The Fiji Times

Fish ban’s back on

The seasonal ban on kawakawa and donu fish began on Thursday, June 1, and fishermen, exporters and fish sellers have been warned that anyone found breaching the ban will face hefty penalties. “We owe it to all Fijians to ensure that we don’t lose these culturally and commercially important fish. We ask everyone to do...

‘Only at kitchen table’

It looks like the only table they want us at is the kitchen table. This was what Suva lawyer Barbara Malimali said about the disparity in the representation of women in important institutions like the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC), judiciary, and in the various arms of government. In a Facebook post, Ms Malimali said...

1000 sandalwood trees for FNU, says Acting VC

Fiji National University Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba announced this week a program where 1000 sandalwood and 1000 cumquat and lemon trees will be planted across all its campuses. She said this during World Environment Day celebrations at the FNU’s Lautoka Campus. Prof Nabobo-Baba said the celebration aligned well with the university’s objectives of...

US support shows importance of partnership

Good news for the Fiji media industry. The United States assistant secretary for Global Public Affairs William Russo is coming to Fiji to talk specifically about how the US Government can assist Fiji media after the repealing of the Media Industry Development Act. In a press release, the US Department of State said Mr Russo...

2023-2024 National Budget | Focus on rural roads

Rural roads need to be fixed. Speaking to sugar cane growers in Nadroga, who raised their concerns about the unattended cane access roads, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad said the bad road issue was experienced throughout the country. He said Government was working closely with relevant stakeholders to address the...

2023-2024 National Budget | Villager raises flooding issue at consultation

Lomolomo villager Vereniki Bale hopes that the 2023-2024 National Budget addresses the ongoing issue of flooding at their village, located between Lautoka and Nadi. “Every year we are told that something will be done about it but we don’t see anything happening,” he said. “Whenever there is heavy rain, we prepare for it. It has...

2023-2024 National Budget | Plans for labour shortage

Government is determined to address Fiji’s labour shortage problem, says Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad. While speaking at a National Budget public consultation in Nadi, he said strategies to address labour mobility had already been put in place. “As a Government we have already put in place a decision for a government approved funding...

2023-2024 National Budget | Student hopes for more funding

Lautoka resident Christal Kapoor hopes there will be more funding to assist tertiary students and institutions. “What I want to see in the budget is more educational funding opportunities because I feel that TELS (Tertiary Educational Loan Scheme) was good because a lot of students could afford to pursue tertiary education and then pay it...

Train crash incident saddens Rabuka

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji is saddened by the news of the three-way crash involving two passenger trains and a freight train causing about 300 fatalities and about 1000 injured casualties, destruction, and damage in India. The devastating multi-train crash happened in Eastern Odisha State, last Friday, June 2. In his condolence message written...

PM: Fiji recovers well

Fiji is recovering very well, says Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. He highlighted this, while speaking to about 500 Fijians in Auckland, New Zealand on Monday night. Mr Rabuka was accorded a full traditional welcome ceremony by the Fijian community at Mahatma Gandhi Centre. He said the figures and data provided by the World Bank, the...

800 vacant positions will be filled – Fong

Most of the 800 nursing posts left vacant by migrating nurses will be filled by the end of this financial year, says Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong. He says the positions of nurses who left last year should be filled by the end of this financial year. The loss included nurses who...

Wiens content of local delicacies to air on Mai TV

World famous YouTuber, Mark Wiens video content of the local delicacies of the Tailevu and Lau provinces will soon air exclusively on Mai TV. The agreement came about during the Food Vlogger and Content Creator’s recent trip to Fiji, where he promoted the local delicacies. Mai TV Director, Stanley Simpson said this was an exciting...

Remuneration package for nurses

Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong says a working group has been set up to look at the remuneration package for nurses for the 2023-2024 National Budget submission. He said the terms of reference of the working group was to look at the remuneration package for nurses in Fiji. “The working group comprises the Ministry...

Nursing job not for the faint-hearted’

Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong told 233 newly-inducted intern nurses yesterday that their jobs were not for the faint-hearted. While officiating at an induction program in Suva, Dr Fong said entering the workforce of medicine was not a passive field. “It is a field that requires the effort of each and everyone to make...

Putting adults to shame, students clean up park

Adults should be ashamed of having kids come out and pick up after them. This was the strong sentiment shared by International School Suva (ISS) oceans and literacy division member Laisenia Ratu, after a group of about 70 Year 2 students from ISS and Veiuto Primary School organised a clean-up around My Suva Picnic Park...

