Ten unaccompanied minors have been sent to the asylum seeker processing centre on Nauru. Advocates from Save the Children, the charity employed to look after the children, say the minors arrived last Sunday morning and will be held in a detention centre that houses family groups. Save the Children says research shows the longer the Read more
The Reverend Laisiasa Ratabacaca is the new acting president of the Methodist Church in Fiji. He replaces the late president Tuikilakila Waqairatu who passed on Tuesday. He will preside over this year’s annual conference when a new president is expected to be elected. Ratabacaca was elected at the church’s standing committee meeting last Thursday. He Read more
A lawyer representing overstayers from Tonga claims New Zealand is deporting people to some of the most cyclone-damaged areas of the island nation. The immigration lawyer, Richard Small, says the New Zealand authorities are wanting to send Tongan overstayers back to the area, and he has 30 such cases on his books. He described deporting Read more
John Ryan and his wife who are former volunteer teachers at Chanel College in Samoa have set up a project to provide computers for the College. The project has been given a big boost by a donation, from travel firm House of Travel Holdings, of 85 computer, monitors and servers and a week of IT Read more
Suva’s Archbishop Peter Chong has condemned the practice of tourists celebrating their weddings in Fiji on beaches boats and in hotels. He says weddings should be celebrated in a sacred space like of a church or a chapel. Chong said that the problem was not caused by local people, but by tourists. “For our local people, Read more
The president of the Methodist Church in Fiji Reverend Tuikilakila Waqairatu passed away on 11 February after a short illness. He was elected president of the Methodist Church in Fiji in August last year following its annual conference. Tuikilakila Waqairatu had promised to reform the church and made a significant step by banning the consumption of yaqona Read more
The first ever National Minimum Wage in Fiji was announced by the Minister for Labour, Mr Jone Usamate last Wednsday. Former wages council chairman and poverty alleviation advocate Fr Kevin Barr has welcomed the Fiji government’s announcement that the country’s minimum wage rate at has been set at $2 per hour. However he thinks it it Read more
Fr Giorgio Licini, who was quoted by Agenzia Fides report that featured in a recent CathNews piece, says the original article takes a broader view than that provided by the Fides report. He says he would also like to I also clarify that he always refer to artificial and indiscriminate contraception practices. What follows is Read more
Papua New Guinea “does not need to promote family planning or practices such as contraception and abortion,” said Father Giorgio Licini, secretary of the Commission for Social Communications for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands Licini told the news agency Agenzia Fides that the increase in population in Papua Read more
Last Monday Pope Francis received the Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi. He also went on to meet with Archbishop Pietro Parolin, secretary of State, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States. During the discussions, the Parties focused on a number of Read more