Subscribe
News
FJFW welcomes global fashion show producer
Vodafone Fiji Fashion Week welcomes Jarrad Clark — the biggest global fashion show producer on the international scene — who arrived in Fiji yesterday. This being his first visit back since he was a toddler,...
Tarau does her bit to fight cancer | 16-year-old spreads awareness on childhood cancer
While most 16-year-olds’ interests are centred around socialising or social media, Tarau Savou is focusing on spreading awareness on childhood cancer. And not only that, the Year 10 International School Suva student also wants to raise funds for children diagnosed and living with cancer in Fiji. Tarau said on her own initiative, she decided to...
ISMC’s India chip plan stalls after Tower-Intel deal in setback to Modi
By Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra and Jane Lanhee Lee NEW DELHI/OAKLAND, California (Reuters) – A planned $3 billion semiconductor facility in India by chip consortium ISMC that counted Israeli chipmaker Tower as a tech partner has been stalled due to the company’s ongoing takeover by Intel, three sources said, dashing India’s chip making plans. A...
Chinese agent or private eye? Ex-NY cop’s ‘Fox Hunt’ trial kicks off
By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) – A former New York City police sergeant charged with acting as an illegal Chinese agent for allegedly intimidating a U.S.-based fugitive from China went on trial on Wednesday and argued he did not know that country’s government was behind a private surveillance job he took. Federal prosecutors in...
Walmart is raising wages for pharmacists, opticians in healthcare push
By Siddharth Cavale BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Reuters) – Walmart is raising wages for thousands of U.S. pharmacists and opticians, the retailer said on Wednesday, part of its broader plan to expand primary care services across the country. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based chain said about 3,700 pharmacists would get a bump in pay starting on Wednesday, bringing their...
Murder accused to stand trial in 2024
Alleged high seas murder accused Tevita Qaqa Kapawale will stand trial starting May 20, 2024. The matter was called before High Court judge Justice Daniel Goundar in the High Court at Suva yesterday. State prosecutor Eoghn Samisoni asked the court if two weeks could be set aside for the trial. Justice Goundar said the court...
TISI Sangam books meet date
After a hiatus of seven years, the Then India Sanmarga Ikya Sangam (TISI Sangam Fiji) will hold its annual general meeting on June 11 in Nadi. Police had to intervene and cancel the last AGM on August 28, 2016, after violence broke out amongst members. The aftermath led to a lengthy court battle with the...
Motion to visit victim | Magistrate rejects trio’s request
The Labasa Magistrate’s Court heard that three people, who allegedly assaulted a woman which led to her death, had filed a motion to visit the deceased while she was being kept in the mortuary. The three, Sairusi Maqosa, 39, a fisherman and the victim’s husband, Akuila Matawaqa, 38, also a fisherman and his wife Emaly...
Senegal president promises fair election as tensions simmer
DAKAR (Reuters) – Senegal’s President Macky Sall on Wednesday said his government would ensure peaceful, free and transparent elections next year following weeks of fresh opposition unrest over fears he might run for a third term and sideline a key rival. Sporadic violent protests have broken out across Senegal since opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was...
White House announces new military aid package for Ukraine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday announced the latest in a series of aid packages for Ukraine that includes up to $300 million worth of air defense systems, ammunition and other defense equipment. The security assistance package represents the 39th drawdown of equipment from the Department of Defense inventories, the Pentagon said. The...
European Film Festival launched
Residents of Lautoka will have a unique opportunity next weekend to experience European art, film and culture following the launch of the second European Film Festival this morning. European films will be screened at Damodar City cinemas, Village 6 in Suva, and Village 4 in Lautoka. More on this story in tomorrow’s The Fiji Times.
North Korea satellite plunges in sea in ‘rushed’ failure, more launches expected
By Hyonhee Shin and Chang-Ran Kim SEOUL/TOKYO (Reuters) – A North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, sending the booster and payload plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said, and the South’s military said it had recovered parts of the launch vehicle. The new “Chollima-1” satellite launch rocket failed because of...
High Court to rule on A-G’s application
The High Court is expected to rule on an application by the Attorney-General to strike out an application for leave to apply for judicial review by a dropped provisional candidate from the 2022 General Election. Seremaia Tuiteci filed the application for leave for judicial review after his hopes for candidacy was dashed by the Electoral...
Scientists expand search for signs of intelligent alien life
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have expanded the search for technologically advanced extraterrestrial civilizations by monitoring a star-dense region toward the core of our galaxy for a type of signal that could be produced by potential intelligent aliens that until now has been ignored. Efforts to detect alien technological signatures previously have focused...
11 PS appointments made
Public Service Commission (PSC) chair Luke Rokovada yesterday announced 11 permanent secretary appointments. He said the appointments were done with the agreement of Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. “With these announcements, all permanent secretaries are Fijian nationals which is a testament to Fiji’s expanding talent pool and the civil service’s success in attracting outstanding applicants,” Mr...
