Bula vinaka everyone
It’s the end of another weekend and as we count down the hours to the start of another work-week, we wish you the very best wherever you are. Stay well and stay safe.
CASH PRIZES
Want to win cash? You can be one of the 20 readers who will get a chance to win cash this month with The Fiji Times. We are celebrating our 152nd year anniversary and we are giving you an opportunity to be one of the 20 readers.
All you have to do is cut out the masthead of The Fiji Times, write your name, address and a phone number on it, and place this in a bin at a participating store near you. Turn to Page 11 for details.
HEADLINES
Here are some stories that made the headlines in the Fiji Times’ edition for Monday, October 25.
PAGE 1
Aussies keen to visit Fiji
AS borders prepare to open next month, thousands of Australians have expressed a keen interest to holiday in Fiji. To meet the expected demand Australian carriers Qantas and Jetstar announced plans to resume flights to Nadi International Airport earlier than expected. Qantas announced four return flights a week from December 7 and Jetstar said it had recorded an increase of 200 per cent in bookings as Aussies prepare to head over after months of lockdowns and movement restrictions.
# This report continues on Page 3.
PAGE 2
‘Peer review’ tender
GOVERNMENT has called a tender for the “peer review” of the incomplete $12.6 million dollar swimming pool at the Lautoka’s botanical garden. The successful company will need to evaluate the work undertaken by the contractors and provide an assessment of all works carried out for the Lautoka Swimming Pool Project and of any outstanding monies payable to any party.
PAGE 3
Violent discipline
A SURVEY conducted to monitor the situation of women and children in Fiji has found that 80.5 per cent of children between the age of 1 and 14 years had been violently disciplined in the month prior to March-April this year. The Fiji Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2021 was designed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and collected data on a wide range of indicators for monitoring the situation of women and children in Fiji. Data was collected on protection from violence and exploitation of children in Fiji and found 80.5 per cent of children aged 1-14 years had experienced physical punishment or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past one month.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR/ LEADER – PAGES 8 AND 9
Check out interesting letters on Pages 8 and 9. The leader is on the revelation that thousands of Australians are actually looking forward to travelling to Fiji for a holiday.
PEOPLE
This ever popular section is about people. Read about: Jone Ratusivo
JONE Ratusivo has a plan. The Nasegai villager in Ravitaki wants to change the perception that Kadavu is a place where the illicit drug marijuana is grown. And he wants to do that by producing yaqona and dalo on a commercial scale. However, he has to wait until inter-island travel from Viti Levu to the outer islands opens next month. The 35-year-old father of one was in Suva when the second wave of COVID-19 hit and movement restrictions were enforced.
OPINION
The opinion for the day is about: Turn on the news these days and you’re likely to be confronted with articles about worker shortages. Nurses, cooks, construction workers, accountants, care home employees, all seem to be in demand throughout high-income countries. Despite this need, these countries currently do very little to attract migrants with vocational skills, hoping that local workers, automation, and offshoring will reduce the need.
SPORTS
The big one on the back page is about soccer.
Read about: Premier league – Ba defeats Suva
ONLINE IT Solutions Ba beat Unique Rubber Stamps Suva in a thriller by 2-1, marking their return to the Digicel Premier League and handing the Capital City side their fourth consecutive loss of the season. The match was held at the ANZ Stadium in front of a small crowd. Teenage sensation and match winner Nabil Begg, who scored his first premier League goal, was elated to nail the crucial winner.