Puna welcomes opening of Pacific Fusion Centre in Vila

Forum Secretary General Henry Puna has welcomed the opening of the permanent offices housing – the Pacific Fusion Centre – in Port Vila, Vanuatu, yesterday. The Pacific Fusion Centre delivers training and strategic analysis against priorities identified by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security. The centre is an outcome...

Lands Ministry to investigate disregard of Cabinet directive

Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo says since taking office, noted a serious deliberate disregard of Cabinet directive by the previous government when it issued the lease of the said land to Tian Lun Investments Pte Ltd knowing that they had not rescinded a previous decision not to allow that land to be...

Lands Ministry refuses lease extension for Tian Lun Investments

Fiji’s Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources has refused to extend the development lease for Tian Lun Investments Pte Ltd – the company with a State land and State tiri land lease for a proposed project along Queen Elizabeth Drive in Suva. Minister Filimoni Vosarogo wrote to the legal representatives of the company stating the...

What’s happening today!

Bula vinaka everyone. Here is another edition of some basic information you may need to know for today. First, here is your weather forecast for today: Weather: Cloudy periods with some showers over Serua/Namosi, Suva/Nausori-Tailevu areas, Naitasiri, Vanua Levu, Lau and Lomaiviti group Showers becoming frequent later today over the Northern Division, Lau and Lomaiviti...

‘Monasavu Dam records below average rainfall’

MonasavuDam has continually received below average rainfall during the 2022-2023 wet season from November, 2022, to April, 2023. The average figures calculated by the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) are from a 30-year period – from 1981 to 2010. On average by month, Monasavu receives about 454.2 millimetres of rainfall in November, 565.1mm in December, 657.2mm...

Regional stakeholder consultation

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) will host a Regional Stakeholder Consultation at the Tokatoka Resort in Nadi next week from June 13-16. As the regional body mandated to promote and develop tourism in the Pacific, SPTO in partnership with the New Zealand Government will host a series of Regional Stakeholder Consultations to advance regional collaboration....

New strategic plan for Fiji’s tax administrator

The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) has unveiled its new strategic plan outlining the Service’s strategic priorities and roadmap for the 2023 to 2025 period. FRCS chief executive officer Mark Dixon said the new plan was designed to provide clear direction to all clients, customers and partners, and to highlight the service’s future actions...

An evening of history for council members

The Fiji New Zealand Business Council (FNZBC) hosted its members to a networking event last week to commemorate both Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna day and Girmit day. The cocktail event was held on June 2 at the Fiji Museum in Suva, allowing attendees the opportunity to absorb the historic knowledge held within the museum’s walls....

Vehicle dealer goes cashless

Fiji’s leading vehicle dealer Asco Motors has gone cashless in its effort to tap into the more-advanced mode of payments in a modern economy. Its chief executive Ronald Kumar says customers are adapting well to the system since the company started implementing the cashless payment system last week. “If you look at more advanced economies,...

Top recognition for resort

Turtle Island Resort, the all-inclusive private island located in Yasawa, has again been recognised for its exceptional hospitality service by scooping the prestigious 2023 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards. These awards placed the luxury five-star property among the best hotels worldwide and rank the resort as one of the top luxury and...

Significant milestone | Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence against All Women and Girls 2023-2028 launch

Violence against women and girls remains the most pervasive human rights violation around the world with detrimental effects on the social, economic well-being of individuals, communities and countries. This was highlighted by Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Lynda Tabuya during the launch of the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence against All...

Women in agriculture: Only 11.2 per cent have savings account

Only 11.2 per cent of women involved in Fiji’s agriculture have savings account. While speaking at the launch of the Building Capacity for a Fair and Inclusive Organic Movement by the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom) in Nadi, Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Sashi Kiran said this indicated women’s contribution...

People | Sailina’s willing heart

Every time work seems tough and the weather at sea turns boisterous, Sailina Likuvono remembers her two children. Their faces give her strength she needs to do her work and push her to persevere in life. Last week, the 35-year-old single mother was among 18 seafarers who graduated from the Deckhand Fishing Course at the...

Saturday campaign for the environment

In a bid to raise awareness about littering and the importance of maintaining the environment, the management and staff of the Pacific Recycling Foundation (PRF) and Waste Recyclers Fiji Ltd (WRFL) are planning a roadside campaign called Stand Up in Solidarity to Protect the Environment from the Koronivia Road roundabout. PRF founder and WRFL CEO Amitesh Deo said...

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