New facility to improve services at hospital

Work attachment to prepare students for future

RAYNAV Chand, 16, aspires to be a commercial lawyer when he completes his education. The Year 11 student of Bhawani Dayal Arya College in Nasinu is part of the second batch of students who will undergo practical work attachment at various industries from December 10 to December 21. The work attachment is part of the...

Contactless technology to boost confidence

THE ANZ Bank yesterday announced that Fiji has joined seven other Pacific Island countries in the introduction of UnionPay — a high security payment system widely used and trusted in China. Speaking at the launch event yesterday, ANZ Fiji country head Saud Minam said introducing the contactless technology to its EFTPOS terminals would increase the...

Workshop to help Fijian businesses explore more on e-commerce

E-COMMERCE, buying or selling products and services using the internet opens exciting opportunities for businesses in Fiji to connect with international markets. It has also dawned as a fast growing medium of businesses in the Pacific Islands to trade with the rest of world. With this, Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia in partnership with the...

Tourism body to work closely with government

THE Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association is looking forward to working closely with the new government over the next four years to achieve continued and sustainable economic growth and development of the tourism industry. In a media statement FHTA president Dixon Seeto said the association would continue working collaboratively with Government and the various stakeholders...

Bank introduces new new chip technology

THE ANZ Bank yesterday announced that Fiji has joined seven other Pacific Island countries in the introduction of UnionPay — a high security payment system widely used and trusted in China. Speaking at the launch event yesterday, ANZ Fiji country head Saud Minam said introducing the contactless technology to its EFTPOS terminals would increase the...

School employment exposure

THE Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, the Ministry of Education, International Labour Organization and Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation (FCEF) have joined forces for the School Employment Exposure Program that was launched at Yat Sen Secondary School yesterday. Ministry of Education representative Aminiasi Vocesara thanked the government for its initiative in free education...

Competency-based business training organised for young Kadavu entrepreneurs

THE Ministry of Youth and Sports, in partnership with the National Centre for Small and Micro Enterprise Development (NCSMED), has trained more than 30 youths in the district of Ravitaki in Kadavu on Competency-based Economies through the formation of Entrepreneurs (CEFE) Business training. Held at Wailevu Village, the training was designed to ensure youths would improve...

Fiji’s seasonal work cap to New Zealand increases

FIJI’S participation has increased by 1750 in the seasonal work cap under New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Work Scheme. The new increase was recently announced by the New Zealand government earlier this month. Fiji’s Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations permanent secretary Salaseini Daunabuna said the increase would strengthen the country’s labour-sending opportunities...

Tablets issued to boost vulnerability and disaster assessments in agriculture

THE capacities of Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture to conduct vulnerability and disaster assessments in Fiji received a boost with the handover of 50 tablets. The tablets are components of the Pro-Resilient Fiji project that was funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The...

Higgins group opens refurbished depot in Tavua

ROADING infrastructure company Higgins Group Holdings Limited has opened its newly-refurbished depot in Tavua. And the opening of this facility has now seen the number of staff at the facility increased from three to 19. The group has just begun the new roading corridor maintenance contract covering the northern part of Viti Levu, that includes the towns Ba,...

Fulton Hogan’s Taunovo depot oversees provincial networks

FULTON Hogan Hiways Taunovo depot will now oversee road repairs and maintenance in the Serua, Namosi and parts of the Rewa provinces. In a statement released this afternoon, the company said the facility, which was formerly the property of the Public Works Department (PWD), had access to four quarries, with two located in Waiyanitu, one...

Xi: No hidden agendas, President praises ‘stable, healthy’ relations with PNG

PORT MORESBY, 19 NOVEMBER 2018 (THE NATIONAL) – President of China Xi Jinping says China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is not designed to serve any hidden geopolitical agenda, nor target against anyone, or does it exclude anyone. He told the Chief Executive Officers’ Summit on board the cruise liner Pacific Explorer in Port Moresby...

O’Neill: PNG grateful for China’s support

PORT MORESBY, 19 NOVEMBER 2018 (THE NATIONAL) – Papua New Guinea would not have achieved the successful hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Summit in Port Moresby without China’s support. Prime Minister Peter O’Neill was thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping on his two-day State visit to PNG on Thursday and Friday. “PNG could not...

Council welcomes results of 2018 General Election

THE Sugar Cane Growers Council has welcomed the results of the 2018 General Election. CEO Sundresh Chetty said he and the thousands of growers across the country would look forward to continued support for the sugar industry. “Growers especially have benefitted from the fertilizer, weedicide and cane planting grants that have been brought in by...

PNG, China sign K150 million scholarship grant

PORT MORESBY, 19 NOVEMBER 2018 (THE NATIONAL) – More Papua New Guineans will be able to receive scholarships to study in China following an agreement between Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Chinese President Xi Jinping. O’Neill said a grant of K150 million (US$46 million) was signed to release about 2500 scholarships to people in the...

PNG PM says to release formal APEC statement at later date

PORT MORESBY (Reuters) – Papua New Guinea will release a formal closing statement for the regional APEC forum in coming days, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said on Sunday, as the 21-member body was unable to agree on a leaders’ statement for the first time in its history. In his closing comments to the forum, O’Neill...

$2.4m value of trade

THE month of October saw a total of 213 trades recorded with a value of 968,763 shares with $2.4 million in value traded. This was highlighted by the South Pacific Stock Exchange in its monthly trading summary for the month of October. The exchange also stated that one of the highlights for the month of...

Fiji’s new green gold

THE Pacific did more with bamboo in the past that what it is doing currently and at this time when the technologies have advanced dramatically and when almost every country of the tropics has realised the incredible potential of this giant grass. These were the sentiments echoed by Conservator of Forests, Fiji representative Sanjana Lal...

Increase in food prices

THERE was an increase of 1.4 per cent in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages for the month of October this year. This was highlighted by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics in its October 31 release on the consumer price index. The bureau noted that the average annual inflation rate for the 12 months...

Conference focuses on emerging issues for administrators

THERE is a growing appetite from taxpayers for digital services and the emergence of new business models consequent to globalisation impacting our tax system, says Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators president representative Abu Tariq Jamaluddin. He made the statement at the 39th CATA technical conference which is being held at the Sheraton Fiji Resort and...

5-year project to address fisheries issues

THE uneven contribution of oceanic fisheries to national economic development is one of the challenges faced by the Pacific Islands group. The Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership Programme has been designed with the aim to address this issue and several others. A media release from the Pacific Community (SPC) yesterday said among the issues that would...

Business