Bula!
As we head into the weekend, here are some headlines in the bumper Saturday edition – March 13, 2021.
NEWS:
PAGE 1:
Police Bill 2020
A PUBLIC consultation for the Draft Police Bill 2020 will be held in Levuka on Monday. Roko Tui Lomaiviti Vinaya Namudu said the Lomaiviti Provincial Council will host the event, which will begin at 10am at the council’s conference room.
FRA approves march
MEANWHILE, the Fiji Roads Authority has granted temporary approval to businessman Ben Padarath for the use of Rodwell Rd and Victoria Parade on Saturday, March 20, for a march to create awareness on the proposed Bill. The FRA said it had no objection to the request but the use of the road was subject to a number of conditions — one of which approval “be obtained from the Fiji Police Force prior to the event”.
PAGE 2:
Scientific evidence
HEALTH Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong says Fiji only works on proven scientific evidence and not social media rumours in regards to the COVID-19 vaccine. He made the comment in response to a question from The Fiji Times on how some Fijians were hesitant to receive the AstraZeneca jab.
Anti-vaxxers
ANTI-VAXXERS are not enemies of the state, says Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong. “We consider them as people who would require some extra level of explanation and understanding.” he said.
PAGE 3:
Jovesa Naisua
DESPITE covering numerous disasters in his six years at The Fiji Times, nothing prepared Jovesa Naisua for the devastation and destruction caused by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa on Kia Island. Moved by what he had witnessed, the 27-year-old photojournalist captured an image of a child trying to stay afloat in waters off the island, as the carnage left behind by the Category 5 storm lay scattered in the background.
Violence in schools
SEVEN secondary school students and a teacher were taken into police custody after a public confrontation outside a supermarket in Nabua, Suva yesterday. The incident marks another highly troubling picture of violence in schools and among students in recent weeks.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
We have seven pages brimming with letters from around the country. These are from writers with their opinions on various issues.
PEOPLE:
Maata Kalokalonniceva
In the ever-popular People column, read about a woman who took a chance and never looked back. When Maata Kalokaloniceva left her village of Levuka-i-Gau to look for work on Viti Levu in 2003, she did not know where life would take her. But the 38-year-old mother of five said she moved in faith, with the knowledge that God was guiding her every step.
FEATURES/OPINIONS:
Professor BIMAN PRASAD:
Good Samaritan
TWO days ago, a good Samaritan forwarded confirmation of payment of 50 per cent of fees for this year of a first year student entering the MBBS program at Fiji National University. I know this because the good Samaritan, who doesn’t want his identity revealed, is an NFP stalwart, who held office in the short-lived NFP/FLP Coalition Government of 1987. He has offered to pay the tuition fees of an exceptionally bright student with an extra-ordinary grade point average (GPA). But why does the student have to turn to him for help?
GRAHAM LEUNG:
Fiji’s military
FIJI’S military has had a proud, long and largely honourable history which goes back even to the paramilitary force that supported the pre-colonial government of Ratu Seru Cakobau. A total of 700 men left Fiji for active service with the Allies during World War I. In the same war the great Fijian leader Ratu Sukuna enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. He was wounded in battle. For his bravery in war, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre, given to individuals who distinguish themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with the enemy.
PRASHNEEL GOUNDAR:
Loved ones
WE seldom think about losing our loved ones. No one wishes to imagine a life without their parents, siblings, spouse or children but these are the inevitable realities of life.
MAHENDRA CHAUDHRY:
Aura of fear
THE Draft Police Bill 2020 has to be seen as the culmination of a series of recent developments that have trampled on the individual rights and freedoms of our people. It has created an aura of fear and apprehension and has been strongly condemned by members of civil society, opposition political parties as well as members of the public.
STEPHANIE DATT:
AstraZeneca vaccine
WHEN I type in AstraZeneca vaccine into my search engine, Google shows me 115,000,000 results in 0.65 seconds. So much information in the blink of an eye. I don’t have the time nor the inclination to sift through a million, let alone 20 articles, so how am I going to choose who influences my opinion today?
Dr ROMIKA LATA:
Gallstones
GALLSTONES are pieces of solid material that form in your gallbladder, a small organ under your liver. The medical term for it is cholelithiasis. The gallbladder stores and releases bile, a fluid made in the liver, to help in digestion. Bile also carries wastes like cholesterol and bilirubin, which your body makes when it breaks down red blood cells. These things can form gallstones.
AJAY BHAI AMRIT:
IWD
BULA readers, International Women’s Day was marked on Monday, March 8 and it was a joyous moment to see how many people celebrated and commemorated such an important and worthy date in the yearly calendar. Unfortunately, it can seem quite depressing at times knowing that Fiji has one of the highest rates of sexual violence and domestic violence against women and children in the world.
ILAITIA B TUISAWAU:
Mass-hacked
GLOBALLY, in the last couple of weeks, hundreds of thousands of organisations running Microsoft Exchange email servers just got mass-hacked, including at least 30,000 victims in the US. Each hacked server has been retrofitted with a “web shell” backdoor that gives the hackers total, remote control, the ability to read all email, and easy access to the victim’s other computers.
CAT ADORA:
Hydration
Hydration is essential — pure water is the vital element our bodies demand and for our brains to thrive at optimal levels of clarity, and alertness. Pure water sources are all around us. Constant ongoing hydration can be as easy as the food you choose to eat. Raw living life force nature foods are one of the fastest most effective ways to achieve a higher level of hydration.
PROPERTY GUIDE/ MOTORING:
There’s a lot of information for those interested in homes and cars.
SPORTS:
Records broken
EIGHT new records were set during the two days of competition at the 2021 Coca-Cola Lomaiviti Zone meet held at Nasau Park in Levuka.
There’s a lot more to read inside.
We have covered a range of sports from rugby union, league, soccer schools athletics and much more.
You have to get a copy though to know what we talking about.
Happy reading, and we hope you have a great weekend!
