The Fiji Times

Overnight experience on popular floating property

Fiji’s newest tourist attraction, Seventh Heaven, has officially opened its exclusive overnight experience, the first of its kind for the world, located in the heart of the Mamanuca Group. A year after successfully attracting hundreds of international visitors to its $4 million floating property, guests now have an exclusive chance to spend a night, gaze...

Plea for a change | Bus company pleads for increase in school bus fare

A Nadi bus company owner is pleading for a change in the school bus fare system. In his National Budget submissions, Westbus (Nadi) Ltd managing director Ajay Kumar said Government should consider increasing bus fares. “In Fiji, the bus industry is privately owned and operated,” Mr Kumar said. “Overseas, the bus industry is operated by...

SPIA receives $1.5m mobility devices assistance

Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation successfully delivered a consignment of 40-foot mobility devices costing about $1.5 million to the Spinal Injury Association (SPIA). The hand over was the 22nd collaboration in improving the lives of individuals with spinal injuries and disabilities. The director of Vodafone ATH, Deepak Baran, said it was a must to recognise the...

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka autographs Kiwi Fijian Drua fan’s jersey

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said one of the highlights in the midst of all his high-level engagements in Wellington today was meeting ardent Fijian Drua fan, Ben Buist. “He has been following me around today asking for an autograph. Thank you Ben for your support,” the PM said in a Facebook post. “To all our...

Technical mission focuses on two key areas

Fiji and Australia share a strong and enduring bilateral relationship underpinned by the Fiji Australia Vuvale partnership. The strength of this relationship was evident during a recent visit from the Australian Taxation office (ATO) to Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS). ATO director of international relations, capacity building and transparency Gabbrielle Jackson and assistant director...

Bank’s assistance gives a significant boost to school

Nuku District School has received a significant boost to its facilities thanks to a community project by Bank South Pacific (BSP). The project, conducted by BSP’s Nausori branch, involved the construction of roofing over the walkway areas from the classrooms to the washrooms and school canteen, repairs and maintenance of the washrooms and upgrade of...

Weather watch | Trough of low pressure approaches the country from the north

A trough of low pressure with the associated clouds and showers approaches the country from the north and gradually spread to the rest of the group till later tomorrow. The forecast to midnight tomorrow for the Fiji group, expect occasional showers over Navua/Suva/Nausori/Tailevu areas, Serua/Namosi/Naitasiri, Yasawa, Vanua Levu, Lau and Lomaiviti group. Elsewhere, cloudy periods...

Organic farmers discuss gender barriers and solutions

THIRTY organic farmers from across the Pacific met in Nadi this week to identify gender barriers within organic agriculture and find solutions to best address them. In a statement, the Pacific Community (SPC) said the participants were from Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue,...

iTaukei women yet to ‘pierce’ glass ceiling

The glass ceiling of the judiciary remains unpierced by iTaukei women, claims Suva lawyer Barbara Malimali. In a Facebook post, she said the list of legal practitioners with valid practising certificates for the period March 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023 — which was available on the judiciary website — showed that about 423 of...

Rokovada: Mohan’s tenure a non-issue

A non-issue. This is how Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Luke Rokovada describes the “controversial” tenure of former chairman Vishnu Mohan. Mr Mohan resigned last December. He was PSC chairman while living in Canada. When Mr Rokovada was asked whether there would be an investigation, he maintained that he was focused on doing his job....

Fish ban’s back on

The seasonal ban on kawakawa and donu fish began on Thursday, June 1, and fishermen, exporters and fish sellers have been warned that anyone found breaching the ban will face hefty penalties. “We owe it to all Fijians to ensure that we don’t lose these culturally and commercially important fish. We ask everyone to do...

‘Only at kitchen table’

It looks like the only table they want us at is the kitchen table. This was what Suva lawyer Barbara Malimali said about the disparity in the representation of women in important institutions like the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC), judiciary, and in the various arms of government. In a Facebook post, Ms Malimali said...

1000 sandalwood trees for FNU, says Acting VC

Fiji National University Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba announced this week a program where 1000 sandalwood and 1000 cumquat and lemon trees will be planted across all its campuses. She said this during World Environment Day celebrations at the FNU’s Lautoka Campus. Prof Nabobo-Baba said the celebration aligned well with the university’s objectives of...

US support shows importance of partnership

Good news for the Fiji media industry. The United States assistant secretary for Global Public Affairs William Russo is coming to Fiji to talk specifically about how the US Government can assist Fiji media after the repealing of the Media Industry Development Act. In a press release, the US Department of State said Mr Russo...

