Air safety’s been compromised – NFP
By Samisoni Pareti Aviation safety has been seriously compromised with both Nadi and Nausori International Airports unable to provide correct air traffic control information to pilots of both departing and incoming
Air traffic controllers’ protest continues
By Samisoni Pareti THREE days after many of the country’s air traffic control officers walked off their jobs, there is still no sign that the impasse is going to be resolved any time soon. Officers we spoke to are
Tourism Fiji postpones Bulanaires in New Zealand
By Samantha Magick Tourism Fiji says it is postponing the implementation of its Bulanaires campaign in New Zealand. “Tourism Fiji sends our deepest condolences and sympathies to everyone in New Zealand impacted by the
Hospital closes heart and CT services
INDIAN doctors have been sent home and a number of specialist services – including the removal of blockages to the heart – have been suspended at Fiji’s major private hospital. MIOT Pacific Hospitals, Pramesh
Fiji Airport traffic controllers walk out
By Samisoni Pareti Islands Business can now confirm that majority of the country’s air traffic controllers in both of Fiji’s international airports have not been reporting to work since 6am on Monday this week.
Australia proposes kava import hike
Australia is proposing an increase in the amount of kava that can be brought into Australia for personal use by incoming passengers, from two to four kilograms per person. The review is part of a commitment
Fiji Bans Pork Imports
Fiji has banned the personal importation of pork and pork related products from Australia and New Zealand This is due to the spread of the African Swine Flu that kills pigs. Fiji is currently free of the disease. A
Fiji Airways grounds its MAX planes
By Samisoni Pareti Fiji Airways has bowed to international pressure by grounding its two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft effective immediately. “In line with the stance taken by aviation regulators in our region, and an
No grounding of MAX8, says Fiji Airways
Fiji Airways in response to Islands Business enquiries says it has full confidence in the airworthiness of its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8. “We have reviewed all the information currently available and have determined
Suva High Court rules out DNA evidence
In a first for Fiji, the Suva High Court has ruled that it can’t use DNA results as evidence in a rape trial because the Fiji Police Force did not use the correct procedures in obtaining the DNA tests from the
$4m payout to Qorvis
By Samisoni Pareti American public relations company Qorvis was reportedly paid FJ$4.6 million for communication work it did for the COP23 Presidency of Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. This is on top of the FJ$1
Fiji’s human rights scrutiny
By Anish Chand The United Nations Human Rights Council will scrutinise Fiji’s human rights records in November under the UN mandatory periodic review of members. Fiji was last examined in October 2014 and was
Tale of the Blue Pacific Continent
Indepth this month focuses on the address of the 2017 chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Prime Minister of Samoa Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi at last December’s UNFCCC COP24 in
Advancing regional integration
Writing about the future of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in this magazine last month, I concluded: “Economic union will come in due course when we deepen regional integration, specifically regional
Reward work, not wealth
At the close of 2018, all eyes were on international conferences in Poland and Hawaii, dealing with global commitments to climate change and fisheries management respectively. However Oxfam in the Pacific’s Regional
Shipping nickel to China
At a time Western security analysts are fretting over Chinese strategic influence in the Pacific, some local businesses are looking at opportunities for trade and investment with China. In the French
LTA boss on $0.5million salary
BY Netani Rika DOCUMENTS released today show that the head of Fiji’s Land Transport Authority is being paid over half a million dollars annually. Samuel Simpson was hired last year from the United Kingdom where he
Scanning the story of a fish
Imagine typing a code from a can of tuna into your phone as you stand in a supermarket aisle to find out where the fish in the can was caught, and the name of the ship which landed it. This is the vision of
Tongan virtual blackout cause remains a mystery
Tongan authorities have not ruled out foul play as the country recovers from two weeks offline. Tonga’s international and domestic subsea cable lines were severely damaged on 20 January. Initial reports
ILO report scrutinises Fiji union conditions
Fiji ’s industrial relations mechanisms have come under the spotlight yet again in a new International Labour Organisation report. The Report of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and
Choosing crypto over tax free ‘utopia’
Will the decision by the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) to become the world’s first country to issue its own blockchain sovereign cryptocurrency (SOV) be a momentous game changer? Or is it just another pie in
Low balances worry FNPF
By Dionisia Tabureguci “Plan your retirement,” said Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) CEO Jaoji Koroi during the fund’s meeting with the media in Suva today. Statistics it released on the state of the
Solomons bishop fights election
BY Netani Rika THE head of the Anglican Church in the Solomon Islands will contest the general elections. Archbishop George Takeli stood down on Friday. Takeli will from Friday 22 February to contest the upcoming