FijiTimes_July 17 2015.pdf

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$1.8M Allocated As Pay For MinisterA sum of $1.8 million was expensedas pay for ministers through budgetaryallocation by the Ministry of Finance.This was revealed during the PublicAccounts Committee sitting of which

he Ministry of Finance made itspresentations with regards to the AuditorGeneral's report ndings on the 2010,2011, and 2012 reports.The Ministry of Finance submitted adetailed report to the committee and waswelcomed by the committee chairman,Dr Biman Prasad.The report stated that disbursement ofpayments in the absence of necessarydocumentation compromised theransparency of payments being made,

and the non-redeployment of funds to

he Prime Minister's ofce distorted the

nancial data in respect to the nature andoperations of a ministry or department.Dr Prasad said they had dealt with anumber of issues, one of which was theminister’s salaries between 2010 and

2012."Obviously, we have been looking atthe Auditor-General's report and theAuditor-General has pointed out veryclearly that the proper documentationwere not made available to them," hesaid."We have asked the Ministry of Financeto provide us with those documents to go

back and look for those documentationfrom the Prime Minister's ofce and

probably from the Aliz Pacic Ltdwhich was the private company making

the payment of the ministers' salaries

between 2010 and 2012," he said.Dr Prasad said they were looking at tto bring a quick closure.He said this was and had been a maof public interest for a while and

was incumbent on the Public AccouCommittee, the Ministry of Finance the Auditor-General's Ofce to providclosure to this particular issue.He said there were other issues raisedthe committee members and the Miniof Finance would provide a report those issues on July 25.Meetings scheduled for August 4-7 wlook at those reports."What we are planning to do again i

provide a consolidated report from 20to 2013 to Parliament as we did for 20

to 2009."

Nadi Airport Upgrade Causes MinimalDisruption

THE upgrades at the Nadi InternationalAirport has caused minimal disruptiono businesses located at the port ofntry, says Airports Fiji Ltd executivehairman Faiz Khan.

Despite the limited space, Mr Khan

aid they had worked on improvingheir processes in terms of facilitatingpassenger movements so that it didnot hinder negatively on the ow ofpassengers.About $80million had been set aside forhe upgrade of the Nadi International

Airport, with New Zealand rm, Hawkins,ontracted to carry out the works.

"The feedback we are getting fromairlines and ground handlers is that ifanything, passenger ow and passengerfacilitation has improved duringconstruction compared with how it was

prior to construction," Mr Khan said.

"By September, you will have the rstoor of the departure lounge ready.Works on the upgrade are progressingwell. Like with any construction, wehave challenges so at the last minute,there had been some tweaks on design

by the architect and the contractor istrying its best to deliver on time."There is pressure on us. Right now,

most of our time is being spent making sure that we deliver NInternational Airport with the highdegree of quality. We are working hwith the contractor because we knthe expectation of the public in Fiji is

high. Everybody is looking forward tso it does put pressure on us."He said having the right infrastructur

place was vital for ensuring timely efcient processes.He said if a security guard standing atentry point to the departure area took minutes to check passports and board

passes, there would be long queues.

Government Minister Assists Rape Victim'

FamilyTHE Ministry of Local Government,Housing and Environment has assistedhe family of a nine-year-old girl who

was raped last week by providing themwith a new place to stay.Local Government, Housing andEnvironment Minister, Parveen Kumaraid the girl's family approached himaying that they do not want to live inhe area where they had been living forome time.The family was renting in the area for

ome time and they approached me

saying they are looking for a new placeto stay as they do not feel safe in thearea where the incident happened," MrKumar said."They are quite disturbed and scaredafter whatever happened to the littlegirl."Mr Kumar said he made arrangementsand showed the family a Public RentalBoard at, which they accepted."I've given the family a PRB at for sixmonths. If they can't get a place to move

to within the six months, then I will

review the situation and see what ministry can do to assist the family

behalf of the Government. The familhappy with the assistance given to thas far as shelter is concerned."The nation is shocked with what happened and I was obliged to asthem when they approached me with request for assistance."Meanwhile, police are still carryout investigations into the case and looking for the suspect while the vic

recovers.


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Ratu Inoke At Development ConferenceThe Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ratunoke Kubuabola is leading a Fijian

delegation in Ethiopia attending theFinancing for Development Conferencen Addis Ababa.

Ratu Inoke, in a press release, said theonference is of particular importance to

Fiji and other Small Island DevelopingStates (SIDS).He said it would provide a platform tovoice their vulnerabilities, remoteness,narrow resource and export base, andxposure to environmental challengesike natural disasters and climate change.

He said Fiji would call on thenternational community for a nancingor development frame work, whichackled underlying vulnerabilities andncorporates risk to ensure development

s sustainable.The Fijian delegation will also imploreor more exceptions for the SIDS toecure nances for development,” Ratunoke said.

He said the conference was to reach anntergovernmental consensus on the

nancing modality for development

and an agreed outcome for important

contributions to the implementation ofthe post-2015 development agenda.The four-day conference has attracted:

– high-level political representatives,

including heads of State and gove

and Ministers of Finance, Foreign and Development Co-operation, – Non-governmental organisations (NGrepresentatives of business and civil soc


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Foreign Ministers Reach ConsensusA number of successful outcomes wereeached during the Pacic Islands Forum

Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting onuly 10, 2015 in Sydney, Australia.

