News in brief
Help for boys
THE police force is working with the International Labour Organisation to help street boys learn skills which will enable them to find jobs. Deputy Director Police Operations SP Erami Raibe said the street boys receive counselling services at the officers mess every week from 1pm to 2pm. SP Raibe said their aim was to remove the stigma among people regarding the youths who had nowhere else to live. "The ILO has come in and will be teaching them how to put their skills to good use and get jobs for them which will in turn get them off the streets," SP Raibe said. He said the street boys should be given a chance to have a normal life and the community should help them in the process.
Overseas awards
THE Public Service Commission will reintroduce the Overseas Scholarship Scheme next year. PSC permanent secretary Parmesh Chand said 30 places were being offered to both pre-service and in-service applicants. Mr Chand said the successful applicants would attend training institutions in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and China. He said the decision to reintroduce the scholarships was part of the capacity building component of ongoing civil service reforms. The scheme, which was first introduced in the 1970s, was suspended in the late 1980s, after it was determined that Fiji's training needs were being adequately addressed by overseas donor agencies.
Arya to speak
FIJI'S Acting High Commissioner to Canberra, Kamlesh Arya, will present his views on issues relating to the country at the annual Pacific Islands Update in Australia today. A statement from the Australian National University yesterday said with the world's gaze firmly fixed on the Pacific after the recent series of tsunamis and earthquakes, leading experts from Australia, Japan, and New Zealand would gather today to cast their eyes over some of the most critical issues relating to Fiji, Tonga and the wider Pacific Islands. As part of the Australian National University's annual Pacific Islands Update, topics such as anti-corruption efforts, cultural knowledge, economic performance, constitutional reform and and regional infrastructure would be investigated. This year's update is being hosted by the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the ANU in conjunction with the Lowy Institute for International Policy.
Fire damage
THE National Fire Authority is investigating the cause of the fire that left eleven people homeless on Diwali night. National Fire Authority spokeswoman Mileta Ting said firefighters reached the scene within minutes of receiving a distress call but were unable to prevent the spread of fire to the rest of the house. Divisional Fire Officer Central/Eastern Qionilau Moceitai reiterated the National Fire Authority's fire prevention measures highlighted in the media over the past weeks, which aimed to raise awareness of the need for people to be extra careful while handling fire and fireworks during the Diwali festive season. No one was injured in the fire and the family is taking shelter at their relatives' house. Meanwhile, two brothers who suffered 30 per cent burns in a fire on Sunday are recovering in Labasa Hospital.
