News
9th December
150th anniversary: Suva’s era of brass bands
IN the early days of Suva, there was an organisation in town called the Good Templars, whose main objective was enlightening people on a lifestyle free from alcohol and drugs. In the year 1888, the...
The Miller legacy
THE Miller family name has spread throughout Fiji, gaining fame through the various islands settled by the descendants of William Henry Miller and DH Miller. WH Miller and DH Miller are close relations who arrived into Fiji from Bath in England — settling in the thriving town of Levuka which was the pioneer trade centre...
Market vendors grateful for assistance
Vijay Kumaran, 49, and Murgessan, 54, of Raviravi, Ba now have their own improved roadside stalls. The vendors received the assistance from government. The pair have been selling fruits and vegetables along the roadside in a makeshift shelter for more than two decades. According to Mr Kumaran the stalls had enough space for them to...
Bankrupt PG&E reaches $13.5 billion settlement with California wildfire victims
(Reuters) – California’s bankrupt power producer PG&E Corp (PCG.N) said on Friday it had reached a $13.5 billion settlement with victims of some of most devastating wildfires in the state’s modern history. The agreement helps smooth the way for the beleaguered company to emerge from bankruptcy. It filed for Chapter 11 protection in January, citing...
Amazon CEO says wants to work more with Pentagon
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos said it would support the U.S. Department of Defense as technology companies vie for more defense contracts and the Pentagon seeks to modernize itself. “We are going to support the Department of Defense, this country is important,” Bezos said at an annual defense forum at...
Post mortem to ascertain cause of death
A POST mortem examination will be conducted to ascertain cause of death of an eight-year-old boy was found motionless by his brothers in Solovi, Nadi on Friday night. Police confirmed the case has been investigated as an alleged suicide. Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the matter was reported to Police by health officials from the...
Tesla boss Elon Musk wins defamation trial over his ‘pedo guy’ tweet
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Tesla Inc boss Elon Musk emerged victorious on Friday from a closely watched defamation trial as a federal court jury swiftly rejected the $190 million claim brought against him by a British cave explorer who Musk had branded a “pedo guy” on Twitter. The unanimous verdict by a panel of five...
‘Evil trend is threatening our way of life’
AN evil trend is threatening our way of life and the existence and purity of the foundations of Fijian communities and families. Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa made the comments while officiating at the iTaukei Affairs Board (TAB) and Provincial Council 4th Awards Night in Suva on Friday night. Mrs Vuniwaqa...
Peloton ‘wife’ pops up in new advertisement
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The actress who appeared in a widely criticized Christmas advertisement for exercise bike maker Peloton Interactive Inc has a new role selling gin for actor Ryan Reynolds. The tongue-in-cheek video advertisement for Aviation American Gin, tweeted by Reynolds on Friday, already has more than 5 million views. People Magazine and other...
‘Demand for aged-care workers’
FIJI has a demand for aged-care workers. Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations Parveen Kumar made the comments in Nadi on Friday night at the graduation of 43 caregivers. Twenty of the graduates obtained certificates and 23 graduated with Diploma in Live-in Caregivers from the Nadi based Care-givers Training Institute. Mr Kumar said more caregivers...
Wall Street Week Ahead: Tariff deadline keeps focus on trade as 2019 draws to close
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The stock market looks set to end 2019 the way it began the year — highly sensitive to headlines from President Donald Trump’s global trade war. Stocks pulled back from record highs to start December, undermined by comments from Trump and others in his administration suggesting any deal to resolve the...
8th December
Indian rape victim dies in hospital after being set ablaze
UNNAO, India (Reuters) – A 23-year-old rape victim set on fire by a gang of men, which included her alleged rapists, has died in a New Delhi hospital, prompting protests from opposition leaders who blamed the ruling party for failing to check incidents of violence against women. The woman was on her way to board...
SPBD assistance helps mum
SINGLE mum, Melaia Kawaicei, 40, wasn’t able to afford a proper bed for her three children due to financial problems. But through the assistance of South Pacific Business Development (SPBD), she was able to purchase a new bed for her children from income earned, selling basic food items in the village of Vorovoro, Tailevu. “For...
Police investigates alleged suicide case
NADI Police are investigating a case of an alleged suicide where the victim is an 8 year old child. The matter was reported to Police by health officials from the Nadi Hospital after the victim was brought to the hospital on Friday night. The alleged incident occurred at Solovi in Nadi. The victim was playing...
Ericsson to pay over $1 billion to resolve U.S. corruption probes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Swedish mobile telecoms company Ericsson (ERICb.ST) has agreed to pay over $1 billion to resolve probes into corruption, including the bribing of government officials, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday. The bribery took place over many years in countries including China, Vietnam and Djibouti, the department said. The total charges...