The 18 PIF member states, associatemember states, and the Council ofRegional Organizations in the PacicCROP) agencies agreed to workollectively on climate change issues

and management matters.The primary focus of the meetingdiscussed how best the PIF membersould strengthen national leadershipo manage natural hazards thoughupportive regional responses, andhe PIF’s international engagement

with Post-Forum Dialogue partners inpreparation for this year’s 46th Pacicslands Forum in Port Moresby, Papua

New Guinea, from September 7 to 11,2015.The experiences and lessons learnt fromCyclone Pam in Vanuatu, TyphoonMaysak and Fiji’s Post Disaster NeedsAssessment initiatives gave valuablensights into the discussions during the

meeting.The ministers’ successfully reafrmedhe need to continue to enhance disaster

management capacity building andollaboration on logistical arrangements

as well as expand measures that wouldpromote faster and better coordinated

responses to events in the region.There was a consensus to develop aPacic Resilience Partnership to bringkey actors to build co-operation, improvecollaboration and harmonise systemsthat would support nationally-ledresilience building and strengthening.They noted the work done to develop thedraft Strategy for Climate and DisasterResilient Development in the Pacic toimprove resilience.The outcomes of the World HumanitarianSummit, recently held in Auckland, NewZealand, also provided an important

backdrop for the Ministerial meetingOn the issue of international engagemthere was support to have high le

political dialogue on the region’s priointerests through robust Post ForDialogue. Recommendations were amade to have an enhanced role of Forum Foreign Ministers in deepenregionalism with suggestions to hannual meetings.The reports from this meeting willtabled for consideration at the ForOfcials Committee pre Forum meetin August 2015.

New Voters RegisteredEIGHTY-ONE new voters wereegistered as voters at the All Saints

Secondary School in Labasa.This was revealed by Deputy Supervisorof Elections Michael Clancy who addedhat out of these ve students had alreadyegistered with them and only had their

details changed yesterday at the school.Year 13 student, Thomas Hewson said he

was excited and proud to be registeredby the Fiji Elections Ofce, adding thathe could not wait to vote come the nextgeneral election.Mr Hewson said being registered at hischool meant that students such as himould now exercise their rights to freely

vote for a government of their choice.The next few years is going to bexciting for most of us as the next generallection approaches because it will be the

rst time for most of us to vote," he said.I thank the Government of the day andhe Elections Ofce for coming down totudents like us to ensure that we are part of

this important decision making processes."I would like to also urge our friendswho will be registering for the rst timethis year to do so with pride and lettheir voices be heard in the next generalelections by casting their votes."

Meanwhile, Mr Clancy said threceived a good response from studeat the school."We have teams travelling to schoin the country registering students making the registration cards," he sai


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Continued on Page 7

The Hostages Of ParliamentTHERE have been many developmentsn Fiji politically since time immemorial.

But there is one particular thing thathappened 15 years ago that is still freshn the minds of some people.

t is the political events of May 2000,which resulted in the Governmentmembers, including the deposed PrimeMinister Mahendra Chaudhry and hisdeputy Dr Tupeni Baba being heldhostage.While some of them may have spokenat other forums about their experienceof being a hostage, Dr Baba wrote abook which included his experience as ahostage for 56 days.As part of a new series, The Fiji Timeswill try and bring you interviews withome of those who were held hostage

and also take a look at the book Speightof Violence.Today, we give our readers a ashbacknto what happened on that day and thevents as they unfolded as far as the

hostages were concerned.T was about a year after the formation

of the People's Coalition Government.Fiji Labour Party leader MahendraChaudhry was the country's rst Fijianof Indian descent Prime Minister and hisdeputy was Dr Tupeni Baba.About 10:45am on May 19, 2000, the

Parliament was in session when somearmed men stormed in and took controlof the august house.t was a civil coup led by George

Speight, who had the support of someebel soldiers, chiefs and other people.

While the Opposition members were

released by the gunmen, Mr Chaudhry,Dr Baba and other government memberswere taken hostage by Speight.Apart from the local media, overseas

journalists and cameramen started

arriving into the country to report onwhat was happening.There was looting on the streets of SuvaCity minutes after the coup happenedand people in some rural areas also lefttheir properties and ed to safety forvarious reasons.On May 22, 2000, we reported that ninegovernment members of Parliamentwere released by their captives the

previous day.They were the then Assistant HomeAffairs Minister Gaffar Ahmed,Assistant Housing Minister John Ali,Assistant Information Minister LekhRam Vayeshnoi, Ra MP Krishna ChandSharma, Tailevu MP Ragho Nand,

Nasinu MP Suruj Mati Nand, Tavua MPsAnand Babla and Pravin Singh, and BaMP Ami Chand.After their release, 34 MPs were stillkept as hostage by the rebels.Mr Ali was also reported saying in thisnewspaper on that day that they weregiven two choices for their release.He was reported saying that the choicewas that they resign voluntarily or face

the consequences of being the rst to beshot by the captors when foreign forcesattacked.Furthermore, he had said that he wasnot sure of from who the captors wereexpecting an attack by, either soldiers orthe police.

Mr Ali had also testied receiving idtreatment from his captors, saying he not miss much while being held agahis will in Parliament for two days.Also on May 22, we reported fem

MPs telling this newspaper that twere well and supporting each other.They were reported saying that twere doing their best under the trycircumstances.Mr Vayeshnoi was also reported claimon that day that Speight held a machgun to his head and made him sign resignation."If not, pointing the gun at me, said 'that's it, I'm going to shyou',"Vayeshnoi had claimed.On May 23, 2000, it was reported the front page that a gun had been to Mr Chaudhry's head following wwas termed as a security breach at Parliamentary complex.Speight had conrmed to this newspathen that a gun had been put to Chaudhry's head after some men scathe parliament fence from the Draside.On May 24, it was reported tLabour Minister Michael Columand MP Nareish Kumar were relea

by the rebels because of their medconditions.

As the days passed, it was reporon what was happening inside outside the parliamentary complex, forgetting the reactions from oversgovernments and organisations.


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Continued From Page 6

remember being sent from Lautoka toLabasa then to relieve a reporter there,with my editor then Samisoni Kakaivalu

elling me shortly after the coup to catchhe rst available ight to Labasa.

While my stay there was meant for "onlya few days", I ended up staying there forabout two weeks and reporting on theituation in the Northern Division.

