Posts Tagged ‘Fiji’

Fiji archbishop advocates nonviolence to help stabilize social unrest

Thursday, October 10th, 2019

In late September, thousands of schoolchildren stayed home from school in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, due to rumors of “public unrest” circulating on social media. According to FBC News, people who started fake news stories likely intended to hurt the country “economically and politically” by creating panic and shutting down work. Fiji’s religious Read more

Environmental degradation seriously concerns Fiji

Monday, September 9th, 2019

Fiji’s Archbishop Peter Loy Chong says Fiji is facing several serious concerns caused by environmental degradation. According to a report by the World Bank published in 2000, on the potential effects of climate change on the Pacific region, Fiji faces numerous risks. These include: higher rates of disease as average temperatures rise increasingly destructive storms Read more

NZ women uplifting Pacific sisters with free bras

Thursday, August 15th, 2019

Forget about burning them – bras donated by New Zealand women are giving their sisters in the Pacific a new sense of freedom. More than 1500 bras collected by women’s networks in two government departments have been donated to The Uplift Project, supporting women of the Pacific Islands who’ve never owned a bra. The room Read more

Church to take on government in Fiji court

Monday, May 13th, 2019

In a first for Fiji, the government and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church will face off in court next week over the management of a school in the country’s north. The Education Ministry last month obtained a court order to prevent the church from taking over Vatuvonu College in Cakaudrove. The church’s general secretary, Joe Talemaitoga, Read more

Catholic Archbishop calls for Fijians to be servants of peace

Monday, April 29th, 2019

Jesus’ message of peace should be used as a guide by politicians and ordinary people to avoid a repeat of Fiji’s past political violence, Catholic Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva has urged in his Easter message. Easter was not only about the body of Jesus coming back to life, but also about the peace Read more

Catholics should head Catholic schools

Monday, February 11th, 2019

Catholics should lead catholic schools, the head of the Catholic Church in Fiji says. Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva wrote to the education minister about consulting Catholic schools management regarding the appointment of principals to Catholic schools after the principals of two Catholic high schools were replaced by non-Catholics. Schools are run by various religions Read more

Bishop celebrates special Diwali mass in Fiji

Thursday, November 8th, 2018

Fiji is one of the many countries around the globe that celebrated a special Diwali mass to pay respects to the Hindu festival of light. In his homily at the Diwali (also called Deepawali or Deepavali) mass, Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva spoke of the one God. The Catholic Church believes and teaches the Read more

Woman in Fiji accused of trafficking people to NZ

Thursday, August 23rd, 2018
trafficking

A 31-year-old woman involved in a human trafficking case in New Zealand has been charged in Fiji with 17 counts of the same crime. Her sister, who is in Australia, has been charged in absentia with five counts of obtaining property by deception and one count of money laundering. It’s alleged that the women organised and Read more

Claims of UN sexual misconduct in Fiji

Monday, May 7th, 2018
Sexual misconduct allegations against UN agency

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is formally investigating claims of sexual misconduct against two members of its Fiji staff. The head of Fiji’s Women’s Crisis Centre says the allegations of sexual misconduct are a sign that all organisations should be open to scrutiny. The investigation follows complaints laid by three female employees against two Read more

Fijians lift their crane in Napier

Thursday, February 15th, 2018

Port crane operators from Fiji are refining their skills on a crane simulator in Napier. Napier Port bought the $750,000 simulator 2 years ago and has started training Fijian operators. The training is so good, the Fijian Ports chief executive calls it “inspiring”. Hasthika Dela says, “the partnership has increased productivity, and that’s a direct Read more