3881 Fijians migrated from January-August this year

Ukraine opposes Belarus bid to lead conflict diamond organisation

By Helen Reid JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Ukraine has accused Russia of trying to push its ally Belarus to the top of an international diamond certification body to protect Moscow’s gems from being branded conflict diamonds following its invasion. Some members of the Kimberley Process, a coalition of governments, industry and civil society that certifies diamonds,...

Pavilion Energy, Mitsui O.S.K to launch LNG bunker vessel in Q1 2023

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s Pavilion Energy and Japan-based Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) said on Wednesday they would launch a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel in the first quarter of 2023, a move that would increase Singapore’s supplies of the fuel for ships. The Singapore-flagged vessel named Brassavola is 116.5 meters in length and 22...

Musk reverses course, again: he’s ready to buy Twitter, build ‘X’ app

By Anirban Sen and Tom Hals (Reuters) – Billionaire Elon Musk is proposing to proceed with his original $44 billion bid to take Twitter Inc private, security filings showed on Tuesday, calling for an end to a lawsuit by the social media company that could have forced him to pay up, whether he wanted to...

A 15-year journey

Harminder Singh came to Fiji in 2006 with his family for a vacation and decided to stay back with his family and invest in a restaurant – Maya Dhaba – in the Capital City. “My brother has a restaurant with the same name in Sydney. When we came to Fiji in 2006 we decided to...

New player joins the renewable energy sector

A new renewable energy company was recently opened in Nadi joining a group of private companies to contribute electricity to the Energy Fiji Ltd grid. Dawn Renewable Energy Ltd Company Center was opened by president Ratu Wiliame Katonivere who praised the company’s efforts to identify investment gaps in the renewable energy sector. “The opening of...

Mow appointed as the new head of secretariat

The former manager International Relations at the Fiji Revenue and Customs Services — George Mow — is now the new head of the Pacific Islands Tax Administration Association (PITAA). A press release from PITAA said Mr Mow said while he was selected by the PITAA Executive Committee, his appointment was formerly endorsed at the annual...

Business threat – $6.4m lost to cybercrimes in the past 6 years

Almost $6.4 million was lost in business email compromise scams from 2016 to 2022. This was revealed by the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) manager intelligence Esther Sue while speaking before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense in Suva yesterday. During FIU’s submission on the Budapest Convention, Ms Sue spoke about the business...

Global recognition – Tourism properties recognised as “A Great Place to Work”

Nine months after international borders reopened, Hilton properties in Fiji were recognised as “A Great Place to Work”. The international recognition came at the right time, particularly when numbers at most local tourism properties have begun soaring again and most Fijian tourism employees were being absorbed back into the workforce. Hilton, a leading global hospitality...

Joint effort to develop cyber security strategy

Cyber attacks and scams are of key concern to the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) as a number of financial institutions and members of the public can fall victim to such threats. FIU director Razim Buksh said they had a good group of stakeholders who were trained to deal with such situations. “We have had...

Unit highlights cyber scams

The Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) recorded a number of money laundering and financial scam cases during the COVID period and beyond. Speaking to members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, FIU director Razim Buksh said they had dealt with cases involving internet banking fraud, ATM skimming, email spoofing, business email compromise,...

Ambiguity of cybercrime laws a concern

Ambiguous cybercrime laws can give rise to its abuse as the interpretation of its provisions will be dependent on those who are enforcing it. This was the sentiment shared by Citizens Constitutional Forum (CCF) policy and research officer Milika Ligabalavu while presenting a submission on the Budapest Convention before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs...

Increase in lending to the real estate sector

New lending to the real estate sector rose in the year to August by 97.9 per cent, according to the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s September economic review. However the RBF highlighted that in the review period lending to the building and construction sectors dropped by 27.7 per cent in the same period. This decline was...

Bank staff volunteer for various community activities

For Westpac Fiji Community Volunteer Day is a leave day that all its staff members are entitled to giving them time to get involved and support a community group of their choice or be part of an activity organised by the bank. According to the bank this amounts to more than 4400 hours of volunteer...

Bitcoin scam

The Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) says there are currently no authorised virtual assets service providers in Fiji. It made this announcement as it warned the public of a crypto currency scam in Fiji whereby the scammers had circulated advertisements on various Viber and other social media groups using the official logo of a Government...

New investment – Cafe promotes healthy living

For Sandeep Narayn Singh, his first café ‘Tuttie Fruity’ is all about giving back to his own country. Mr Singh travelled all the way from Singapore to start a café in Fiji which promoted healthy living. Located at MHCC ground floor, the café was inaugurated on Saturday. The 44-year-old said one of the specialties of...

