local residents nervous about the disease coming here from visitors.

Tourism operators are also nervous that media reports may put visitors off coming here.

And a small group is concerned that health authorities may once again use a toxic spray called malathion to control mosquito spread.

"That stuff is deadly," said one resident, "It’s banned in the USA."

However, a search of United States websites shows no mention of a ban on malathion in that country.

In fact, officials with the United States Environmental Protection Agency rate malathion as having very low rates of poison and equally low rates of the pesticide being cancer causing.

There is "suggestive evidence of carginogenicity...

By Jose Cepeda III

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands (March 6, 2001 – Pacific Daily News)-- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands senate president Paul Manglona said he has concerns about naval bombing exercises on the island of Farallon de Medinilla.

Manglona, senate floor leader Pete Reyes and Navy Rear Adm. Tom Fellin flew over the island to observe the impact military bombings have on the environment of the uninhabited 200-acre island. The bombing practices began in 1976, Manglona said.

He said an obvious concern was the destruction of the island's habitat, which is home to 12 species of migratory birds. "There are a lot of birds on the island and we are in support of protecting that environment," Maglona said.

Navy spokeswoman Lt. Monica Richardson said the northern end of the island -- about 50 acres -- is designated a no-impact zone, which means the Navy cannot bomb that area. Much of the island's bird population lives in the no-impact zone...