Venkat Raman Fiji’s Parliament is to hold a special meeting on Friday, August 31, 2018 to elect its next President. Parliamentary Speaker Dr Jiko Luveni said in an official notification that the meeting will commence at 930 am to elect the next President of the Republic of Fiji. “In pursuance of Section 85 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic…
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Yogesh Chandra (Suva, Fiji) The Lautoka community is in a state of shock after a 59-year-old man and his wife were found dead at their home last weekend. It is alleged that the man, named Sundreshan Goundar, murdered his wife Lata, who succumbed to multiple wounds, and then took his own life. A neighbour said that he was in a…
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Venkat Raman Three words echo these days in every corridor of the government in the Republic of China: New Southbound Policy (NSP). From the Taipei City in the North to Kaohsiung in the South, one could sense the excitement in the new approach to diplomacy of a nation that has been struggling for world recognition over several decades. There is…
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Venkat Raman While the Republic of China (Taiwan) continues to register impressive strides in economic growth and social development, its anxiety to promote its cherished ambition of obtaining ‘Free Taiwan’ status through diplomatic recognition with the rest of the world remains strong. From a political standpoint, the country of 23.57 million people boasts of a robust democracy, a populist government…
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Venkat Raman Contrary to popular belief that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a ‘closed country,’ it welcomes new migrants from all over the world, although its demographic profile comprises largely of people from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and South East Asia. Interesting Figures As at the end of July 2018, there were 733,361 ‘New Migrants,’ settled throughout Taiwan,…
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Venkat Raman New Zealand shares a unique status with the Republic of China (Taiwan), with historic connections, although geo-politics and the ‘One China Policy’ has restrained recognition of the latter as a political entity. However, trade ties between the two countries have been growing and reached a significant milestone when a Free-Trade Agreement was signed in Wellington on December 1,…
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Tim Murphy When the High Court turned down the StuffMe merger of Stuff Ltd and NZME last year, the prospect of MediaWorks stepping into the ring to link with Stuff became a real possibility. Now, with Stuff’s Australian parent, Fairfax Media, being swallowed by Nine Entertainment, the rumbles for a Stuff-MediaWorks tie-up are growing again. For corporate engineers, there would be a few…
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Michael Henstock New Zealand Indian businesses celebrated Indian Independence Day by hosting a gala dinner at Naumi Hotel in Auckland on August 15, 2018. ‘India@72,’ organised by the New Zealand India Trade Alliance (NZITA), was attended by Diplomats, Ministers, Members of Parliament, top business associations and leaders of various Indian groups. NZITA Secretary General Sunil Kaushal said, “This is a…
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Supplied Content The Government is freezing MP salaries and allowances for a year while developing a fairer formula for future pay increases. The Remuneration Authority is due to make a decision on MP pay shortly. Cabinet approves move Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the Cabinet agreed today to freeze the salary and allowances of MPs until July 2019 and…
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Supplied Content The Annual Maximum Fee Movement (AMFM) for tertiary education organisations in 2019 has been set to 2%, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. Each year the Government sets a limit for any tuition fee increases charged by the tertiary sector for domestic students. Submissions considered “I have considered the six submissions received and believe that the increase strikes…
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