For those two weeks, I was the only guestat one of the hotels in Labasa Town andhings were quite boring considering that

a curfew was also in place at that time.Apart from a march by some drunkardshrough the streets of the town and the

murder of a taxi driver, there was not

much activity in what was seen as aghost town" then.However, on May 30, it was reportedhat the military was still negotiating to

have the hostages released by Speight'sgroup in Parliament.On June 1, 2000, it was reported Japanalling for the early release of hostages

and a peaceful end to the crisis in Fiji.There are no signs of the situation beingettled and we are deeply concerned

about it," Japanese Foreign MinisterYohei Kono had told a press conferencehen.

We expect an early release of hostagesand swift settlement of the situationhrough democratic processes inonformity with the constitution.We are gathering information to seef recent developments will lead to aelease of the hostages and normalisation

of the situation," Mr Kono had said.On June 5, it was reported the Fiji LawSociety saying that it was concernedwith continued captivity of hostageswithin the parliamentary complex.Lawyers, Anand Singh who was also the

Attorney-General then and GyanendraPrasad were also held hostage during therisis.

On June 6, it was reported the militaryelling Speight and his rebels to releasehe hostages, put down their weapons

and surrender.t was also reported on the same day that

hostage, Reverend Eloni Goneyali hadappealed to Christian ministers to preachand practise love and tolerance duringhe trying times.

Mr Goneyali had revealed in a letter toa close friend that most of the iTaukei

hostages spent their time reading and

reecting on the Bible, fasting and praying.On June 11, the country's oldest farmer’sorganisation, the Fiji Kisan Sangh calledon Speight to release his hostages in

order to prevent further problems for avast majority of people.It was reported on June 16 that talkswere continuing between the militaryand Speight's group for the release of thehostages.On June 23, it was reported that themedia was allowed to see Mr Chaudhry,his son Rajendra Chaudhry and otherMPs of his ousted government taking a

walk on the parliamentary lawn.Also, the New Zealand Governmappointed National Trauma RecovTeam was reported saying on the saday that the hostages were coping w

despite the abnormal conditions.While talks continued between military and Speight's group, hostages remained in the parliamentcomplex until mid-July.It was in the afternoon of July 2000 when the last group of hostagincluding Mr Chaudhry, were releafrom the parliamentary complex Speight.

The Hostages Of Parliament

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Accused Wife Murderer In CourtThe Sigatoka Magistrates Court hasemanded murder accused, Hem Ravnit

Singh, to appear before the High Courtnext month.Singh is charged in relation to the death

of his wife Saleshni Lata, 29, of TagitagiSettlement in Sigatoka.He appeared before magistrate TomasiBainivalu.Singh chose to seek Legal Aid assistance.He will now appear in the High Court inLautoka on August 4 where a decisionwill be made on the charge.He was detained after his wife’sdecomposed and partly burned body wasdiscovered by a group of pig hunters.

Police Say Vatuwaqa Resident's ComplainWas FalseThe Fiji Police Force says claims madeby Vatuwaqa resident, Ronal RiteshChandra that he was denied from linga police complaint on Saturday are false.Police spokesperson, Ana Naisoro saysChandra had called the Central Policetation on Saturday morning and lodged

an initial complaint of his mobile phonebeing stolen.She says the phone call was recorded

however due to the fact that he washeavily intoxicated ofcers were notable to get any useful information fromhim and asked him to return to the stationwhen he was sober.

Naisoro says Chandra later returnedand wanted to lodge another complaintclaiming he was allegedly assaulted.According to Naisoro, they had issuedChandra a Medical Examination Form

so he could get a medical report to vehis claims but he has not returned sinChandra had said that when he told Poofcers at the Central Police Statthat he wanted to le a complaint, thlaughed at him and chased him outsidThe Vatuwaqa resident wanted to l

police complaint after he was allegeassaulted by a security ofcer frommedia organization in Suva.

NZ Government Funds Over $800,000 ForWater And Wastewater Services Training

The New Zealand government is fundingmore than $800,000 for the water andwastewater services training to supporthe Water Authority of Fiji’s capacity

building programme.New Zealand Deputy HighCommissioner, Amanda Vercoe says 180mployees of the Water Authority of Fiji

are expected to benet from the series ofraining modules that will start this week

and will continue for the rest of the year.Vercoe highlights the total overseasdevelopment assistance to Fiji in 2014-2015 was around $20 million of whichabout $15 million was channelled throughour bilateral country programme.Meanwhile, Water Authority of Fiji’sCEO, Opetaia Ravai says it is absolutelyritical for the Authority to have wellrained and highly skilled staff to meet

he ever increasing demand for qualitywater and wastewater services in Fiji.

The training will be provided by theOpus International Consultants (Fiji) Limited using Opus EnvironmenTraining Centre bases in New Zealan

Water Authority of Fiji’s CEO, Opetaia Ravai (left) with NZ Deputy HighCommissioner, Amanda Vercoe (middle) and Brett Marais, Programme

Development and Implementation Coordinator at OPUS


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ISA Council President Calls For Attention ToPost-2015 United Nations Development Agenda

n his statement as the newly electedPresident of the Council at the 21stSession of the ISA, AmbassadorPeter Thomson of Fiji has called forhe Council to take note of the Post

2015-United Nations SustainableDevelopment Agenda blueprint.The Agenda’s 17 sustainable developmentgoals and 169 targets are new global goalsn areas critical to humanity – people,

planet, prosperity, peace and partnership– the outcome of two years of intensivepublic consultation, balancing economic,ocial and environmental development.

