DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad has questioned the claims made by Unity Fiji party leader Savenaca Narube and some ‘other irrelevant politicians’, stating he is unsure where they got the idea that the Government cannot do anything about the cost of living. Professor Prasad said this in response to the comments made by Mr Narube, criticising the Government for prioritising pay increases while ordinary families suffer. Mr Narube claimed the Government had failed to adequately address rising living costs, escalating corruption, the growing drug epidemic, and soaring national debt. “The cost of living is rising yet the Minister of Finance says that the Government is unable to do anything and blames the people for their high expectations,” Mr Narube said. “Corruption is increasing yet the Government does not have a plan to fight this war. “Drugs are threatening the future of our children, yet the...

MINISTER for Education Aseri Radrodro is urging heads of schools that recorded low pass rates this year to work with the ministry to improve their academic performance. Mr Radrodro, who joined ministry officials last week visiting a number of schools in the Western and Central divisions, said the ministry has begun engaging head teachers to discuss challenges that could be impacting student and teacher performance. “We are doing an assessment of these schools to find out what their needs are so that we can help in improving their student’s performance for next year,” said Mr Radrodro. “It was a very fruitful exercise where heads of schools identify the areas that needed to be addressed through the education system, through the stakeholders, through the communities, the vanua parents and their guardians. “I salute my heads to school for taking the courage to highlight the challenges that they have but I told...

The Ministry of Health has confirmed all seven individuals who had consumed a cocktail at the Warick Resort and became sick have now been transferred to the Lautoka hospital. The Ministry said out of the seven, four were Australians, one American and two foreigners who are residing in Fiji. The Ministry of Health & Medical Services said in a statement this afternoon, the seven were taken to the Sigatoka Hospital last night with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms after consuming a cocktail drink prepared at a bar at the resort. The affected patients’ age ranges from 18 to 56 years, and two patients have been transferred to Lautoka Hospital due to the severity of their condition, said the Ministry. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a travel advisory this afternoon for Australians to be alert to the “potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming...

The CIVICUS Monitor, a research initiative led by the global civil society alliance CIVICUS, assessed the state of civic space in 198 countries over the past year. Its findings are detailed in the report People Power Under Attack 2024, which was released last week. The monitor assigns each country a score based on data collected from civil society organisations worldwide, documenting incidents such as protests, censorship, arrests of human rights defenders, and harassment. Countries are rated on a scale from 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting more open and inclusive civic spaces. The report revealed that CIVICUS has improved Fiji’s civic space rating from “Obstructed” to “Narrowed” in its annual assessment, citing increased opportunities for civil society engagement and greater respect for fundamental freedoms. Fiji’s upgraded rating, highlighted in the People Power Under Attack 2024 report, acknowledges significant government efforts over the past two years to enhance civic space....