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19th February
Nigerian candidate says delayed presidential vote could be compromised
ABUJA (Reuters) – While most Nigerians took the delay in a presidential election in their stride on Sunday, after similar postponements in 2011 and 2015, one presidential candidate and civil society groups expressed concern that...
$402.1m assets
THE gross loan portfolio for the Fiji Development Bank stood at $438.09 million during 2017, a growth of $62.58m compared with the same period the previous year. FDB chief executive officer Mark Clough said the bank’s operating income for the 2017 financial year was $24.52m against a total operating expense of $12.36m. Making a submission...
Company records $117k profit
WHILE there has been a decline in the world market price of coconut oil from $US1400 ($F2973) TO $US700 ($F1486) the Copra Millers of Fiji Ltd has noted an increase in demand for virgin coconut oil. Company general manager John Deo said the virgin coconut oil demand had picked and they were selling all locally...
Haiti vows to trim expenses and investigate PetroCaribe amid protests
SANTO DOMINGO (Reuters) – The Haitian government vowed to deepen the investigation into alleged corruption in the PetroCaribe oil program and to reduce its expenses, seeking to meet some of protestors’ demands as demonstrations roil the country. During a televised address on Saturday night, Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant announced nine measures aimed at alleviating the...
Villagers take extreme measures to deal with yaqona theft
TWO villages in the province of Cakaudrove have taken extreme measures to address the theft of yaqona by imposing a five-year ban on anyone from the village found guilty of stealing. The villagers of Mataikoro and Bagasau in the district of Nakobo have taken it upon themselves to address the issue of yaqona theft in...
Bulgaria’s largest opposition party votes to quit parliament
SOFIA (Reuters) – Lawmakers from Bulgaria’s opposition Socialist Party (BSP) are leaving parliament for an unspecified period, saying fair elections could not be guaranteed following recent Election Code amendments. As the Socialists control 79 of the 240 seats in parliament, the move, approved by BSP’s national council on Saturday, could lead to numbers in parliament more...
Spring Festival celebrations
THE Chinese Spring Festival was celebrated with lots of entertainment for people of different ages gathered at the Suva Civic Centre last night. Speaking at the event, Chinese ambassador to Fiji Qian Bo thanked the President Jioji Konrote for his presence at the celebrations. Mr Qian said Mr Konrote’s presence demonstrated Fiji’s support and relations...
PM’s decision to attend Pacific leaders meet marked as a significant turnaround
PRIME Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s decision to attend the 50th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting marks a significant turnaround for Fiji after he declared ten years ago that he wouldn’t attend the regional meeting because of Australia and New Zealand says academic Associate Professor Sandra Tarte. Ms Tarte is the head of school and director for...
Split with Bajin not over money: Osaka
(Reuters) – World number one Naomi Osaka was adamant that her shock split with coach Sascha Bajin had nothing to do with money but it was because she was determined that her career would not be about putting “success over happiness”. The German had guided the Japanese player to back-to-back Grand Slam titles as well...
Parliament staff reminded of the important role they play
THE Fijian Parliament staff were reminded on the uniqueness of working in Parliament and also the important role they play in providing critical services to the Members of Parliament. While speaking at the first briefing of the Department of Legislature’s Heads of Units this morning, Speaker of Parliament, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau said the Office of...
Facebook needs independent ethical oversight: UK lawmakers
LONDON (Reuters) – Facebook and other big tech companies should be subject to a compulsory code of ethics to tackle the spread of fake news, the abuse of users’ data and the bullying of smaller firms, British lawmakers said on Monday. In a damning report that singled out Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg for what...
‘Queen’ with many roles
EDUCATION may provide you with a qualification but it will not make you an honest and dedicated person in life. That is what Ranadi Meri believes in. The mother of five didn’t go far in her studies but her devotion is what makes her a respected member of Nabalesere Village in Ra. She is the...
Australia says foreign government behind cyber attack on lawmakers
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A cyber attack on Australian lawmakers that breached the networks of major political parties was probably carried out by a foreign country, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, without naming any suspects. As Australia heads for an election due by May, lawmakers were told this month told to urgently change their...
Germany warns it will stop extradition of its citizens to UK after Brexit: FT
(Reuters) – Berlin will stop extraditing Germans to Britain immediately after Brexit even if it leaves the European Union with a deal, the Financial Times reported on.ft.com/2DPMBED on Sunday, citing a formal notification submitted by Germany to the European Commission last week. The notification cites concerns faced by Britain and the EU in maintaining their security cooperation...
Saudi crown prince begins Asia tour with $20 billion Pakistan investment pledge
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday said Saudi Arabia has signed investment agreements worth $20 billion during his high-profile visit to Pakistan, where tensions were flaring up with nuclear-armed rival India. Kicking off his tour of South Asia and China with a far higher Pakistan investment than expected, the crown prince...
Venezuela denies EU lawmakers entry given ‘conspiratorial motives’
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela denied a group of European Parliament deputies entry into the country on Sunday, arguing they had “conspiratorial motives” for flying to Caracas in the throes of a political crisis. The European Parliament last month joined a slew of Western nations in recognizing Venezuelan opposition chief Juan Guaido as interim head of...
