What is Lagilagi Estate?
LAGILAGI (Fijian for Glorious) is a portion land in what was once the Jittu Estate in Fiji’s capital, Suva. In the late 1960s and early 1970s it was the largest squatter settlement in Fiji, housing families from
Fiji
PCN outlines inquiry
AN internal investigation is underway to establish whether homes in the Lagilagi Eastate in Fiji’s capital were given to the poor, disabled and elderly. Peoples Concern Network Director, Semiti Qalowasa, confirmed
Fiji wins UN presidency role
HISTORY was made last month when Fiji’s ambassador to the United Nations Peter Thomson won the votes to become President of the upcoming 71st session of the UN General Assembly. He beat leading diplomat of Cyprus,
Copy of Tribute to godfather of Pacific music Sounds of Sevesi
SEVEN months after becoming the first Tongan to be inducted into New Zealand Music’s Hall of Fame, Wilfred Jeffs, who went by the stage name Bill Sevesi, passed away, aged 92,,on April 23. When the news trickled out
Road to recovery: Fiji growth forecast in the wake of Winston
THE Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) expects economic growth for the rest of this year to be driven by significant post-Cyclone Winston reconstruction work and continuing strong activity in the retail and tourism sectors. It
What Winston left behind: Death’s, debt and heartbreak.
$billion damage bill in the isles ALONG the dusty road in Fiji’s Tailevu North, sheets of mangled corrugated iron mark the path left by Tropical Cyclone Winston. Up hills and down valleys the pieces of tin
Climate, not God
IT did not take long for people in Fiji to point to Tropical Cyclone Winston as having some connections to a wrathful God seeking to punish people. On social media, from pulpits and in the yaqona circles the link was
Fiji’s rice producer welcomes Korean investor
Fiji’s sole but struggling rice producer, Rewa Rice Limited has welcomed the entry of Grace Roads Limited, a South Korean investor built on Christians’ apocalyptic principles, into the local rice industry. A
Ramrakha, a son of Fiji
Former Fiji politician KC Ramrakha, ran foul of the Indiandominated National Federation Party during the faction fighting of 1977. He speaks to ISLANDS BUSINESS about politics, sugar and life. PART TWO The kind that
Economic growth forecast despite stagnant political climate.
THE Fijian economy is expected to grow this year while the political climate, barring any traumatic upheavals, will remain largely stagnant and unchanged. According to the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Economic
SAVING SUGAR
Action for change WHEN the Fijian Prime Minister recently stood up at the recent International Sugar Organisations meeting in London and declared “we do not intend to give up on sugar cane in Fiji,” he was
CYBER FRAUD A crime without borders
FIJI, as one of the South Pacific’s most developed economies, is fast becoming a prime target for “cyber thieves” across the Globe. According to the Fiji Intelligence Unit (FIU), in just two years,
El Nino It’sNot Over
FROM the highlands of Papua New Guinea in the western Pacific to the salad bowl on the southern coast of Fiji’s main island in the central Pacific, the long spell of dry weather is taking its toll. Cash crops and
A bull in the China shop
Spain and China: Rising threats to regional tuna stocks THE harbour in Suva’s capital is dotted with boats – long line fishing vessels flying the Chinese flag – tied up for months, waiting for the
SEDITION Arrests and denials
A COMPANY of Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) soldiers has joined local police investigations into allegations of militarytype training in a remote mountainous area in Fiji’s Western Division. The
Former Fiji army chief allays fears of rift
THE former Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, BrigadierGeneral Mosese Tikoitoga, has poured cold water on any suggestion of a rift between the military and Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s Fiji
Fiji TV strips to bare minimum
DIGICEL has emerged as a front-runner for the purchase of Fiji Television’s 23 channels under the Sky Pacific platform. Fiji TV chairman and CEO of Fijian Holdings Limited, Nouzab Fareed, said a non-disclosure
Roads, water, education clear winners in Fiji’s US$1.7b Budget
Fiji’s government of Frank Bainimarama is continuing with its expansionary economic policy in the $3.3 billion (US$1.69 billion) budget for 2015 it handed down in Fiji’s Parliament on November 21st. Its
Security stays tight after win
Despite a landslide election win and claims of nationwide popularity, the security cordon around Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has not weakened. In fact, once it became obvious that he had won the
Bainimarama IB’s Pacific Person Of The Year
Some 2000 years ago the world lay at the feet of the Roman dictator Augustus. That is of course, the world as it was known to Rome at the time. With the battle of Actium ended, his cruelties became more judicious and he
Audit report reveals worst kept secret
After eight years of autocratic rule, Fiji finally has a Parliament which has received a backlog of reports from the Office of the Auditor General. Economist Professor Wadan Narsey studies the report and discusses its
Forum allows Fiji back into regional group
But Fiji wants Australia, New Zealand out Moments after the magazine posted on its Facebook page the announcement by the Pacific Islands Forum that Fiji’s suspension from it has been lifted, an avid reader posted
Bainimarama storms home with massive victory
Party wins political fight with rugby campaign-style approach Voting in Fiji’s 2014 General Election signaled overwhelming public support for incumbent Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and gave legitimacy