Ambassador Thomson drew theCouncil’s attention to SustainableDevelopment Goal 14 (SDG14) toconserve and sustainably use the oceans,eas and marine resources for sustainable

development” which include a range ofpecic goals related to marine pollution,

management of marine ecosystems andhe conservation of marine protected

areas and further commits to ensuring the

full implementation of the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea.He said SDG14 would bringaccountability to all organizationsand agencies that play a role in the

sustainability of ocean’s health and thatthe Council’s stewardship must always

be above reproach.He continued that it was within thisglobal context of equity, universality andsustainability that Council begin theirdeliberations at the ISA’s 21st session,vested with the management of over halfof the planet’s surface, (the Area).Ambassador Thomson was electedCouncil President for the 21st Sessionat the rst Council meeting on July14, 2015 and will preside over agendaitems which include the considerationof draft exploitation regulations andan application for a plan of work forexploration for polymetallic nodules

by China MinMetals Corporation,sponsored by the Government of the

People’s Republic of China.During the next two weeks, the Counwill also make decisions on the followmatters: -Decision on the application for p

of work submitted by China MinMeCorporation; -Decision on the proposed proceduand criteria for the extension of approval of plan of work for explorati -Decision on the report recommendations of the FinaCommittee, if any; -Decision on the report of the Chairthe Legal and Technical Commissionthe work of the Commission during session, if any; -Decision on the draft regulations exploitation of mineral resources in Area, if any; -Decision on the draft agreementcooperation between IMO and ISA; a -Decision on the draft MOU betwISA and the Pacic Community.


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A-G Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Did Not BreacPrivilege, Says Speaker

THE Speaker of the House has ruled last weekhat the Attorney-General did not breachparliamentary privilege while speaking inParliament during the May sitting.As such, a proposal by the Opposition to

efer his alleged breach of privilege to thePrivileges Committee was thrown out.During the parliamentary sitting in May,Opposition MP Semesa Karavaki allegedhat A-G Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum hadnterfered in the work of the Standing

Committee on Natural Resources.Mr Karavaki then proposed for thematter to be referred to the PrivilegesCommittee.While making her ruling last week,Speaker Dr Jiko Luveni said "I do notbelieve that the honourable Attorney-

General has breached any privilege inhis case, and the matter should not beeferred to the Privileges Committee."

She said contempt, as they relate toparliamentary committees, fell into

two areas — disclosing condentialcommittee deliberations; and tamperingor threatening a witness appearing beforea committee."In my view, the honourable and learned

Attorney-General is expressing anopinion about the committee's powers

and processes, and he is entitled tothat. His comments do not affect operation of the committee, and therefhave not transgressed any privilegethe Parliament. I therefore rule tha

will not be referring the matter to Privileges Committee," Dr Luveni sa

$150M UnpaidCheques

ABOUT $150 million worth of unpresentedheques that were not accounted for were recorded

by the Public Accounts Committee as of December1 last year.Committee chairman Professor Biman Prasad saidhis issue was identied in the Auditor-General'seports of the past several years.

Prof Prasad said unpresented cheques thatwere unaccounted for were recorded from allgovernment ministries and departments.An unpresented cheque is a cheque that is writtenbut has not yet been paid by the bank on which its drawn.t is also referred to as an outstanding cheque or aheque that has not yet cleared the bank.

He said this puts pressure on Government

ash ow at the beginning of the year. He saidGovernment was then required to raise short-termash, and the cost of doing that in the form ofnterest was ultimately paid by the taxpayers.What we are emphasising in the committee isor the Ministry of Finance, in conjunction withvery other department, should introduce systemso that the problem of unpresented cheques andts consequences can be reduced over a period ofime."

With the nancial management informationystem (FMIS) and the electronics transfer system,

he said, it was hoped that in the future there would

be less unpresented cheques, meaning less cost toaxpayers.


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Mohammed Saneem Explains ElectionFund Use

The Government and donors fundseceived by the Fijian Elections OfceFEO) are kept separately.

This was claried by Supervisor of Elections,Mohammed Saneem while presenting to

he Public Accounts Committee.Donor funds usually have their very

high requirement as well as Governmentunds and they are managed through

a trust account and the Government’sunds are managed through the

Government requirements and donorunds goes into the trust account whilehe Government funds comes from the

drawings account,”Mr Saneem said.He also highlighted that FEO did nothave an accountant or a senior accountingofcer between years 2010 to 2012.

Then in 2014, FEO was constitutedunder the 2014 Electoral Decree and MrSaneem was then conrmed as the newSupervisor of Elections.A lot of processes under the decree have

allowed FEO to divert from existingpractices and set up best practices

within the ofce to ensure integrity,transparency and accountability.”Mr Saneem also highlighted that FEOrecruited 1050 ordinary Fijians duringthe registration period. He said it wasimpossible to engage existing publicservice personnel because of the number

needed.He added that they had now started wthe next voter registration processavoid the last minute rush.“So far we have started with the schools had recorded 500 people registration a and we will be running this for 30 days.

$450,000 In Unpaid Public Hospital Bills In2012

A total of $450,000 was not paid by

patients who accessed services at thepublic hospitals for year 2012.During the Public Accounts Committeemeeting, Committee member AseriRadrodro asked the Health Ministryon what is happening with the revenue

arrears as the total stood at $427,000 in

2011.Health Ministry’s Principal AccountsOfcer, Ami Prasad says the arrears arefrom the hospital where people do not

pay when they are discharged from thehospital.

Prasad says it is a challenge to reco

the money from these people.The Ministry says they now havsystem in place where the patieneed to have guarantors if thaccess services that they have to pfor.


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$15M Drug BustA FIJIAN and an Australian are inpolice custody after they were found inpossession of 50kilograms of cocainevalued at $15million.Police chief of investigations andntelligence ACP Henry Brown said theeizure was made on Monday afternoonn Saweni, Lautoka through a jointollaboration between the Fiji Police

Force, Australian Federal Police and FijiRevenue and Customs Authority.Following weeks of extensiventelligence gathering, the joint operationeam closed in on the two suspects nearhe Vuda Marina, where the illicit drugs

were seized from the vehicle the twowere traveling in," he said.Further investigations also resulted inhe discovery of large amounts of Fijian

and Australian currency from one of theuspects' hotel room."ACP Brown said police continuedo work closely with their Australianounterparts to solve transnationalrimes and was appreciative of theirontinuous support.

