Westpac installs horizontal sliding flood plank barrier

WESTPAC Fiji has installed horizontal sliding flood plank barriers at its Nadi branch to protect its property and increase the ability to serve customers during flooding. In a statement on Monday, Westpac Fiji projects manager Bernadette Wakeham said they decided to take precautionary measures and install those floor barriers after experiencing three floods in the…

Commonwealth ministers to meet on global health priorities

When they meet in Geneva this week, health ministers from across the 53-nation Commonwealth community will put national and global health policy priorities front and centre. That will include strengthening public health systems, immunisation, nutrition, and communicable and non-communicable diseases. The Commonwealth health ministers meeting comes as governments worldwide look to agree new targets to…

Port Vila mayor visits MSG

THE major of the Port Vila Municipality (PVMC), Ulrich Sumptoh, his deputy Leimara Maraki, councillors of the PVMC, the town clerk, his deputy and heads of departments made an inaugural visit to the Director General and Staff of the MSG Secretariat Wednesday in Port Vila. The visit was a first for the Port Vila Municipality…

Call to end Fiji regime pay secrecy

RNZI: The Fiji Labour Party says the prime minister must provide audited accounts of his salary from April 2010 onwards, RNZI reports. This comes after Rear Admiral Frank Bainimarama told people in Rotuma that reports are wrong to suggest he was being paid nearly one million US dollars a year. The Labour leader, Mahendra Chaudhry,…

Meeting to assess their trade facilitation needs

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in partnership with the World Trade Organization (WTO) is hosting a four-day workshop on the new multilateral Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) from 12 to 15 May 2014 in Nadi, Fiji. The workshop will enable Pacific island Members to better understand the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement and update their Trade Facilitation…

Vanuatu named best Pacific water utility

NADI, FIJI – Vanuatu’s Electrique du Vanuatu Ltd was rated the Best Performing Pacific Water Utility of the Year according to the 2013 edition of the Pacific Water and Wastewater Utilities Benchmarking Report, released yesterday by the Pacific Water and Wastes Association (PWWA). The 24 utilities that participated in the benchmarking survey are supplying water…

Bougainville launching own public service

RNZI: The chief administrator in Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville says the launch of its own public service today will greatly benefit locals, RNZI reports. Running its own public service is a cornerstone of the Bougainville Peace Agreement but Port Moresby has, until now, not handed down the powers because it had deemed the province lacked…

Fiji first iron ore export almost ready

Fiji’s first iron sand ore resources from the Ba Delta is expected to be exported out of the country soon. The Mineral Resources Department has also confirmed that work on Amex Resources Limited’s multi million dollar port in Lautoka will also start next month. Three years ago the company was awarded a special mining lease…