Search for toddler continues
THE search for the 3year old child continues who allegedly disappeared from her home in Kalekana settlement, outside Lami last weekend. According to Police, investigators continue to question family members and neighbours regarding the circumstances surrounding the child’s disappearance. Reports that the dress the child was last seen wearing was found by family members are...
Pot issue generates huge interests
ATTORNEY-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says Fijians have a very shallow understanding of the use of marijuana and there is a need to understand this kind of social issues to ensure we are on the same page with what is happening with the rest of the world. He noted this while closing the...
Inmate display works on art
FIJI is the second country this year after Israel to organise an art exhibition and fashion show featuring and displaying works produced by women inmates from their corrections facilities. This was highlighted by President Jioji Konrote at the opening of the “Christmas Vakaviti” Art Exhibition Yellow Ribbon Project 2019 at the Tagimoucia Gallery in Walu...
Rocket hits Iraqi cleric’s home following deadly Baghdad attack
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A rocket fired from a drone targeted the home of populist Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday, lawmakers from his Saeroon party said, following one of the capital’s bloodiest nights in recent weeks. The drone attack, which caused little damage and left no casualties, followed a deadly attack by armed men near...
Knife-edge? UK’s Johnson ahead but polls suggest majority might be tough
LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson is heading into Britain’s election next week with a lead in opinion polls, but some of the surveys also suggest that his chance of winning a parliamentary majority could be too close to call. Four opinion polls published on Saturday put the lead of Johnson’s Conservative Party over...
Two people charged for alleged interference
TWO people have been charged for allegedly interfering with the work of police officers in Nausori last week. The two are a 24-year-old woman from Kasavu and a man from Bau, and both have been charged with one count of obstruction each. The two allegedly interfered with the work of two police officers who were...
Be aware of your children’s whereabouts, urges MP
PARENTS and guardians have been advised to be wary of their children’s whereabouts during this school holidays. Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa said parents needed to know what their children were doing and whose company they were in at all times. Mrs Vuniwaqa has also reminded parents and guardians that they...
PM hails climate warriors
YOUNG Pacific climate warriors are among our most valuable champions for the cause of climate action. This was reiterated by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at the high-level talanoa with Pacific youths on ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in Madrid, Spain yesterday. Mr Bainimarama said his voice carried weight in these forums because he led a...
Paraquat blamed for 86pc of lives lost
EIGHTY-SIX per cent of Fiji’s suicide deaths could have been avoided if there were means of restricting access to paraquat. While acknowledging the bold step taken by the Ministry of Agriculture to ban the weedicide from being imported into the country, Dr Odille Chang told more than 470 participants at the 21st Attorney-General’s Conference that...
450 suicide deaths between 2014-17
FIJI recorded a total of 450 suicide deaths in a three-year period from 2014 to 2017. The shocking statistics were revealed at the 21st Attorney-General’s Conference by Dr Odille Chang, the associate professor head of school of medical services at the Fiji National University. While presenting on the topic, “Are you well? Right to health”,...
700 Fijian soldiers in Middle East
SEVEN hundred Fijian soldiers are currently serving in three different peacekeeping engagements across the Middle East. This has been confirmed by Republic of the Fiji Military Forces Deputy Commander Brigadier-General Mohammed Aziz. The peacekeeping engagements are Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Sinai, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria and the United Nations...
In East Hartford, a new effort to help workers left behind
EAST HARTFORD, Conn (Reuters) – For the first time in a while, Diomedes Dilone is earning enough money that he can afford to take the weekends off. Until February, Dilone was waking up at 3 a.m. to drive for Uber, but the money wasn’t enough to cover his bills. The Navy veteran and married father...
Trump takes aim at trickle-down toilets, faucets
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Friday he has directed his environmental regulators to find answers to what he said is a big problem – water-conserving showers, faucets and toilets. “We have a situation where we’re looking very strongly at sinks and showers and other elements of bathrooms,” Trump told a meeting of...
Iran deal limps on as Europeans delay sanctions blow
VIENNA (Reuters) – European powers demanded at talks on Friday that Iran stop violating their nuclear deal, but stopped short of triggering a mechanism that could renew U.N. sanctions and kill the 2015 accord, officials said. The meeting came amid heightened friction between Iran and the West. Tehran has rolled back its commitments under the...
Trump will make final call on China tariffs, likes direction of talks: Kudlow
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday that a Dec. 15 deadline is still in place to impose a new round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese consumer goods, but President Donald Trump likes where trade talks with China are going. With about a week to go before the deadline...
