Company records $2.2m profit

Newly renovated fisheries office opens in Rakiraki

THE newly renovated Ministry of Fisheries office in Rakiraki was opened today after it was badly damaged by Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016. The newly renovated office, costing Government about $700,000, was commissioned by the ministry’s acting permanent secretary Naipote Katonitabua. The Rakiraki Fisheries Office was not spared and the impact of severe TC Winston...

MOU aims for low carbon sea transport

FEASIBILITY studies will be soon conducted for the design costs and plan for new generation ships for the Pacific region committed to low carbon sea transport. The feasibility studies is being made possible through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the University of the South Pacific (USP) and The China Navigation Company (CNCo), parent...

Tradesman Rovneel Chand observes the mechanicals at the sugar cane dumping site at Lautoka Mill yesterday. Picture: REINAL CHAND

Termination of harvesting, crushing

THE Sugar Cane Growers Council says termination of harvesting and crushing should not extend beyond the December 6 date set for Labasa and December 13 for Lautoka and Rarawai sugar mills. SCGC CEO Sundresh Chetty said despite weather setbacks and other issues, more than 80 per cent of the 1.7million harvestable 2018 season crop has...

Election Day a public holiday, ministry reiterates

EMPLOYERS in Fiji have been urged by the Employment Ministry not to prevent employees who are working tomorrow on Election Day from voting. While tomorrow is a public holiday, the Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations has reiterated that employers must make the necessary arrangements to ensure that their operations are not affected. Whether...

High costs on farms

ONCE upon a time the rolling hills of Volovolo in the Ba hinterland used to produce about 7000 tonnes of sugar cane. However, over the past six years, six of the nine farmers who tilled the land in the area have abandoned their farms. Today, the three remaining farmers combined produce about 700 tonnes of...

Farmers suffers loss of livestock

THE impact of the dry season continues to affect some farmers in Labasa. For 55-year-old Deo Raj, the recent dry season in the area has claimed his livestock. The Naleba farmer said the impact of the dry season on his goat and sugarcane farming was immense. “Before this, I had 70 goats, but after the...

Truck driver Nand Kumar unloads the sugar cane at the lautoka Mill yesterday. Picture: REINAL CHAND

Crushing nears end

AFTER the announcement of tentative dates for the end of crushing season, the Fiji Sugar Corporation and Sugar Cane Growers Council are working with farmers to provide swift solution before the season ends. FSC chief executive officer Graham Clark said the two organisations were working with farmers to identify problems as it arose. “Opportunities to...

Fiji Ports Corp accounts $15.22m divident payout to shareholders

THE Fiji Ports Corporation Ltd has announced a total dividend of $15,226,505 million to be paid its shareholders, namely the government, Fiji National Provident Fund and Aitken Spence. FPCL board chairman and Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism permanent secretary Shaheen Ali made the announcement yesterday. Mr Ali said with FPCL profits increasing year on...

Real estate board reviews act

THE Real Estate Agents Licensing Board is in the process of reviewing the Real Estate Act 2006 to reflect the much-needed changes in the industry, says acting chief executive officer Virisila Tuimanu. REALB recently moved to its new office located in the newly constructed Flagstaff Plaza at Bau St, Flagstaff in Suva. “REALB had been...

New municipal market opens in Cuvu

A NEW municipal market was opened in Cuvu, Sigatoka earlier today, bringing to fruition a long-awaited facility for vendors from the nearby village and settlements. The market which was constructed at a cost of about $120,000 was among a series of other similar projects across the country to upgrade and provide new facilities for roadside...

Change tack or face defeat, Brexit critics tell British PM May

LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Theresa May was under growing pressure on Sunday to change her plan for Britain to leave the European Union to avoid defeat in a parliamentary vote. With both Britain and the EU suggesting an agreement is close, eurosceptic lawmakers and a leading member of a small Northern Irish party that...

Alibaba Singles’ Day tops $30 billion but growth rate plunges

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd cashed a record 213.5 billion yuan ($30.70 billion) in sales on Sunday during its 24-hour online retail frenzy Singles’ Day, but the event’s annual growth dropped to its slowest-ever rate. Shoppers in China and across the world snapped up hot items including iPhones, furniture and...

Thousands protest in Bulgaria against high fuel prices, car taxes

SOFIA (Reuters) – Thousands of Bulgarians blocked major highways and roads in the Balkan country on Sunday in protest at higher fuel prices, tax increases for older, more polluting cars and an expected increase in car insurance premiums. Over 2,000 people waving national flags marched in central Sofia chanting “Mafia” and “Rubbish”, frustrated with the...