FIU warns Fijians of cryptocurrency scam

The Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) is warning members of the public of a current cryptocurrency scam in the country. The FIU stated those scammers had circulated advertisements on various Viber and other social media groups using theofficial logo of a government agency and staff photo. “These advertisements are fake,” FIU director Razim Buksh said....

ICAO awards Fiji

Fiji has been recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for its thorough and effective implementation of safety and oversight systems. This was shared by Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) acting CEO and controller aviation security and facilitation, Rigamoto Aisake, while submitting their Annual Report for 2020 before the Standing Committee on Social...

Export partnership: Nama Fiji set to hit NZ shelves

Premium local skincare brand Nama Fiji is set to hit the New Zealand shelves from next week following an exciting export partnership announcement by Essence Group Fiji with renowned New Zealand retail chain, Farmers. Essence Group managing director Debra Sadranu said the partnership with Farmers provided exciting opportunity for its premium skincare brand to be...

Fiji joins electric vehicle revolution

Fiji’s first fully electric taxi, owned by Vesi Taxis, was showcased this Thursday, alongside the official launch of the first local charging network to support electric vehicles (EVs). The Switch Network was conceptualised only a few months ago by Leaf Capital Pte Ltd who have sought to bring e-mobility to Fiji since they were established...

WEBC launches five-year strategic plan

Women Entrepreneurs Business Council launched their five-year strategic plan yesterday after the annual general meeting of their parent body Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation. Guest of honour, French ambassador to Fiji, François-Xavier Léger said France had made significant progress to improve gender equality and that the embassy was glad to provide support for Fiji to...

Shortage of CO2 affects beer production worldwide including Fiji

Beer producers around the world have been hit by a shortage of carbon dioxide and Fiji has not escaped unscathed with the key ingredient in short supply. Paradise Beverages said it has been “impacted” by the low supply of CO2 gas a critical component in the production of carbonated drinks including Fiji Bitter and Fiji...

National Payment System Act and Regulations effective

The National Payment System Act 2021 and Regulations 2022 have been published in the Fijian Government Gazette and are now effective. This marks a critical milestone in a broader ongoing reform program led by the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF). RBF Governor Ariff Ali said the commencement of these regulations would help modernise our financial...

VNPF to invest $7m in building embassy in Fiji

The Vanuatu National Provident Fund (VNPF) will spend $7million on the construction of the Vanuatu High Commission building in Suva. This, according to VNPF’s CEO and general manager Parmod Achary during an interview at the Ministry of Economy in Suva. “The new Vanuatu High Commission will cost around 350 million vatu which is equivalent to...

Vintage flair for city

Owner of one of Suva’s few high-end clothing boutiques is making plans to open a vintage clothing store. Director of Black Salt Holdings Ltd and owner of La Chic, Asad Khan has seen success in his apparel business in Fiji. His store, located in the Mid-City complex, sees a more refined clientele as the store...

Council welcomes removal of fees

The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) commended the BSP Financial Group Ltd for removing surcharge fees on all locally issued Visa debit cards transacting on BSP EFTPoS terminals and is calling for other financial institutions to follow suit. CCoF chief executive officer Seema Shandil said the Fijian economy was transforming into a more cashless and...

Resort announces Osborne’s appointment

The Hilton group has recently named a highly capable and engaging leader in Carey Osborne as the new cluster general manager of Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa and DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Fiji, Sonaisali Island. Area vice president and head of Australasia at Hilton Asia Pacific Paul Hutton commented that Ms Osborne has...

Company enters the energy drink market

Punjas has entered the energy drink market with the launching of Solar Power Energy Drink. In a statement, Punjas said the drink had ingredients from natural sources and gave a refreshing boost to everyday customers. “We have seen a growing demand for functional beverages within Asia Pacific and consumers are seeking alternative beverages that offer...

Positive projections – Recovery to reduce poverty from 3.7 per cent to 2.4 per cent

Recent projections by the World Bank indicate that economic recovery will reduce extreme poverty from 3.7 per cent in 2021 to 2.4 per cent in 2022. The World Bank’s latest East Asia and Pacific October 2022 Economic Update said this was still above the pre-pandemic rate of 1.3 per cent in 2019, which was also...

Fighting cybercrime: Fiji’s ability to combat cyberattacks will be enhanced – O’Connor

Fiji’s ability to combat cybercrime will be enhanced after the proposed ratification of the Budapest Convention, says Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence chair Alex O’Connor. A round of submissions was delivered before the committee by representatives of the University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji Women’s Rights Movement and the Fiji Law Society...

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