"Those who have the intention or areinvolved in such illegal trades are warnedthat the Fiji Police has the ability andassistance of law enforcement agenciessuch as the Australian Federation Policeto ensure those responsible are broughtto justice."With investigations still into its earlystages, no further detail will be releasedat this point in time."Meanwhile, Vuda Marina generalmanager Adam Wade said assumptionsthat the incident involved the yachtingindustry were incorrect.He also said the incident did not involveanyone from the marina and the port hadtaken all steps to make Vuda a safe pointof entry."The marina has signed a memorandum

of agreement with various border controlagencies to ensure that the arrival anddeparture of vessels occur within allaspects of the law to ensure that Fiji isa safe destination for both tourists andlocals alike," he said.According to Mr Wade, the Vuda

Marina has a 24-hour seven days a welectronic video surveillance, paguards and gate control access. Marstaff members also work closely w

border police ofcers to ensure regumonitoring of any and all susp

behaviour."All vessels are proled by the relevauthorities prior to their arrival into country and if there are any questmarks about the integrity of the vesand its purpose of being in Fiji, vessel is thoroughly searched."To date, no vessel at Vuda Marhas been found to contain any illesubstances and through our clrelationship with border conagencies, we hope this continues into distant future."

He said the yachting sector was a v part of Fiji's tourism industry, generatmore than $35million towards the loeconomy."Having such incidents being incorrecassociated with the yachting industryharmful and unnecessary."

Double PenaltyGOVERNMENT has further weeded outhe rot in the Land Transport Authority

after passing the Bill to amend the LandTransport Act of 1999.Days after revoking the appointment ofhe LTA Board by the Transport Minister

Parveen Kumar, the Attorney-GeneralAiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum presented aBill which has been passed containingamendments to the LTA Act and said itmerged from the recent Land Transport

Authority report.The amended Act Bill will address someof the issues raised regarding certainamendments to the manner in which LTAonducts itself and the law pertaining to

hat.This Bill seeks to amend the Land

Transport Act, 1999. The Act amongother things makes provision currentlyor the awarding of demerit points forertain offences under the Act. These

demerit points however may be awardedby the Land Transport Authority or theourts in addition to penalty nes," Mr

Sayed-Khaiyum said.This was seen by most driving licenceholders as double penalty where despitehe drivers having paid their nes, they

would still get demerit points.Two days after Opposition Member of

Parliament Aseri Radrodro presentedin Parliament a petition from 95 PSV

drivers most of whom were taxi driversin Labasa of their grievances againstthe LTA, the Bill was passed foramendments.Mr Radrodro said the petition, was tohighlight to the House the severity of the

punishment meted out by LTA ofcers,including charging of offenders, ningof offenders, awarding demerit points onthe offenders' licenses and suspendinga licence for six months for the sameoffence."This double punishment system inits entirety is unconstitutional and

breaches the right of a person, equalityand freedom from discrimination underSection 26(1) of the Republic of Fiji2013 Constitution."As we all know that taxi driving is a

source of employment to low incoearners and therefore it would be uncal

for to rob them of their opportuni because of their survival and also survival of their family members," Radrodro said.Attorney-General Sayed-Khaiysaid the amendment for the Act wneeded to ensure that where x

penalty was to be paid for an offendemerit points were not awarded the authority."That is what we have seen that

been happening where people mactually pay a ne, then LTA unilaternotwithstanding the fact that they p

the ne decides to demerit the points tthey have as licence holders."The amendment removes the issuancdemerit points by the authority and githis power to the courts.


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1Fiji News

PM Hosted To Reception By Hong Kong-Fiji Chamber Of Commerce

The Prime Minister, Voreqe

Bainimarama, was hosted to a reception

by the Hong Kong – Fiji Chamber of

Commerce in Hong Kong.

The Head of the Government madstop in Hong Kong before travellonto China where he is leading a StVisit to Beijing.

At the evening’s reception, the PriMinister pointed to sound policand incentives as contributing facttowards Fiji’s consistent economgrowth.At the same time, Prime MiniBainimarama reiterated the incentithat Fiji can offer to foreign investincluding low to tax – free incentivFiji’s skilled labour force, Fiji’s positas a hub in the region and a stromanufacturing base.He cited other examples similar to ththat Chinese investors can capitalise

that will benet Fijians and investors

Fiji, Bhutan Strengthen TiesFiji and Bhutan further strengthenedheir bilateral relations as Fiji’s High

Commissioner to India, Yogesh Karan,presented his credentials to the King ofBhutan, Jigme K. Namgyel Wangchuck.The two countries formalised diplomaticelations on November 18, 2011.

The ceremony for the presentation

of credentials was conducted after amotorcade which led to the TashichhoDzong (the royal palace), a massive 17thCentury white-walled fortress that servesboth as administrative headquarters anda monastic centre, in Thimpu, Bhutan.The ofcial ceremony was an elaborateone where the country displayed itsvery unique tradition, with coloursand traditionally-attired Bhutaneseeremonial dancers and monks playingeremonial instruments.

King Wangchuck, in accepting MrKaran as Fiji’s Ambassador to Bhutan,aid both countries could work togethero further strengthen their diplomaticelations. Bhutan has the distinction of

being the world’s youngest democracy– having held parliamentary elections in

2013 for the rst time ever.Mr Karan conveyed Fiji’s message on

behalf of the President and said Fiji waskeen to work closely with Bhutan sincethe two countries have many similarities.King Wangchuck met Mr Karan afterthe ofcial ceremony to discuss howto promote and strengthen the bonds of

friendship and co-operation between thetwo Asia-Pacic nations.

Mr Karan invited King Wangchuckvisit Fiji, which the King kindly accepat time convenient.Later, Mr Karan called on the PriMinister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobto give a brieng on Fiji’s economand political progress after the 20General Elections. Climate change

the possibility of Bhutanese studestudying in Fiji were also discussed.


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14 Fiji News

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ANZ Chief Shares Ways With MbaStudents To Become Better Leaders

s leadership an art or science?The denition can depend on one’snterpretation of the topic and througheal-life experiences.

