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30th May
North Korea notifies Japan of plan to launch satellite
SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) -North Korea has notified Japan of a plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11, a Japanese coast guard official said on Monday. Analysts say the military satellite is part...
Oil climbs after US leaders strike provisional debt deal
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Monday after U.S. leaders reached a tentative debt ceiling deal, possibly averting a default in the world’s largest economy and oil consumer. Brent crude futures climbed 39 cents, or 0.5%, to $77.34 a barrel by 2317 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was...
29th May
Italy PM says good ties with China possible without Belt and Road
MILAN (Reuters) – Good relations with China are possible even without being part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview published on Sunday, as her government weighs abandoning the project. Italy is the only major Western country to have joined China’s BRI scheme, which envisions...
UK health minister says will not negotiate on pay with nurses’ union
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s health minister, Steve Barclay, said on Sunday that the government would not negotiate on pay with the nurses’ union, as the threat of further strikes looms. The government’s offer, which includes a one-off payment equivalent to 2% of salaries in the 2022/23 financial year and a 5% pay rise for 2023/24, was...
Point of Origin | Jannif in the ’60s (Part 3): St Paul’s, UE year, Maori culture and the twins
The 1960s are not referred to as the swinging ’60s for no reason. The cultural revolution against the old-world ways by the new world youth truly heralded the age of Aquarius. From the technological advancements in computers, flight, and space exploration, to the fashion, political upheaval, rebellion and nonconformity, the Vietnam war protests, the environmental...
South Africa to investigate U.S. allegations of arms shipment to Russia
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a panel to investigate U.S. allegations that a Russian ship had collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town last year, the presidency said in a statement on Sunday. The U.S. ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said on May 11 that he was...
156 join Republic of Fiji Military Forces
Families and friends turned up in numbers and braved the rain this week to witness 156 new recruits during the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) 1/23 basic recruit passing-out parade at the Force Training Group (FTG) in Nasinu. RFMF commander Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai reminded the new recruits of the importance of the...
Beading her way to FJFW | Helen Oro – First Nation indigenous fashion designer of Canada
We at Fiji Fashion Week are preparing ecstatically to receive the first group of indigenous First Nations people of the Pelican Lake Band from Saskatchewan in the middle of Canada. Fashion and Jewellery Designer Helen Oro is from the Pelican Lake Tribe of the Bear Creek Clan. She is “thrilled to be the first indigenous...
Indonesia seeks $700 million to install 200 MW of solar power
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian state utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara seeks a $700-million investment to install a 200-megawatt (MW) solar panel that will replace diesel power generators in a bid to reduce carbon emission, the company said late on Saturday. The plan is part of its target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2060. PLN...
Cruise ship offers chance to visitors
International visitors now have more reasons to travel to Fiji with the latest advanced packages on offer by tourism operators. The latest is the introduction of the Fiji Luxury Small Ship Expedition Cruising by Captain Cook Cruises. Guests get to enjoy a maiden voyage on board the new MV Caledonian Sky in November to northern...
Somalia says it will revert to direct vote for officials starting next year
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somalia will start electing its president and other officials by direct vote next year, the government announced on Sunday, ending a system of indirect voting in the Horn of Africa country that has endured three decades of conflict and clan battles. Amid widespread insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency and weak state...
Venice’s waters turn fluorescent green near Rialto Bridge
MILAN (Reuters) – The waters in Venice’s main canal turned fluorescent green on Sunday in the area near the Rialto bridge and authorities are seeking to trace the cause, Italy’s fire department said. The regional environmental protection agency has received samples of the altered waters and is working to identify the substance that changed their...
Company launches solar lanterns range; spreads renewable energy message
Aligning with the company’s ambition to become a major player in energy transition and sustainability, TotalEnergies has introduced their Sunshine range of solar lanterns to Fiji. Managing director and country chair Dino Michael Cuaycong said the launch of the product line was part of a larger mission of spreading the message of renewable energy, that...
Around 33 tribal militants killed in clashes in India’s Manipur -minister
GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – Around 33 tribal militants have been killed recently in India’s far northeastern state of Manipur in an ongoing security force operation following ethnic clashes in the region, the state’s chief minister said on Sunday. The state bordering Myanmar has witnessed growing tension in recent weeks, with rioting and ethnic clashes killing...
People | Grandma’s post-Winston trauma inspires Dr Moleen’s research
Witnessing the trauma her 80-year-old cane grower grandmother experienced after the devastating impact of Tropical Cyclone Winston was Moleen Monita Nand’s inspiration to pursue a Doctorate of Philosophy research on policy options for climate change loss and damage. What better way could she finish her latest educational accomplishment than to be awarded the John Lewis Prize (Gold...
