News
9th December
Wall Street Week Ahead: Tariff deadline keeps focus on trade as 2019 draws to close
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The stock market looks set to end 2019 the way it began the year — highly sensitive to headlines from President Donald Trump’s global trade war. Stocks pulled back from record...
8th December
Indian rape victim dies in hospital after being set ablaze
UNNAO, India (Reuters) – A 23-year-old rape victim set on fire by a gang of men, which included her alleged rapists, has died in a New Delhi hospital, prompting protests from opposition leaders who blamed the ruling party for failing to check incidents of violence against women. The woman was on her way to board...
SPBD assistance helps mum
SINGLE mum, Melaia Kawaicei, 40, wasn’t able to afford a proper bed for her three children due to financial problems. But through the assistance of South Pacific Business Development (SPBD), she was able to purchase a new bed for her children from income earned, selling basic food items in the village of Vorovoro, Tailevu. “For...
Police investigates alleged suicide case
NADI Police are investigating a case of an alleged suicide where the victim is an 8 year old child. The matter was reported to Police by health officials from the Nadi Hospital after the victim was brought to the hospital on Friday night. The alleged incident occurred at Solovi in Nadi. The victim was playing...
Ericsson to pay over $1 billion to resolve U.S. corruption probes
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Swedish mobile telecoms company Ericsson (ERICb.ST) has agreed to pay over $1 billion to resolve probes into corruption, including the bribing of government officials, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday. The bribery took place over many years in countries including China, Vietnam and Djibouti, the department said. The total charges...
Search for toddler continues
THE search for the 3year old child continues who allegedly disappeared from her home in Kalekana settlement, outside Lami last weekend. According to Police, investigators continue to question family members and neighbours regarding the circumstances surrounding the child’s disappearance. Reports that the dress the child was last seen wearing was found by family members are...
Pot issue generates huge interests
ATTORNEY-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says Fijians have a very shallow understanding of the use of marijuana and there is a need to understand this kind of social issues to ensure we are on the same page with what is happening with the rest of the world. He noted this while closing the...
Inmate display works on art
FIJI is the second country this year after Israel to organise an art exhibition and fashion show featuring and displaying works produced by women inmates from their corrections facilities. This was highlighted by President Jioji Konrote at the opening of the “Christmas Vakaviti” Art Exhibition Yellow Ribbon Project 2019 at the Tagimoucia Gallery in Walu...
Rocket hits Iraqi cleric’s home following deadly Baghdad attack
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A rocket fired from a drone targeted the home of populist Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday, lawmakers from his Saeroon party said, following one of the capital’s bloodiest nights in recent weeks. The drone attack, which caused little damage and left no casualties, followed a deadly attack by armed men near...
Knife-edge? UK’s Johnson ahead but polls suggest majority might be tough
LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson is heading into Britain’s election next week with a lead in opinion polls, but some of the surveys also suggest that his chance of winning a parliamentary majority could be too close to call. Four opinion polls published on Saturday put the lead of Johnson’s Conservative Party over...
Two people charged for alleged interference
TWO people have been charged for allegedly interfering with the work of police officers in Nausori last week. The two are a 24-year-old woman from Kasavu and a man from Bau, and both have been charged with one count of obstruction each. The two allegedly interfered with the work of two police officers who were...
Be aware of your children’s whereabouts, urges MP
PARENTS and guardians have been advised to be wary of their children’s whereabouts during this school holidays. Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa said parents needed to know what their children were doing and whose company they were in at all times. Mrs Vuniwaqa has also reminded parents and guardians that they...
PM hails climate warriors
YOUNG Pacific climate warriors are among our most valuable champions for the cause of climate action. This was reiterated by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at the high-level talanoa with Pacific youths on ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in Madrid, Spain yesterday. Mr Bainimarama said his voice carried weight in these forums because he led a...
Paraquat blamed for 86pc of lives lost
EIGHTY-SIX per cent of Fiji’s suicide deaths could have been avoided if there were means of restricting access to paraquat. While acknowledging the bold step taken by the Ministry of Agriculture to ban the weedicide from being imported into the country, Dr Odille Chang told more than 470 participants at the 21st Attorney-General’s Conference that...
450 suicide deaths between 2014-17
FIJI recorded a total of 450 suicide deaths in a three-year period from 2014 to 2017. The shocking statistics were revealed at the 21st Attorney-General’s Conference by Dr Odille Chang, the associate professor head of school of medical services at the Fiji National University. While presenting on the topic, “Are you well? Right to health”,...