This is also how ANZ Fiji and Pacic

hief executive Vishnu Mohan feelsabout the topic.He spoke recently on this topic beforeMasters of Business AdministrationMBA) students of the University of the

South Pacic.Whether leadership is an art or science,t’s for anyone to decide,” he said.But as budding leaders, there are certain

qualities that need to be attained for thebetterment of a company.Drawing examples from short videos ofgreat leaders like Nelson Mandela, Mr

Mohan said only a great leader wouldput their personal feelings aside and holdno grudges to move the country forward.I personally would hold a grudge if I

had been sent to jail for a crime that I didnot commit and being discriminated,” heaid.

“But Mr Mandela thought of his countryand kept his focus on moving forward.That is one great quality we can all try tolearn from,” he said.“You all have something in mind on

what leadership eld you want to be inand wherever that is, you should do yourwork to the best of your abilities.“In Singapore they would get thetop qualied grades in each tertiaryinstitution’s and put them in publicservice departments.“The best are divided into differentsectors to upgrade each department theyare working in.“If we have good quality service inevery government department or privateinstitutions, don’t you think the country

would have better standards? As futureleaders you should always keep this in mind.”

The ‘meet the leaders’ forum is hevery trimester for MBA students to inspiration from successful people to have ambition, passion but most ofhumility for success.


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1Fiji News

Man Jailed For Attacking Elderly WomaA man who indecently assaulted andburgled an elderly woman at knife pointhas been jailed for seven and a half years.Dinesh Lal, 43 - an illegal over-stayerrom Fiji - will be deported after serving

a third of his sentence, the High Court atAuckland heard.n two and a half years he will be sent

back to Fiji and reunited with his 46-year-old wife Ranu who, it is understood,was also sent back to Fiji after she wasonvicted of obstructing police to help

her husband avoid arrest.ustice Edwin Wylie said Lal targetedhe Papatoetoe home because he knewhe owner and would likely have been

aware his mother was home.The defendant had bought cars from the

victim's son, who said he considered Lala "friend".He was eventually found guilty ofaggravated burglary, kidnapping andndecent assault at trial but his lawyer

Glenn Dixon told the court his clientontinued to deny the offending.

On January 8, 2014, Lal snuck in through

a laundry door at the defendant's addressand grabbed the 76-year-old as she wentout to bring in the washing.Lal was wielding a knife and had hisface covered with a cloth or mask as he

dragged the woman through the kitchenand into the bedroom.He threw her face-down onto the bedand covered her head in a towel while hetied her wrists with her own veil.As he forced his weight onto her, Lalsexually assaulted the victim before

punching her in the back three times.Shortly afterwards, the woman lostconsciousness and was left bound and

bruised on the oor while Lal ransackedthe house.He made off with $200.

Justice Wylie, who permanentlysuppressed the woman's name, said shesuffered injuries to her neck, back, jawand arm."The offending must've been terrifyingfor the victim," he said.According to her written statement shewas now scared to be alone and her son

had started working from home to gher peace of mind.

Crown prosecutor Glyn Hughes sthe attack was "premeditated, violand opportunistic" and urged

judge to impose a minimum-periodimprisonment to denounce Lal's cond

but also to protect the people of Fiji.However, Justice Wylie believed twas not appropriate.

Dinesh Lal has been jailed for sevand a half years


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16 World News

Colin Hill, Surrey Homeowner, Shot DeadTrying To Prevent Man From Breaking In

'We now have a widow and two children that don't have a father'

A Surrey homeowner trying to preventa man from breaking into his familyhome was shot dead last Sunday night

and a 22-year-old man with an extensiveriminal history was arrested after

allegedly eeing the scene.Police say Colin Hill, a 42-year-old realstate agent, got into an altercation withhe suspect, who was armed with a gun,

at his home at 165 Street and 64 Avenuehortly after 11:30 pm PT. The victimived at the home with his wife, also aeal estate agent, and their children.We now have a widow and two childrenhat don't have a father," says one

neighbour Deborah Boyer. "This is just

errible."Police said neighbours reported therewas some kind of disagreement insidehe home before the shots were red.

Hill's neighbour Pam Prudil was inbed watching TV when she heard thegunshots ring out.It was like ve 'pop pop pop pop' sounds.wasn't sure what it was. I thought it was

reworks and then I thought that soundsike gunshots," she says.

Chief Superintendent Bill Fordy says hes angry at the pointless loss of life.This was a tragic and truly senseless act

hat has no rationale. There's no questionhat these are the most painful moments

that a family can endure."Police investigation ongoingPolice continued to investigate onMonday. From the street, one could see

police tape and a bullet-riddled door.Police say the two men did not knoweach other."I would like to know what is the motivefor the killing ... because that way wewill be feeling more safe because it is nottoo far from us," says another neighbourJessica Orba.

The suspect ed the scene in what waslater determined to be a stolen vehicle,

police say.Several hours later, Burnaby RCwere called to an apartment arounda.m. at the 7300 block of MacpherAvenue after a witness reported a m

brandishing a gun attempting to brin. The suspect and vehicle matched description of the suspect in the Surshooting.The suspect, who has not been namand has an extensive criminal histoaccording to police, is set to appear

Surrey Provincial Court Tuesday to fcharges including second-degree murd

Colin Hill

Drug Addict For 25 Years Finds $3000 InCash And Takes It To Police Station

A BAG containing a staggering $3000 in cash is lying in a street and a hardened drug addict, who is in treatment, ndsWhat happens next?

I remember looking inside the bag andhinking ‘Wow that’s a lot of cash,”

he addict, a man who wishes not to benamed.But I knew I needed to do the right thing,”aid the man, who is on a narcotics

anonymous program and struggling tomake ends meet living off governmentwelfare.The man, who lives in the town ofBlenheim in Marlborough on NewZealand’s South Island, took it straighto Blenheim police station.

As he was reporting the lost cash, awoman came in to report to police thathe had lost the bag of $3000 cash

between her work and her bank.

