Author: TMC Palau
More than 700 students and staff at Draiba Primary School will now benefit from a new multipurpose hall built by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Engineers Regiment. The facility was officially handed over by Officer Commanding 1 Combat Squadron, Captain P. Bilitaki, before being commissioned by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. But behind the new building is a story of commitment and sacrifice. Led by Staff Sergeant Kotobalavu Tawayaga, the engineering team worked mostly after school hours to ensure classes continued without disruption.Article continues after advertisement The soldiers reported for duty at 4pm each day, often working until 3am, before…
More than 200 farmers in Macuata now have easier access to markets after the completion of a $460,000 farm road aimed at improving transport and boosting agricultural productivity. More than 200 farmers in Macuata are expected to benefit from improved access to markets following the completion of a new 10-kilometre farm road. The Nubunisoqosoqo Farm Road in Dogotuki was officially opened this week under the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development’s Rural Outer Island Development Programme. The $460,000 project provides safer and more reliable transport links for farmers in Dogotuki, Udu and Cikobia to move their produce and farming supplies.Article…
There is hope that the Pacific Island contingent at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow will be able to win medals in bowling and boxing.Top Fijii men’s singles player Rajnesh Parasad is the best bet for a medal in the bowls, following his early three round wins so far.Prasad claimed his first win on Friday morning, when he beat England’s top bowler Sam Tolchard in a tie-break, after the two players were tied 1-1 at the end of two sets.Tolchard won the prestigious World Singles Champion of Champions title in November 2022 in New Zealand, and claimed the top title at…
FMF is expanding its footprint in the Northern Division with a new warehouse and electric vehicle showroom in Wailevu, Labasa. The company says the development will help address stock shortages caused by shipping disruptions while making it easier for customers in Vanua Levu to access its products and electric vehicles. FMF Sales Manager Ganeshwar Mani says the investment is focused on improving service delivery for customers in the North. “Sometimes there are times when boats are unable to come up, and people in the North experience out-of-stock situations. That’s why we’re building a much larger warehouse here to ensure we…
The FMF Duavata Northern Crime Prevention Carnival is marking 15 years of bringing communities together to fight drugs and crime through awareness, education and positive engagement. Organisers say what started as a carnival has grown into a platform that empowers young people, strengthens communities and promotes safer choices. The 2026 carnival will bring together contestants, communities, police and government agencies under the theme “Duavata for Everyone’s Safety and the Fight Against Drugs.” FMF Group Marketing Manager Maria Kumar says the event continues to play an important role in addressing social challenges.Article continues after advertisement “Because this event is much more…
The removal of the first abandoned vessels from Suva Harbour is finally moving ahead, with three derelict ships targeted in the first phase of a major cleanup project. The Derelict Vessel Removal Project Governance Committee has cleared the way for the first phase, funded through the Captain Johnathan Smith Fund. The project aims to address safety risks, protect marine ecosystems and restore the harbour’s environment. Permanent Secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr Lesikimacuata Korovavala, says careful planning was needed before the removal work could begin.Article continues after advertisement The Fiji Ports Corporation Limited will oversee the removal…
[Source: Reuters] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Russia wanted to bring in 30,000 North Korean troops. The reason being to take part in its more than four-year-old conflict and was already preparing to receive them. Under a mutual defense pact, North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 soldiers to Russia’s Kursk Region in 2024 to help Moscow beat back a major incursion into the region by Ukrainian forces. “We also see Russia’s cooperation with North Korea. Russia wants to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. “Preparations have been under way…
[Source: AP] In acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film, a grieving couple turns to technology to recreate what they have lost. “Sheep in the Box,” opening in U.S. theaters Friday, centers on a married couple whose son has died. To cope with their grief, they commission a humanoid made in his exact likeness. The title refers to “The Little Prince,” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s children’s book, in which a sheep is imagined as being hidden inside a box. For Kore-eda, the reference suggests that some of the most valuable things in life may be intangible, sustained by connections that cannot…
[Source: AP] The affray charge accepted by the defendants states that “Chris Brown and Omololu Akinlolu on February 19 2023 used or threatened unlawful violence towards another and their conduct taken together was such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety.” “This was a vicious and unprovoked attack by Brown and Akinlolu in a crowded nightclub where Brown used a glass bottle as a weapon to strike the victim’s head twice,” Claire Campbell, a senior prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, said after the guilty plea. Akinlolu joined in…
[Source: AP] It’s the tennis establishment versus pickleball enthusiasts at an uptight club in “The Dink,” a kind of spiritual descendant of “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.” The story itself is very by the books: A once promising tennis prodigy learns to get over himself and his disdain for the “lesser sport.” In one version of the world it could have been “The Cutting Edge.” But “The Dink” chose the grounded, goofy route, with memorably eccentric characters and a few high profile cameos that add up to an enjoyable watch. Jake Johnson plays the has been, Dusty, whose domineering father,…