2023-2024 National Budget | Focus on rural roads

Rural roads need to be fixed. Speaking to sugar cane growers in Nadroga, who raised their concerns about the unattended cane access roads, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad said the bad road issue was experienced throughout the country. He said Government was working closely with relevant stakeholders to address the...

2023-2024 National Budget | Villager raises flooding issue at consultation

Lomolomo villager Vereniki Bale hopes that the 2023-2024 National Budget addresses the ongoing issue of flooding at their village, located between Lautoka and Nadi. “Every year we are told that something will be done about it but we don’t see anything happening,” he said. “Whenever there is heavy rain, we prepare for it. It has...

2023-2024 National Budget | Plans for labour shortage

Government is determined to address Fiji’s labour shortage problem, says Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad. While speaking at a National Budget public consultation in Nadi, he said strategies to address labour mobility had already been put in place. “As a Government we have already put in place a decision for a government approved funding...

2023-2024 National Budget | Student hopes for more funding

Lautoka resident Christal Kapoor hopes there will be more funding to assist tertiary students and institutions. “What I want to see in the budget is more educational funding opportunities because I feel that TELS (Tertiary Educational Loan Scheme) was good because a lot of students could afford to pursue tertiary education and then pay it...

Train crash incident saddens Rabuka

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji is saddened by the news of the three-way crash involving two passenger trains and a freight train causing about 300 fatalities and about 1000 injured casualties, destruction, and damage in India. The devastating multi-train crash happened in Eastern Odisha State, last Friday, June 2. In his condolence message written...

PM: Fiji recovers well

Fiji is recovering very well, says Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. He highlighted this, while speaking to about 500 Fijians in Auckland, New Zealand on Monday night. Mr Rabuka was accorded a full traditional welcome ceremony by the Fijian community at Mahatma Gandhi Centre. He said the figures and data provided by the World Bank, the...

800 vacant positions will be filled – Fong

Most of the 800 nursing posts left vacant by migrating nurses will be filled by the end of this financial year, says Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong. He says the positions of nurses who left last year should be filled by the end of this financial year. The loss included nurses who...

Wiens content of local delicacies to air on Mai TV

World famous YouTuber, Mark Wiens video content of the local delicacies of the Tailevu and Lau provinces will soon air exclusively on Mai TV. The agreement came about during the Food Vlogger and Content Creator’s recent trip to Fiji, where he promoted the local delicacies. Mai TV Director, Stanley Simpson said this was an exciting...

Remuneration package for nurses

Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong says a working group has been set up to look at the remuneration package for nurses for the 2023-2024 National Budget submission. He said the terms of reference of the working group was to look at the remuneration package for nurses in Fiji. “The working group comprises the Ministry...

Nursing job not for the faint-hearted’

Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong told 233 newly-inducted intern nurses yesterday that their jobs were not for the faint-hearted. While officiating at an induction program in Suva, Dr Fong said entering the workforce of medicine was not a passive field. “It is a field that requires the effort of each and everyone to make...

Putting adults to shame, students clean up park

Adults should be ashamed of having kids come out and pick up after them. This was the strong sentiment shared by International School Suva (ISS) oceans and literacy division member Laisenia Ratu, after a group of about 70 Year 2 students from ISS and Veiuto Primary School organised a clean-up around My Suva Picnic Park...

Puna welcomes opening of Pacific Fusion Centre in Vila

Forum Secretary General Henry Puna has welcomed the opening of the permanent offices housing – the Pacific Fusion Centre – in Port Vila, Vanuatu, yesterday. The Pacific Fusion Centre delivers training and strategic analysis against priorities identified by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security. The centre is an outcome...

Lands Ministry to investigate disregard of Cabinet directive

Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo says since taking office, noted a serious deliberate disregard of Cabinet directive by the previous government when it issued the lease of the said land to Tian Lun Investments Pte Ltd knowing that they had not rescinded a previous decision not to allow that land to be...

Lands Ministry refuses lease extension for Tian Lun Investments

Fiji’s Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources has refused to extend the development lease for Tian Lun Investments Pte Ltd – the company with a State land and State tiri land lease for a proposed project along Queen Elizabeth Drive in Suva. Minister Filimoni Vosarogo wrote to the legal representatives of the company stating the...

What’s happening today!

Bula vinaka everyone. Here is another edition of some basic information you may need to know for today. First, here is your weather forecast for today: Weather: Cloudy periods with some showers over Serua/Namosi, Suva/Nausori-Tailevu areas, Naitasiri, Vanua Levu, Lau and Lomaiviti group Showers becoming frequent later today over the Northern Division, Lau and Lomaiviti...

Local News

Platform to connect with the Fijian diaspora