30 h. ago Fiji Pine clarifies lease and dividend process after online claims

The Fiji Pine Group of Companies has dismissed social media claims that some landowning units in Bua have not received lease rental payments. Executive Chair Ratu Rakuita Vakalalabure responded to a post by Australia-based creator Suliasi Daunitutu, saying all land rentals are fully up to date. Ratu Rakuita also clarified confusion over dividend distribution. While […]

Events

32 h. ago Sydney residents honour Bondi victims on National Day of Reflection

Mourners and community members on Sunday (December 21) gathered at Bondi Beach, laying flowers and paying respects as Australia marked a National Day of Reflection for victims of a mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at the seaside location one week ago. The attack, described by authorities as Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three […]

Events

5 d. ago Municipalities urged to conduct drainage work and not wait for relevant ministries

The recent heavy rains have raised serious questions about the lack of proper drainage in towns, cities, and urban areas around the country. Furthermore, with the Fiji Meteorological Service forecasting two tropical cyclones to pass through the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, with one having a high chance of intensifying to a Category 3 system, government […]

Politics

7 d. ago Limited airlift, airport size hold back North tourism arrivals

Tourism arrivals in Fiji’s Northern Division continue to lag, largely due to limited airlift capacity and inadequate airport infrastructure in Vanua Levu. Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka says the lack of larger runways remains a major barrier for hotels and community-based tourism operators trying to attract visitors to the North. Despite the […]

Society

7 d. ago Father and son behind Bondi mass shooting, Australia police say

Two gunmen who attacked a Jewish celebration in Sydney’s Bondi Beach that killed 15 people were a father and son, police said on Monday, as Australia mourned victims of its worst gun violence in almost 30 years. The father, a 50-year-old, was killed at the scene while his 24-year-old son was in critical condition in […]

Events

7 d. ago Eleven killed after gunmen target Jewish festival in deadliest Australia shooting in decades

New South Wales Police say 11 people have been killed in a shooting targeting the Jewish community, with 29 taken to hospital – including a child It is the deadliest shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur attack in 1996 The attack at Bondi Beach happened while an event was being held to mark the […]

Events

8 d. ago Engine failure forces United Airlines flight to return to DC

A United Airlines (UAL.O), flight bound for Tokyo was forced to return to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia on Saturday afternoon after experiencing an engine failure during departure, the Federal Aviation Administration said. A United spokesperson said the flight landed shortly after takeoff due to the loss of power in one engine. There were […]

Politics

8 d. ago England’s 2023 fightback a useful Ashes reminder for Australia’s Green

England’s fightback to draw the last Ashes series 2-2 is a useful reminder to Australia that they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas with a 2-0 lead this time around, Cameron Green said. Australia go into the third test, which starts in Adelaide on Wednesday, looking firmly in control of the five-match […]

Sport

9 d. ago Senior US Democrats urge release of Venezuela boat strike video

Democratic members of the “Gang of Eight” of U.S. congressional and intelligence committee leaders called on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to make public the full, unedited video of the September 2 strikes on a suspected drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean. “As some of the few members of Congress who have seen the complete, […]

Politics

9 d. ago Hazlewood not done with test cricket despite Ashes disappointment

Australia quick Josh Hazlewood intends to continue playing international cricket in all formats despite missing the entire Ashes series because of injury. At 34, Hazlewood was one of a half dozen Australia players who were considered to be approaching the twilight, and maybe the end, of their test careers during the Ashes series. Hazlewood’s involvement […]

Politics

1 week ago First climate migrants arrive in Australia from sinking Tuvalu in South Pacific

The first climate migrants to leave the remote Pacific island nation of Tuvalu have arrived in Australia, hoping to preserve links to their sinking island home, foreign affairs officials said on Thursday. More than one-third of Tuvalu’s 11,000 population applied for a climate visa to migrate to Australia, under a deal struck between the two […]

Events

1 week ago Ukrainian sea drones disable sanctioned Russian oil tanker in Black Sea

Ukrainian sea drones on Wednesday hit and disabled a tanker involved in trading Russian oil as it sailed through Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, a Ukrainian official said. The attack is the third sea drone strike in two weeks on vessels part of Russia’s so-called “shadow […]

Events

1 week ago Champions League: Man City downs Real Madrid as Arsenal, Juventus record victories

Nico O’Reilly’s opportunistic strike and Erling Haaland’s penalty helped Manchester City to fight back to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in a tense Champions League contest at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday. Rodrygo opened the scoring with a low shot from a counter in the 28th minute, with City looking exposed almost every time Madrid ventured […]

Sport

1 week ago Barrett warns Pacific facing rising transnational crime threat

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett says transnational crime is no longer a problem faced by just one country, it is a growing threat that now stretches across the entire Pacific. Barrett made the comment when asked about the KVT gang, after three Fijian nationals linked to the syndicate were arrested in Western Sydney this […]

Events

1 week ago Australia social media ban set to take effect, sparking a global crackdown

Australia is set to become the first country to implement a minimum age for social media use on Wednesday, with platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube forced to block more than a million accounts, marking the beginning of an expected global wave of regulation. From midnight (1300 GMT), 10 of the biggest platforms will be […]

Politics

1 week ago Indonesia says more than $3 billion in recovery funds required after Sumatra floods

Indonesia’s Sumatra island will require 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.11 billion) in reconstruction and recovery funds following a series of deadly floods, senior government officials said. The death toll from the cyclone-induced floods and landslides reached 950 as of Monday, with 274 people still missing, according to official data. The storms also killed about 200 people […]

Events

2 w. ago Playwright Jeremy O. Harris arrested in Japan over drug charge

Prominent American playwright and actor, Jeremy O. Harris, known for his Tony-nominated “Slave Play,” was arrested in Japan on suspicion of smuggling the psychedelic drug ecstasy, officials said Saturday. Officers at Naha Airport on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa arrested Harris on Nov. 16 for an alleged violation of customs law for having 0.78 grams […]

Events

2 w. ago Russian strikes kill four in Ukraine as new US policy released

Russia on Sunday welcomed the Trump administration’s new national security strateg y in comments by the Kremlin spokesman published by Russia’s Tass news agency. Dmitry Peskov said the updated strategic document was largely in line with Moscow’s vision. “There are statements there against confrontation and in favor of dialogue and building good relations,” he said, […]

Events

2 w. ago Australian man Johnson Wen jailed after grabbing Ariana Grande at Wicked

A Singapore court sentenced an Australian man to nine days in jail on Monday after he grabbed film star Ariana Grande at the Asian premiere of Wicked: For Good last week. Grande and other stars were attending the opening night of the film at Universal Studios in the city-state when the man, identified by court […]

Politics

2 w. ago PALM workers face job loss and visa uncertainty in Australia

When Susan Pinu was pregnant with her daughter, she was far from her home in Solomon Islands and found herself wandering an Australian town looking for help. It was not what she expected when she joined the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme in 2021, hoping to build a house and support her family back […]

Politics