Taveuni Palms Resort wins 2019 luxury award

FSC ordered to reinstate worker

THE Employment Tribunal has ordered the Fiji Sugar Corporation to reinstate its former procurement manager without loss of any income or benefits. Pranil Datt was sent on leave on October 2, 2017, and was informed two weeks later that his services were no longer required. “He was not given any letter at the time,” magistrate...

Calls to inspect wooden power poles for termite infestation

ENERGY Fiji Ltd has been asked to check if its wooden power poles in Lautoka have been infested with termites. Concerned residents living in Lovu, a community located just outside the city, said they believed termites had taken over the EFL power posts that run in the residential area. “Termites damage the inside part and...

FRA issues final notice to shipping company

THE Fiji Roads Authority has given Patterson Brothers Shipping Ltd until 8am today to remove its boats and personnel from the Ellington wharf in Rakiraki. Failure to do so will result in the FRA seeking the assistance of police to remove or have personnel of the shipping company arrested for alleged trespass. In a letter...

FSC boss informs staff of ‘realignment’ at HQ

FIJI Sugar Corporation CEO Graham Clark has informed his staff of a “realignment” at the head office. The announcement in an email correspondence formalises the redundancy of the general manager corporate services, head of strategic communications, fleet manager and sales manager. “These changes are implemented to ensure the corporation continues to provide top-tier service to...

Fiji to cease importation and use of paraquat from 2020

IMPORTATION and use of paraquat will cease from January next year. Minister for Agriculture Dr Mahendra Reddy said the ban was issued after various research and tests were done. He said the ministry had also been informed that paraquat had contributed to many suicidal deaths in the country. “We have been doing our tests and...

Labour challenge

FIJI and other Pacific Island Countries are facing significant challenges in the labour market which mainly involves the youths. On one side of the coin, the region has very high youth unemployment rate while on the flipside there is a huge shortage of skilled people. This was revealed by Prof Satish Chand from the University...

$30.30 million revenue for local enterprise

THE Rice Company of Fiji Ltd is forecasting lower sales volume in the backdrop of overall slowdown and increased competition on the rice production front. Company chairman Gary Callaghan however said they were constantly looking for opportunities to ride the growth cycle despite increased competition locally. The company released its 2019 annual report which showed...

Bank aims to make home loans accessible for clients

THE only local bank in the country has reduced its home loan rate from 7.5 per cent to 6.99 per cent. HFC Bank’s retail banking manager Tony Ram there has been a steady growth for the past few years. He said the fixed rate for 12 months was 4.5 per cent which was very competitive...

Fiji Airways- Finnair enter new codeshare partnership

FIJI Airways and Finland’s national airline Finnair have agreed on a new codeshare partnership. Finnair’s AY code will be added to Fiji Airways flights Nadi into to Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo and Narita. Fiji Airways’ FJ code will be added to Finnair’s flights to Helsinki from Singapore. The new codeshare partnership between Nadi and...

Price reduction for LPG products effective from next week

THE price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products will drop from Tuesday next week, according to the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC). The commission stated that the following new LPG prices will come into effect from October 15. 4.5 kg cylinder from $13.46 to $11.84, a decrease of $1.62; 12 kg cylinder from $35.89...

Shandil: Don’t expect special favours from council

DONORS cannot expect special favours from the Consumer Council of Fiji when it comes to consumer rights issues, according to CEO Seema Shandil. Ms Shandil stated this during the council’s submission to the parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts on its 2016-2017 audit report in Suva today. “Right from the beginning, they (donors) are told...

Facebook’s Zuckerberg to testify before U.S. House panel on Oct 23

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg will testify before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee on Oct. 23 as the social media company faces growing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over a planned cryptocurrency and other issues including advertising policies. Zuckerberg will testify at a hearing titled “An Examination of Facebook and Its Impact...

American Airlines cancels 737 MAX flights until Jan. 16

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – American Airlines Group Inc on Wednesday extended cancellations of Boeing 737 MAX flights through Jan. 15, running contrary to the U.S. planemaker’s promises that the grounded jets would be flying again before the year-end. The largest U.S. airline, which had previously canceled about 140 flights a day through Dec. 3, upped its...

Shell urges collaboration with other industries to tackle emissions

LONDON (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell’s chief executive took aim beyond the energy sector to call on leaders of other industries including aviation, shipping and steel to jointly draw up plans to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. Ben van Beurden also warned on Wednesday that energy companies that do not collaborate in the fight against climate...

Fix mills first, says farmer

“WE can produce more than two million tonnes of sugar cane but all we ask is for the mills to be fixed first.” This was the plea of prominent sugarcane farmer Jain Kumar to Fiji Sugar Corporation executives in Lautoka this week. “If you are a truck driver and you have to wait for 24...

Council confident of final cane payment for 2018

THE Sugar Cane Growers Council says it is confident the final payment to make up the $85 per tonne guaranteed cane price for the 2018 season would be paid by the Fiji Sugar Corporation before the end of this month. Council CEO Sundresh Chetty has reassured farmers and stakeholders that despite negative comments about the...

Jury says J&J must pay $8 billion in case over male breast growth linked to Risperdal

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson <JNJ.N> must pay $8 billion in punitive damages to a man who previously won $680,000 over his claims that it failed to warn that young men using its antipsychotic drug Risperdal could grow breasts, a Philadelphia jury said on Tuesday. The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas jury’s verdict...

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