PAY CUTS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS AS FIJI ECONOMY NOSEDIVES Submitted by admin on Fri, 07/21/2000 - 00:00
SUVA, Fiji Islands (July 20, 2000 - The Fiji Times/Fiji s Daily Post/PINA Nius Online) - A downturn in Fiji s economy resulting in a total revenue reduction of an expected F$153 million has forced a 12.5 percent pay cut for civil servants across the board, effective from August 1st, The Fiji Times said today.
(NOTE: F$ 2.1053 = US$ 1.000 on July 20, 2000)
Its front-page report said: This follows a directive issued by the Deputy Secretary for Finance (Budget Division) to the Information Technology and Computing Services on Tuesday to modify the payroll in order to accommodate the percentage reduction.
LADY SAMOA II FERRY BACK TO SEA Submitted by admin on Mon, 05/20/2002 - 00:00
APIA, Samoa (May 19, 2002 - Tala Nei News/PINA Nius Online) -Samoa s inter-island ferry Lady Samoa II resumed sailing between Savai‘i and Upolu islands last week after over a month out of service due to shaft failure.
Samoa Shipping Corporation general manager Mapuilesua Willie Nansen said the same Japanese company that built the vessel built a new shaft.
It took 45 days for the replacement shaft to be constructed and flown to Apia.
Lady Samoa II developed the shaft problem about two miles from Apia while on its way back from American Samoa, where it had undergone regular dry docking.
PNG POLL PREDICTIONS - BY THE EXPERTS Submitted by admin on Mon, 06/10/2002 - 00:00
By Colin Taimbari
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (June 7, 2002 - The National/PINA Nius Online) -Vote buying will prevail during polling. There will be election related violence in parts of the country. Ethnic and linguistic lines may influence a certain percentage of voting and women candidates will struggle again.
These are the general observations by senior political science lecturers at the University of Papua New Guinea, looking ahead to this month s Papua New Guinea general elections.
They were revealed to journalists at a news conference in Port Moresby.
NIUE TRIES TO GET ITS OFFSHORE BANKING MONEY Submitted by admin on Tue, 06/05/2001 - 00:00
ALOFI, Niue (June 3, 2001 - Niue Economic Review/PINA Nius Online) -Niue has hired an American law firm to try to persuade two United States banks to withdraw their bans on transferring funds from a Panama business registry to the cash-strapped island nation.
Premier Sani Lakatani said commission funds on registrations of international business companies through Mossack Fonseca in Panama totaled nearly NZ $1 million (US$ 410,500) since the ban was put into force. He said the country desperately needs the money to help run the government.
Niue has been on an OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) blacklist for allegedly participating in money laundering and tax evasion by offshore banking companies registered on island.
THIEVES STEAL VITAL HONIARA HOSPITAL CHEMICAL Submitted by admin on Fri, 01/18/2002 - 00:00
HONIARA, Solomon Islands (January 18, 2002 – Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation/Solomon Star/PINA Nius Online) -Honiara s Central Hospital is unable to send human tissue samples overseas for tests because the chemical needed to accomplish this was stolen.
The chemical is a medical alcohol used to process tissues removed from patients at the hospital to determine the kind of sicknesses they have.
The 40 liters donated by sympathizers in Switzerland was taken during a burglary of the Medical Store.
In other developments: The tourism industry is urging the newly elected government to quickly restore law and order in Honiara to encourage more tourists to come into the country.