“She was real happy. She couldn’t believe I had handed it in,” he said.

“It was hard, I wanted to keep it but Iam in recovery and they teach you to behonest.”The man has not touched drugs for 11months after a 24-year addiction tomethamphetamine but admitted thingsmight have been different when he wasa junkie.“But I got sick of living that way, I had

had enough of being high,” he said.The woman who lost the cash gave

man $50 and he said he would putowards registering his dog.The recovering drug addict’s friend AliLeoni told the Marlborough Express tshe was “very proud” of him.“He is a really thoughtful man,” she s“It must have taken a lot to hand it ovIt goes to show he has obviously turnhis life around.”

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1World News

Revenue Canada Writes Off Billions InDebt In Last 2 Years

Debts uncollectible because those owing had died, gone bankrupt, could not be located or lived outside Canada

Newly released records show the federalevenue agency has written off at least

$4 billion in debts in the last two years

— including accounts worth more than$10 million.Debts were declared uncollectiblebecause those owing had died, gonebankrupt, could not be located or livedoutside Canada, according to CanadaRevenue Agency records obtained underhe Access to Information Act.n other cases, ofcials considered it

not worth the expense to track downhe money owing or they reached aompromise settlement with the debtor.

The revenue agency said it makes everyffort to collect all tax debts from those

who do not pay voluntarily.Murray Rankin, the NDP's deputy revenueritic, questioned whether the governments doing enough to collect the substantialums owed to the federal treasury.They are not going after internationalax debt the way they should be," Rankinaid in an interview after reviewing the

newly disclosed documents.The outstanding balance in undisputed,unpaid taxes was $29 billion as of March 31,2012, the federal auditor general reported ina 2013 examination of the issue.

According to the latest federal publicaccounts, the revenue agency wrote

off $3.4 billion in debts in 2013-14,representing the lion's share of $3.7

billion in total federal write-offs.

The newly disclosed records do not alignneatly with scal years, but span the period from Jan. 12, 2013, through Oct.10, 2014, when just over $4 billion waswritten off.

Names and other identifying informationhave been stripped from the records for

privacy reasons. However, they provideinsight into the scope, nature and frequencyof the revenue agency's decisions.A January 2015 memo to revenuecommissioner Andrew Treusch covered

just one segment of the write-offs duringthe 2014-15 scal year, involving 700accounts totalling more than $306 million.Magali Deussing, a federal revenue agencyspokeswoman, declined to make anyoneavailable for an interview about the gures.A decision on whether an account isuncollectible and can be written off is

based on rules set out in the FinancialAdministration Act and other legislativeauthorities such as the Bankruptcy andInsolvency Act, Deussing said in anemailed statement.Under the law, an account may besubmitted for write-off only if "there is no

reasonable prospect of recovery," she said.The heavily censored revenue agency

records say the department's uncollectdebts committee examined all relevdocuments in coming to its decisions.

Write-offs of more than $10MThe records indicate that between Jand October last year, there appeared

be at least two cases in which the wroffs exceeded $10 million apiece.The emphasis a government placesdebt collection is "all about polit

priorities," Rankin said. "Are they goafter them as aggressively as they miin other countries?"Allowing debtors that owe more than million off the hook with "a stroke of

pen appears to be disturbing," he addeConcerns surrounding international evasion and aggressive tax avoidausing offshore accounts are not exclusto Canada — they are worldw

problems, Deussing said.The government's latest budget incluadditional monies to address avoidance by large organizations as was offshore non-compliance, she noteWhen a debt is declared a write-it does not eliminate the taxpayobligation to pay, Deussing added.The revenue agency "has the rightcollect the debt in the future, if and w

the taxpayer is located or the taxpaynancial situation improves."

UK Singer Wears 12 Layers Of Clothes ToAvoid Luggage Charge, Collapses From

Heat Exhaustion During FlightA British boy band singer has collapsedrom heat exhaustion during a ight

while wearing 12 layers of clothing in a

bid to beat the excess luggage fee.ames McElvar, 19, from Scottish groupRewind, was about to board an easyJetight from London Stansted airport toGlasgow when he was told he had onearry-on bag too many.

Staff said he was allowed to take onlyone bag on board, so would have to pay a$94 excess charge or bin his second bag.With his band mates already aboard andust minutes to spare, he made a snap

decision, emptying his rucksack anddonning the entire contents.McElvar was wearing six T-shirts, fourumpers, two jackets, one pair of shorts,

three pairs of jeans, two pairs of jogging bottoms and two hats."There was a lot of clothes," he said on

the band's Twitter feed."It was very difcult to walk onto the plane. I managed to sit in the seat for aminute or two. But I just couldn't takethe heat."Barely able to move, he could not evenget the seatbelt round him."I was sweating and they kept asking meto put the belt on but I couldn't sort it,"he said."It was just a nightmare I was having."As he was drenched in sweat and feelingsick, cabin crew laid him out, strippeddown, on an empty row of seats, wherehe was violently sick and then fainted.

The singer has no memory of the resthe ight and was taken off the planGlasgow Airport to a waiting ambulan


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18 World News

Vancouver Police Beef Up Security AfterCity Employee Killed

Separate 'serious incident' in Vancouver also under RCMP investigationThe possibly 'targeted' killing of aVancouver city employee in Burnaby,B.C., has led to a major police

nvestigation and beefed up securityat a number of city sites, including atVancouver City Hall.Several sources said the shooting victimwas a supervisor at the city.He was rushed to hospital after hewas shot on a residential cul-de-sacaround noon Wednesday and laterdied of his injuries. One neighboursaid that she heard some yelling andwhat sounded like five gunshots justafter 12 p.m. PT.The Integrated Homicide Investigation

Team has taken over the investigationand is working with Burnaby RCMP.This is a tragedy," said RCMP Cpl.