Iran sells more oil to private exporters to bypass U.S. curbs

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran sold 700,000 barrels of crude oil to private companies for export on Sunday in a second round of sales aimed at countering U.S. sanctions on the country’s exports, oil ministry news website SHANA reported. Three unnamed companies paid $64.97 per barrel for two crude shipments of 245,000 barrels each and one...

Minister for Employment Jone Usamate speaks to the members of the media in Nadi yesterday. Picture: REINAL CHAND

Employers reminded on public holiday pay

WITH a number of public holidays in the coming weeks, Fiji’s Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Jone Usamate has reminded employers who operate during public holidays to remunerate their workers accordingly. Mr Usamate, in a government statement, reminded employers who were in operation during Diwali, Wednesday 7 November and who will be in...

Awards night to honour efforts in Fijian fashion industry

AN inaugural National Designer Awards will be held later this month to honour the efforts of key players involved in the growing Fijian fashion industry. Stemming from the successful launch of the national fashion trade and consumer platform — the Bottega Gold Fijian Fashion Festival earlier this year, the Fashion Council of Fiji has dedicated...

2018 General Election: 200 military officers unable to cast votes

ABOUT 200 military officers were unable to cast their vote during pre-poll yesterday. These soldiers were registered postal voters and they were supposed to cast their votes at Golan Heights. The group had just returned from peacekeeping duties few weeks ago. A number of them turned up at the Reverend Tuvasu Hall at the Queen...

2018 National SME awards launched

THE Fiji Development Bank is confident that there will be more entries for its 2018 National Small and Medium Enterprise Awards compared with last year. Board member and Sun Insurance managing director Inia Naiyaga launched the awards at the FDB head office in Suva this morning. “Last year 13 businesses were awarded for their exceptional...

Resort’s charm attracts guests

TOBERUA Island Resort prides itself in its rich history background and being a family-owned resort. Unlike many resorts in Fiji, Toberua stays true to everything authentic and with it, offers guests the finest Toberua charm. Owners Joanne and Glen Inger have raised the bar in developing the resort and have even made it one of...

Mataitoga’s passion

HER passion to deliver the best quality stoves for rural dwellers has resulted in the invention of the smokeless energy efficient wood stoves. For widow Anaisi Mataitoga, her passion to help the marginalised grew even stronger after various visits to the peri-urban and rural communities and seeing first-hand the depleting state of living still experienced...

$10.6m to build three schools

THREE new schools are expected to be built around Viti Levu after the United Arab Emirates adopted the schools by investing $US5 million ($F10.6m). The United Arab Emirates have signed a memorandum of understanding of co-operation agreement with Fiji yesterday. United Arab Emirates head of mission, Saleh Ahmed Alsuwaidi said education was very important for...

Platform to showcase low carbon technologies

HE transport sector in Fiji accounts for 8 per cent of the gross domestic product with most the fuel imported used in the sector, says Minister for Agriculture, Rural & Maritime Development & National Disaster Management & Meteorological Services, Inia Seruiratu. Mr Seruiratu said in Fiji, 19 per cent of merchandise imports comprised fuel. He...

Regional transport issues top stakeholders’ forum agenda

TRANSPORT is the fastest growing emitting sector yet decarbonisation has lagged behind other energy sectors. This was one of the issues that were discussed at the Pacific Islands Transport Forum that started at the University of the South Pacific Japan-Pacific ICT Centre today. The three-day forum is expected to provide participants with a platform to...

EU court sets November 27 hearing on Brexit reversal case

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – Judges at the European Union’s highest court will hear a case on the Brexit process on Nov. 27, reviewing whether Britain could unilaterally withdraw its decision to leave the EU, the Court of Justice said in a statement on Wednesday. The case was raised to the Luxembourg justices by a Scottish court,...

Leaked British memo gives a taste of PM May’s possible Brexit finale

LONDON (Reuters) – A memorandum leaked from within the British government gives a taste of a possible finale to the Brexit drama: Prime Minister Theresa May hails a deal in just over 10 days, supporters cheer as arranged, and the pact is put to a vote in parliament on Nov. 27. May’s office dismissed the...

Fiji spends $800m annually on fuel imports

FIJI’s annual imported fossil fuel bill amounts to $800 million and this price varies with the fluctuating fuel prices. Pacific Regional representative Green of Growth Planning and Implementation (GGPI) Katerina Syngellakis revealed this figure during a press conference on Pacific Islands Transport Forum at the University of the South Pacific last week. Ms Syngellakis said...

$800m imported fossil fuel bill