One hundred students of Saint Agnes Primary School in Suva will heighten awareness of child abuse at the upcoming Tadra Kahani show. The students will perform to the theme ‘Child Abuse, Every Child Has a Story’. Student representative Olly No’ora said they expected tough competition from other schools. “It will be a challenging competition but we Read more
A debate occurred on Radio Australia National on whether it’s in Australia’s national interest to continue shunning the Bainimarama regime. The debate featured Dr Jon Fraenkel who specialises in Melanesian affairs at the Australian National University and argues that Australia and New Zealand should refuse to engage with Bainimarama until he buckles. According to Grub Sheet “Fraenkel is part Read more
The head of the Sabbath Day Christian Revival Church, Pastor Vilikesa Raqio, has requested the Fiji Government to reconsider its stand on religious groups that keep their children out of school. Mr Raqio said he supported the Government’s intention to send all school-aged children to school, but said “I strongly feel that those religious groups that Read more
It is cheaper to relocate people from flood and disaster-prone areas than to fix infrastructure or build dams or divert river systems to reduce the level of flood threat. This was the message conveyed by visiting water management specialist Dr Alfred Duda to Minister for Primary Industries Joketani Cokanasiga during a visit to the Nadi Read more
The Australian Transport Workers Union has threatened to place bans of aircraft flying tourists to Fiji. The national secretary of the Fiji Trade Union Congress, Felix Anthony, has been visiting Australia and New Zealand seeking international trade union support for a campaign opposing a proposed new decree that would limit union rights in Fiji. The Read more
Lieutenant Colonel Ratu Tevita Mara, Former Fiji army commander, denies the accusations of torture against him, which he claims are false and mischievous Colonel Mara is in New Zealand to meet with the Fiji community and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFat) to discuss the level of human rights abuse, which he Read more
More than 2000 people gathered last Friday at Solevu Village in Bua to be part of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Catholic Church in the area. The celebrations was attended by ex-scholars from Viti Levu and parts of Vanua Levu. Head of the Catholic Church His Grace Archbishop Petero Mataca prayed that different Read more
Last week Father Kevin Barr celebrated 50 years of priesthood by celebrating Mass with Archbishop Petero Mataca. He used the occasion to ask for forgiveness. “A few months ago I wrote a little booklet on forgiveness and in it quoted the story of a Jewish Rabbi in New York who in his final sermon in the synagogue Read more
Matt Tomlinson has been conducting research in Fiji since 1996. His area of investigation is the relationships between the indigenous chiefly system and the Methodist church, which had enormous influence on politics until the most recent coup in 2006. “What struck me during fieldwork was how the relationship between the chiefs and the church, that Read more
Tevita Mara gets 2 days in New Zealand “to tell his story”. However John Key says that New Zealand is “taking quite a cautious view.” While Australia has removed Mara permanently from its travel ban list, Key said, “We have no intention of doing that at this stage.” “It will be an opportunity for New Zealand Ministry Read more