Gunmen kill two rangers in Congo’s Virunga National Park
BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Gunmen killed two rangers in Congo’s Virunga National Park on Sunday, the Congo Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) said in a statement, the second attack this month in the country’s restive east. The attack took place near Rwindi in North Kivu province, north of another attack on May...
Arrests attest to positive changes in fight against drugs
Police arrested a 40-year-old man who was found with white substances believed to be methamphetamine and smoking apparatus. According to a police statement, the suspect was arrested along the Waimanu Rd in Suva on Saturday and was now in police custody as the seized substance had been sent for analysis. The Fiji Police has revealed...
13-year term for drug dealer; no parole in 11 years
A Lautoka man who was found with 900 grams of methamphetamine and 25 grams of marijuana has been jailed for 13 years by the High Court in Lautoka. A police raid on Shalend Reddy’s house on August 4, 2020, led to the discovery of the drugs and he was charged with two counts of unlawful...
Turkey’s Erdogan prevails in election test of his 20-year rule
ANKARA (Reuters) -President Tayyip Erdogan extended his two decades in power in elections on Sunday, winning a mandate to pursue increasingly authoritarian policies which have polarised Turkey and strengthened its position as a regional military power. His challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, called it “the most unfair election in years” but did not dispute the outcome. Official...
Achievements of statesman a beacon of hope – Jale
It is only right that the contributions and achievements of late statesman Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna is continuously commemorated. This, according to Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) vice president Anare Jale. He said SODELPA welcomed the decision made by Government to reinstate Ratu Sukuna Day as a public holiday. “The timing of the sitting of...
Prasad: Leader won the trust of people
“Ratu Sukuna won the trust of the people and ensured that their trust and faith in him was not misplaced.” This has been highlighted by National Federation Party (NFP) leader Professor Biman Prasad on the occasion of Ratu Sukuna Day today. “His selfless service is illustrated even then as – a chief, statesman and a...
Chaudhry pays homage to late chief
On the occasion of Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day today, Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader Mahendra Chaudhry has paid homage to the late statesman. Mr Chaudhry said Ratu Sukuna was a distinguished leader of his times. “He was a skilful administrator and an eloquent speaker and in his actions and utterances he always displayed rationale,”...
Five months in with no deal in sight, Israel’s judicial protests endure
TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Amid a sea of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Israeli flags at an anti-government protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday, a plain white poster protruded with a handwritten message in black: “Democracy without compromise.” For five months now, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the street every week to protest...
‘Leaving no one behind’ | Fiji has fallen behind Ratu Sukuna’s united vision – Narube
Unity Fiji leader Savenaca Narube says all of Fiji must triple its efforts to achieve the true meaning of “leaving no one behind”. In his message on the occasion of Ratu Sukuna Day today, Mr Narube thanked the Coalition Government for restoring the national remembrance of a great and visionary leader. The late statesman, Mr...
Modi inaugurates new parliament building as part of New Delhi’s makeover
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s new parliament building on Sunday, a modern complex which is part of his Hindu nationalist government’s grand plan to give a makeover to the British colonial-era architecture in the nation’s capital. The inauguration, and the ongoing revamp of the heart of New Delhi based on...
Need for collective approaches – Ro Teimumu
While indigenous people own 92 per cent of land in Fiji, 75 per cent of people living in poverty were the iTaukei. This was highlighted by Marama Bale na Roko Tui Dreketi Ro Teimumu Kepa while delivering her opening remarks during the Ratu Sukuna Day Celebration Leadership Conference held at the Harbour Point Convention Center...
‘Teach kids about nature’ – Singh
Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh has pleaded with regional teacher trade unionists to push for the incorporation of climate change education in their school curriculum. In Lautoka last week, the fervent trade unionist informed regional teachers’ unions representatives part of the Educators for Climate Justice and Just Transition Conference that it was imperative to come...
Voting starts in Turkey presidential election runoff
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turks began voting on Sunday in a presidential runoff that could see Tayyip Erdogan extend his rule into a third decade and persist with Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian path, muscular foreign policy and unorthodox economic governance. Erdogan, 69, defied opinion polls and came out comfortably ahead with an almost five-point lead over his...
Sinking islands | ‘Pacific islanders can become migrants and refugees’
The risk of sinking islands will turn citizens of Pacific nations into climate migrants and refugees. Education International president Susan Hopgood mentioned this to teachers trade unionists at the Educators for Climate Justice and Just Transition Conference in Lautoka last week. “When sea-level rise is coupled with storm surges resulting from more frequent storms and...
Recidivism rate increases this year
Fiji’s recidivism rate increased slightly this year and the Fiji Corrections Service attributed the surge in re-offending to the non-facilitation of its rehabilitation programs during the pandemic. Acting Commissioner of Corrections Senior Superintendent Salote Panapasa said the recidivism rate (the chance of a convicted criminal to reoffend) increased to 1.7 per cent from the 1.3...
