Author: TMC Palau

Melvin Mani and coach Alvin Chand.[Source:Fiji FA/Facebook] Extra Supermarket Labasa’s top goal scorer, Melvin Mani, will miss Saturday’s crucial Extra Premier League clash against Dayal’s Sawmillers Ba at Subrail Park. The Labasa star is one of 12 players who will watch this weekend’s round 16 from the sideline after accumulating two yellow cards. Also out for Labasa is Peniasi Rotidara who has two yellow cards as well. Mani, who scored the winning goal against Prithvi Navua last week, has netted six goals in the league after 15 rounds.Article continues after advertisement The Babasiga Lions are also going to be playing…

[Photo: FILE] A youth-elder buddy system, where young people regularly visit and support older persons, has been proposed to strengthen elderly care in communities. The idea was raised by Reverend Manasa Vatanitawake during an elderly care roundtable discussion in Lautoka yesterday. Inspired by a YouTube video, Reverend Vatanitawake says pairing young people with elderly persons could help them feel valued, included and connected. He says regular visits, conversations and simple acts of companionship could bring renewed purpose to the lives of older people.Article continues after advertisement Reverend Vatanitawake adds that young people could commit to visiting an elderly person in…

A Pacific geopolitical expert there is a risk that Pacific Islands’ priorities and security concerns are being sidelined by increased geopolitical competition and tensions in the region.Are there too many security alliances in the Pacific?Pacific WavesThis comes amid a growing number of security alliances being formed between Australia and Pacific countries, as well as new regional security organisations, and as China increases its footprint in the region.Anna Powles, an associate professor at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University, told RNZ Pacific that the already crowded regional architecture is becoming more complex, and that there is a…

Minister for Agriculture Tomasi Tunabuna. [Photo: PECELI NAVITICOKO] Fiji is stepping up efforts to reduce its reliance on imported agricultural products, with the government investing in better market access to help local farmers increase sales and boost domestic production. The country imported around $1.19 billion worth of agricultural goods last year, compared with approximately $300 million in agriculture and livestock exports, highlighting a significant trade imbalance. To address the issue, the Ministry of Agriculture has increased funding for the Agricultural Marketing Authority to establish two new collection and storage facilities, allowing produce from different farming areas to be consolidated before…

[Photo: FILE] Inter-island vessels are facing scrutiny over passenger overcrowding during peak travel periods. Members of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs questioned the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji on whether current checks are enough to stop boats from carrying more passengers than their approved capacity. The committee probed MSAF Legal Team Member Tui Kilakila on how passenger numbers are controlled before vessels depart from ports such as Natovi, Tukadavo, Tulau and Lomaiviti. Members said during festive periods, when travel demand increases, passengers often face crowded conditions onboard and questioned whether regular checks are being carried out to ensure vessels…

Barcelona”The sound of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra is unique in itself, and we must add to it the sonority of the theatre’s pit where it usually plays,” comments Katharina Wagner (Bayreuth, 1978), great-granddaughter of the composer of the tetralogy The Ring of the Nibelung and controversial stage director, who has found a gap in her extremely tight schedule – the 150th edition of the Bayreuth Festival, which she currently directs, kicked off on July 24 – to visit the Palau de la Música Catalana, where she has presented the “exceptional” tour that will begin in Barcelona on August 29. This…

[Photo: FILE] The Government has admitted Fiji’s correctional facilities are operating below United Nations minimum standards for the treatment of inmates. The admission comes as the Justice Ministry receives increased funding in the new national budget, with authorities now promising reforms to improve prison conditions. The Minister, Siromi Turaga, says Fiji’s correctional facilities have struggled to meet international expectations on inmate treatment, with more investment needed to improve infrastructure, services and overall conditions. “We actually have an increase. We have to manage with what we are given, but we’ll continue to negotiate with our partners. For inmates, they’ve been tried,…

Consider a small island developing state (SIDS) such as Tonga. In 2023, remittance inflows reached approximately 43% of GDP, making Tonga one of the most remittance-dependent economies in the world. For decades, remittances have provided a critical economic lifeline, financing household consumption, education, healthcare, housing and debt recovery. Similar patterns can be observed across many Pacific small states, where remittances sent by migrants abroad to their families back home have become embedded in national development trajectories. The migration systems that generate these remittance inflows appear to simultaneously weaken domestic productive and service delivery capacity. Fiji’s health sector illustrates this problem…

Overview: Vanuatu’s National Council of Chiefs is urging the country to prioritize feeding its own people before expanding taro exports, as it prepares to launch the ambitious 50,000 Taro Project. The initiative aims to strengthen food security by supplying schools, hospitals, correctional facilities and security forces while promoting community-led agricultural development. PORT VILA, 24 JULY 2026 (VBTC) — The President of the Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs says Vanuatu must feed its own people before looking at exporting taro overseas.  Chief Paul Robert Ravun made the remarks ahead of the launch of the 50,000 Taro Project, saying the initiative is…

[Photo: BOSE VAVATAGA] Josivini Naihamu was the biggest winner at the 2026 McDonald’s Fijian Drua Women’s Awards, taking home three of the night’s highest honours following an outstanding Super Rugby Women’s season. The rising star was named the 2026 McDonald’s Fiji Player of the Year, received the Encore Players’ Player of the Year Award, and won the Fiji Airways Try of the Year Award for her spectacular try, finishing ahead of fellow nominees Aqela Raitubu and Kolora Lomani. Speaking after the awards, an emotional Naihamu said she was both nervous and excited, admitting she never imagined she would be recognised…