700 Fijian soldiers in Middle East
SEVEN hundred Fijian soldiers are currently serving in three different peacekeeping engagements across the Middle East. This has been confirmed by Republic of the Fiji Military Forces Deputy Commander Brigadier-General Mohammed Aziz. The peacekeeping engagements are Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Sinai, United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria and the United Nations...
In East Hartford, a new effort to help workers left behind
EAST HARTFORD, Conn (Reuters) – For the first time in a while, Diomedes Dilone is earning enough money that he can afford to take the weekends off. Until February, Dilone was waking up at 3 a.m. to drive for Uber, but the money wasn’t enough to cover his bills. The Navy veteran and married father...
Trump takes aim at trickle-down toilets, faucets
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Friday he has directed his environmental regulators to find answers to what he said is a big problem – water-conserving showers, faucets and toilets. “We have a situation where we’re looking very strongly at sinks and showers and other elements of bathrooms,” Trump told a meeting of...
Iran deal limps on as Europeans delay sanctions blow
VIENNA (Reuters) – European powers demanded at talks on Friday that Iran stop violating their nuclear deal, but stopped short of triggering a mechanism that could renew U.N. sanctions and kill the 2015 accord, officials said. The meeting came amid heightened friction between Iran and the West. Tehran has rolled back its commitments under the...
Trump will make final call on China tariffs, likes direction of talks: Kudlow
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday that a Dec. 15 deadline is still in place to impose a new round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese consumer goods, but President Donald Trump likes where trade talks with China are going. With about a week to go before the deadline...
Wall Street climbs on solid jobs data, trade hopes
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wall Street ended solidly higher on Friday as a strong jobs report and optimism about U.S.-China trade negotiations ahead of an upcoming deadline helped stoke investor risk appetite. All three major U.S. stock indexes gained ground, hovering within 1% of record highs set last week. But as a tumultuous week of...
U.S. military has enough capability in Middle East for now: Esper
SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday he believed the U.S. military had sufficient capability in the Middle East for now to deter conflict, dismissing a media report that a major troop increase was under consideration amid tension with Iran. Esper, speaking to a small group of reporters, did...
California congressman Duncan Hunter announces resignation after corruption plea
(Reuters) – U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter will resign from Congress following his guilty plea to a federal charge of conspiring to misuse campaign funds, he said on Friday. Hunter’s announcement that he would step down came days after the leading California lawmaker, a former U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran, entered his guilty plea in federal...
7th December
White House tells Democrats it will not participate in Trump impeachment hearing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House said on Friday it would refuse to take part in hearings in the U.S. House of Representatives set for next week that will consider what articles of impeachment to bring against President Donald Trump. In a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, White House counsel Pat Cipollone called...
Rape trial set for next year
THE trial of a church pastor accused of raping three women has been set in May next year. Waisake Tulavu appeared before Suva High Court judge Justice Daniel Goundar today. He is charged with four counts of rape and one of sexual assault. Mr Tulavu is alleged to have committed the offences on three complainants...
Rotary clubs looking forward to support more youth
PRESIDENT of the Rotary Suva East Club Molly Powers-Tora says with the continued success of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program, the club looked forward to identifying and supporting more youth applicants to participate in 2020. She highlighted that the club was also making plans to develop a children’s playground. “We have identified a...
Mother taken in for questioning
THE mother of the three-year-old girl, who allegedly disappeared from her home in Kalekana settlement, outside Lami last weekend, was taken in for questioning by police on Friday. A team from this newspaper was at the settlement, where close family confirmed that she was being questioned at the Lami Police Station. Police spokesperson, Ana Naisoro...
Suva Golden Oldies Rugby Club visits 81 venues
FOR the month of November, 81 venues around Fiji were visited by awareness teams from the Suva Golden Oldies Rugby Club. Club president Mason Smith said 1715 men were tested during the prostate awareness month of “Movember”. “Support has been provided by the Minister for Health and Medical Services and his team, the Fiji Cancer...
Trump asks Supreme Court to stop banks from disclosing his financial data
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump, fighting to keep details of his finances secret, asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to prevent records held by Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) and Capital One Financial Corp (COF.N) from being handed over to Democratic-led congressional panels. Trump’s lawyers asked the high court to put a hold a...
Singh warns cabbies
ANY taxidriver involved in any illegal activity should be ready to face the full brunt of the law. As the country gears up for Christmas and the new year, its parent body — the Fiji Taxi Association (FTA) — has reminded taxidrivers to be well aware of their roles as public service providers. While the...