Exclusive: U.S. blocks North Korean air traffic revival ahead of Trump-Kim summit – sources
MONTREAL/SEOUL (Reuters) – The United States has blocked efforts by a U.N. agency to improve civil aviation in North Korea at a time when Pyongyang is trying to reopen part of its airspace to foreign flights, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. move is part of a negotiating tactic to maintain...
Man accused of raping two boys pleads not guilty
A 27-YEAR-OLD man charged for the alleged rape of two boys in his settlement pleaded not guilty to all the charges before the High Court in Suva today. The man is charged with three counts of sexual assault, three counts of rape and three counts of attempt to commit rape. It is alleged that he...
18th February
Paramount Group in talks to develop Africa’s defense industry
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – South African defense company Paramount Group expects to sign agreements with four African governments this year to set up production facilities in their countries, its chairman said on Sunday. Paramount, Africa’s largest privately owned defense firm, has established manufacturing capabilities to meet demand from specific domestic markets before, including in India,...
OFC Champions League: Ba aim for quarters
THE Ba football side is aware of the tough task on hand when they kick start its OFC Champions League campaign this Saturday. Teams’ Technical Advisor Shalen Lal said the side is aware of the task and are raring to go. “Yes, it is a tough pool we are in. But our aim is to...
Timeline: The rise and fall of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
(Reuters) – Islamic State faces the total defeat of its self-proclaimed caliphate. This timeline chronicles its lightning rise, cruel reign and stubborn fall. ** 2004-11 – In the chaos following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, an al-Qaeda offshoot sets up there, changing its name in 2006 to Islamic State in Iraq. ** 2011 –...
Youth league kicks off this weekend
THE Southern zone Vodafone Under-16 Youth League kick starts this weekend. In matches at the Fiji FA Academy Grounds, Nasinu plays Rewa at 10am, Northland Tailevu plays Tailevu Naitasiri at 12pm while Suva battles Navua at 2pm. In the western division, Rakiraki plays Tavua at 12pm at the FSC Ground in Rakiraki, Nadi battles Nadroga...
Pacific delegates to attend Pacific Ending Childhood Obesity forum
AROUND 45 participants, including representatives from 17 Pacific Island Countries and territories, technical agencies, and academics from regional Universities, development partners and civil society representatives will be attending the forum for Pacific Ending Childhood Obesity (Pacific ECHO) Network. According to a statement by the Fiji National University (FNU) the two-day forum which begins tomorrow, February...
IS ‘caliphate’ on brink of defeat in Syria as Trump urges Europe to do more
NEAR BAGHOUZ, Syria (Reuters) – U.S.-backed fighters in Syria are poised to capture Islamic State’s last, tiny enclave on the Euphrates, the battle commander said on Saturday, bringing its self-declared caliphate to the brink of total defeat as U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of “100 percent victory”. Jiya Furat said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)...
Polish PM cancels trip to Israel in wake of comments on Poles in Holocaust
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s prime minister has canceled a trip to Israel in the wake of reported remarks made by his Israeli counterpart suggesting Polish complicity during the Holocaust, an aide in his office told Polish media on Sunday. A government spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki would not attend the summit...
NZ, Fiji military personnel hold peacekeeping operations seminar
THE New Zealand Defense Force and the Republic of the Fiji Military Force have recognised that simply doing peacekeeping was not enough however thoughtful and intellectual discussion must also be part of the wider step-up to meet the challenges. New Zealand Defence Adviser to Fiji and Tonga Lieutenant Colonel Josh Wineera during a contemporary peacekeeping...
WAF provides developments and plans at customer forums
THE Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) will be holding customer forums in the Western Division this Thursday, February 21, 2019 at the Tanoa Waterfront Hotel and next week Thursday, February, 27, 2019 at the Hotel Takia Conference Room. WAF General Manager Customer Services and Acting General Manager Operations, Sekove Uluinayau while opening the customer forum...
Iran’s Zarif accuses Israel, U.S. of seeking war
MUNICH (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister on Sunday accused Israel of looking for war and warned that its actions and those of the United States were increasing the chances of a clash in the region. Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Mohammad Javad Zarif, also criticized the U.S. administration after Vice President Mike Pence this week...
Trump policies unite allies against him at European security forum
MUNICH (Reuters) – In 2009, then U.S. Vice President Joe Biden came to Munich to “press the reset button” with Russia. A decade later he came again to offer the world better relations, this time with his own country. Promising that “America will be back” once Donald Trump leaves office, Biden won a standing ovation...
Litterbug caught red-handed and likely to be charged
A MAN was taken in for questioning for throwing rubbish along the Colo-i-Suva Forest Park last Friday. A Government statement issued this afternoon says a Ministry of Forestry official caught a man with a truck, registration number EE:253 throwing rubbish along the Colo-i-Suva Forest Park and the police was immediately alerted taking the man was...