$400k to fix CWMH theatres
Only six of the eight operating theatres at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) are operational and the Health Ministry needs $400,000 to fix the two that are not working. Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong said this at a media conference during World No Tobacco Day celebrations in Suva yesterday. He said a...
Look at issue in context, says A-G
Attorney-General Siromi Turaga says people bemoaning the appointment of women to institutions like the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) need to look at the issue in context. He also said criticism about the lack of women in the judiciary were not reflected in the number of females in the various offices. “First and foremost, GCC...
Ditoka queries $30m facility
IS this the best bank for the buck? Rural and Maritime Development Minister Sakiasi Ditoka asked this of the $30 million Navosa Sub-divisional Hospital in Keyasi built by the FijiFirst government. In an interview on The Fiji Times online news portal The Lens @ 177, he questioned the need for spending taxpayer dollars on the...
Indonesia, Malaysia freeze trade talks with EU over palm oil
(Reuters) – Indonesia and Malaysia will delay trade talks with the European Union (EU) while they seek fairer treatment for small palm oil producers, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said the EU’s recently adopted law banning the import of products that come from land cleared of forests was...
Dr Fong on $30m Keyasi Hospital | We had to follow policy
Many of those working in the Health Ministry sympathise with comments made by Rural and Maritime Development Minister Sakiasi Ditoka regarding Navosa Sub-divisional Hospital in Keyasi. Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong said this in response to queries from this newspaper in relation to Mr Ditoka’s comments about the hospital. Mr Ditoka questioned the...
New Zealand working to update surrogacy laws to make process easier
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The New Zealand government will update the country’s surrogacy law to make the process easier and less discriminatory, New Zealand’s Justice Minister Kiri Allan said late on Tuesday. “Surrogacy has become an established method of forming a family for people unable to carry a child themselves. However, the laws that apply to...
Promotions not only linked to higher ranks: Chew
Promotions within the Fiji Police Force are not only linked to higher ranks, but increased levels of accountability. Acting Commissioner of Police, Juki Fong Chew noted this whilst opening the one-month Inspector and Corporal Qualifying courses on Tuesday. “Promotions while it equates to better perks and more take home pay, I do hope that it...
Despite world-beating growth, India’s lack of jobs threatens its young
MUMBAI (Reuters) – On a hot summer afternoon, 23-year old Nizamudin Abdul Rahim Khan is playing cricket on a muddy, unpaved road in the Rafiq Nagar slum in India’s financial capital, Mumbai. Here, there is scant evidence of India’s fast-growing economy. Bordering what was once Asia’s largest garbage dumping ground, Rafiq Nagar and surrounding areas...
From the Editor-in-Chief’s desk: Your June 1 briefing
Bula HEALTH Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong believes many people working in the ministry sympathised with the Rural and Maritime Development Minister Sakiasi Ditoka’s comments questioning the construction of the $30 million Keyasi Sub-divisional Hospital under the FijiFirst administration. However, he said civil servants “work with whatever policy the government of the day rolls...
Records on in-shore fisheries space limited
Current records of fish and populations in the in-shore fisheries space are limited to only about 210 of the 410 iqoliqoli (traditional fishing grounds) in Fiji. Ministry of Fisheries and Forestry permanent secretary Atelaite Rokosuka said this while speaking to the media during the launch of the Blue Prosperity Fiji (BPF) expedition at the Royal...
Australia’s Indigenous recognition bill passes first hurdle
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Legislation to hold a referendum to recognise Australia’s Indigenous people in the constitution cleared its first parliamentary hurdle on Wednesday as it was passed in the House of Representatives. Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum, likely to be held between October and December, on whether they support altering the...
Child rights organisation commend court’s decision
Child rights organisation Save the Children Fiji has called on families, particularly adults, to do better in the protection of their children. The increasing prevalence of child rape in Fiji and noted to be reaching “epidemic proportions” has brought the issue of children’s safety and security to the fore, and strong calls to parents and...
It’s a matter of survival – Ravu
“It is our survival.” This is what Minister for Fisheries Kalaveti Ravu said the work of the Blue Prosperity Fiji scientific expedition was about while sending the expedition crew off at the Royal Suva Yacht Club last Monday. The program is a Government- led initiative which aims to paint a better picture of the health...
Bangladesh to ratify ship recycling convention in June
DHAKA (Reuters) – Bangladesh is set to ratify an international convention in early June on recycling ships aimed at increasing safety and environmental standards, a senior official told Reuters. “We expect the first week of June for the official declaration,” said Mamunur Rashid, a deputy secretary with the Ministry of Industries, who said Bangladesh is...
What’s happening today!
WHT June 01 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 most places Isolated thunderstorms and heavy falls likely Moderate to fresh easterly winds Moderate to rough seas General information...
