Author: TMC Palau
Sun Insurance has described Mohammed Nouzab Fareed as a consultant in a new market announcement, despite previously announcing his appointment as Chief Transformation Officer in 2025. The clarification comes just days after Fareed was found guilty on two counts of indecent assault by the Suva Magistrates Court. In a market announcement, Sun Insurance said Fareed had been engaged as Chief Transformation Consultant for a 20-month assignment, which has now concluded. The company said the assignment had been successfully completed and acknowledged what it described as Fareed’s “sterling work” in achieving the objectives set for him.Article continues after advertisement However, the…
A 200-tonne crane with a reach of up to 60 metres is carrying out the demolition of Palau 4 and the current Palau de Congressos. The rubble will be recycled on site for the construction of the new multifunctional palace, designed by Smiljan Radić (recently awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize) together with Miquel Mariné Núñez, Beatriz Borque and César Rueda Bonet.The 20,500 m² complex will be arranged over two floors and built around a lightweight metal structure that opens up the façades and ties the building more closely into its surroundings. The scheme also includes a landscaped walkway along the…
[Photo: File] The Health Ministry has allayed speculation that stated that the Full Blood Count and other essential laboratory services will cease at the CWM Hospital from Monday. Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa confirms that these services will continue as normal. There were concerns regarding a possible suspension of these services due to an alleged shortage of laboratory reagents. Concerns were also raised that the Ministry was left with an outstanding payment to Roche Diagnostics for the reagent suppliesArticle continues after advertisement Ravunawa says the Ministry is managing internal administrative and procurement processes to ensure that laboratory reagents remain available.…
A pair of rare conjoined twins in Fiji – who were born ten months ago as part of a set of triplets – are about to have separation surgery in Saudi Arabia.Twins Di Cecea and Jesipeli Kikau were born eight weeks premature with their sister, Hossana, at the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital in the capital, Suva.”The doctors said this is the first case of conjoined twins in Fiji in 20 years,” their mother Akenata said in a video shared by Fiji’s Health Ministry.”When they were born the doctors said they might only survive for a few days. We are…
Launch of the Citizens’ Guide to the 2026–2027 National Budget The Government is aiming to make the national budget easier for every Fijian to understand, with the launch of the Citizens’ Guide to the 2026–2027 National Budget in three languages. Launching the guide today, Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel says the initiative reflects the Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and people-centred financial management. He says the guide allows citizens from all communities to better understand how public funds are collected, allocated and spent. Immanuel says consultations shaped the budget, which focuses on responsible spending, with $3.82 billion in revenue, $4.87…
[Photo: FILE] The fight to stay in the Extra Premier League next season is interesting with three points separating the bottom two sides and three rounds remaining. Tailevu Naitasiri has injected fresh life into its League survival campaign after recording consecutive victories for the first time this season. They defeated Nadi 1-0 before beating Global Care Suva 3-2 to collect six valuable points and remain in contention to avoid relegation. Tailevu Naitasiri now has 10 points and trails ninth placed side Nadroga by just three points.Article continues after advertisement A win this weekend afainst Navua would move Tailevu Naitasiri to…
[Photo: File] The decision to recruit guest players for the Vodafone Deans competition knockout rounds will ultimately rest with individual schools. Under the new Fiji Secondary Schools Rugby Union regulations, schools are permitted to include up to six guest players from eliminated teams within their respective zones. However, teams are under no obligation to use the provision and may instead choose to continue with the squads that qualified for the knockout stages. The flexibility means some schools could strengthen their line-ups with additional talent, while others may opt to maintain continuity by sticking with their original players.Article continues after advertisement…
Two Torres Strait community leaders have returned to Australia’s federal court this week to appeal the decision of their landmark climate case against the Australian government.Torres Strait elders challenge climate ruling decisionPacific WavesThe two elders, known as Uncle Pabai Pabai and Uncle Paul Kabai, claim the government has failed to protect them from the impacts brought on by the climate crisis.In 2021, the pair filed the first-ever negligence case in Australia, which was heard last year by a federal judge who found the government “does not owe” Torres Strait Islanders the duty of care to protect them from climate harm…
Varanisese Qoro at the Mc’Donalds Fijian Drua women awards night The rise of McDonald’s Fiji Drua Women Rookie of the Year Varanisese Qoro has come as no surprise to her father, Josaia Qoro, who says his daughter made a life-changing decision at the start of the year. Josaia revealed that he sat down with Varanisese and asked her to choose between pursuing employment and committing fully to rugby. “At the beginning of this year, I sat her down and asked her whether she wanted to work or play rugby. She replied saying she wanted to play rugby.” That decision has…
[Source: Reuters] Globally, people currently use roughly 7,500 languages, with English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic and French the most common, counting native and nonnative speakers. That is a lot of languages. But it is a far cry from the peak number historically. Researchers used mathematical modeling and insights from anthropology, linguistics and demography to estimate the number of languages used globally dating back about 12,000 years to around the end of the last Ice Age, covering a chapter in time called the Holocene epoch.Article continues after advertisement They identified a period spanning the first millennium BC and first millennium…