Daniela Panesar.The Burnaby RCMP is very concerned

about what has transpired here. Thereis no place in this community for thiskind of incident," she said. adding that

police's "investigative theory suggests itmay be targeted."'Serious incident' under investigationLater that afternoon, police wereinvestigating a "serious incident" inVancouver after a threat was made to acity employee.Vancouver police said they and the cityhave taken the unusual steps of securingseveral city sites, although they were not

placed under lockdown.Staff from the city's engineeringdepartment went through all oors in the

Crossroads building on Broadway Streetaround 4 p.m. PT and told employeesto evacuate the building. They wereasked not to return tonight if they werescheduled for work, but were not given

any reason for the order.Additional security and police ofchave been stationed at numer

locations, including city hall and Manitoba Works Yard. City staff h

been asked to carry on with businessusual unless otherwise directed by thsupervisors."The police do not believe that thera risk to the general public at this timsaid Sgt. Randy Fincham.Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertissued a statement saying additiodetails were not available, but RCwere investigating the serious inciden"This kind of incident is very challeng

for the thousands of hardworking swho come to work every day to mVancouver a better place, and their safand well-being is my utmost concerhe said.

Robots In Charge At Japanese HotelTHE English-speaking receptionist is a vicious-looking dinosaur and the one speaking Japanese is a female humanoi

with blinking lashes.

IF you want to check in, push one," thedinosaur says. The visitor still has to

punch a button on the desk and type innformation on a touch panel screen.From its front desk to the porter, whichs an automated trolley, this hotel inouthwestern Japan - aptly named the

Weird Hotel - is "manned" almostntirely by robots to save on labour costs.

Hideo Sawada, who runs the hotel aspart of an amusement park, insists usingobots is not a gimmick, but a seriousffort to use technology and achievefciency.

Henn na Hotel, as it is called in Japanese,was shown to reporters on Wednesday,

omplete with robot demonstrations,ahead of its opening to the public onFriday.Another feature of the hotel is theuse of facial recognition technology,nstead of the standard electronic keys,

by registering the digital image of theguest's face during check-in.The reason? Robots aren't good at ndingkeys if people happen to lose them.Staying at Henn na Hotel starts at 9000yen ($A100), a bargain for Japan, wherea stay in one of the nicer hotels can easily

ost twice or three times as much.The concierge is a doll-like hairless

robot with voice recognition that prattles breakfast and event information. It

cannot call a cab or do other errands.One area Henn na Hotel still relies onhuman beings is security.The place is dotted with security cameras,and real people are watching everythingthrough a monitor to make sure guestsstay safe and no one makes off with oneof the expensive robots."And they still can't make beds," saidSawada, who has also engineered therise of a popular affordable Japanesetravel agency.

He has big ambitions for his robot hoconcept and wants to open another

soon in Japan and later abroad. Healso eager to add other languages, suas Chinese and Korean, to the robvocabulary.In the hotel's rooms, a lamp-sized roin the shape of a fat pink tulip called Tanswers simple questions like "Wtime is it?" and "What is the weattomorrow?"You can also tell it to turn the rolights on or off. There are no switcon the walls.

The ceiling of a Russian military barrackscollapsed in Siberia Monday, causingfour stories to crumble and killing 23young men trapped inside.Rescuers searched for hours for victimstrapped under the debris of an airbornetroops training center in Omsk followingthe collapse that occurred in the earlyhours of the morning.

Nineteen people were injured.Authorities sent 10 gravely injured

victims to Moscow for treatment whthe Kremlin offered condolences to families of the deceased.The defense ministry would not specuon the cause of the accident but footage and video from the scene showan entire section of the building lyingruins. Ministry spokesman Gen.-MIgor Konashenkov said the building w

renovated in 2013 but he insisted tcould not have caused the collapse.

Barracks Collapse Kills 23Soldiers In Russia


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1World News

Stampede At India's Maha PushkaraluReligious Festival Kills 27

A stampede on the banks of a holy riverhas killed at least 27 pilgrims in southernndia, signaling a tragic beginning to aeligious festival season, ofcials have

aid.The stampede broke out about 8:00amlocal time) about two hours after thetart of the Maha Pushkaralu festival

which sees thousands of people bathe inhe waters of the Godavari River.Twenty-seven people have now beenonrmed dead in the stampede and

another 29 are injured," a spokesmanor Andhra Pradesh's chief minister

Chandrababu Naidu said.At least two of the 29 injured areritical."

While the identities of all the victimshad yet to become clear, a senior policeofcer said the dead included at leastour women and a 15-year-old girl.The incident happened as the rst set

of worshippers were coming out of theiver after taking a dip and then got inhe way of others who wanted to be inhe water at an auspicious time," said A

Srinivasan Rao, a deputy superintendentof police in Andhra Pradesh.n a statement posted on his ofcial

Twitter account, prime minster NarendraModi said he was "deeply pained at

he loss of lives due to stampede at

Rajahmundry" and offered condolencesto the families of victims, as well as

prayers for survivors.The chief minister's spokesman said thatan ex-gratia compensation payment ofone million rupees [around $21,000] hadalready been approved for victims of thestampede and the state government would

bear the full medical costs of the injured.The start of the Maha Pushkaralu festivalcoincides with the ofcial beginning of

the much larger Kumbh Mela festival,

which is being held at Nashik in western state of Maharashtra.Millions of pilgrims are expectedtravel to Nashik over the next tmonths, the site of a stampede in whdozens of people were killed when Kumbh festival was last held there tyears ago.The dates for the Kumbh Mela and Pushkaralu festivals are set by religileaders to coincide with the m

auspicious days in the Hindu calenda

Canada Ranked As 'Most Admired' CountryIn The World: Report

Canada is the "most admired" countrywith the "best reputation" in the world,according to an annual survey rankinghe reputations of developed nations

across the globe.The 2015 report from the Reputationnstitute ranked Canada as the mosteputable country in the world, based on

a variety of environmental, political, andconomic factors.

The Reputation Institute's FernandoPrado says Canada offers "somethinggood" in many different categoriesvaluated in the survey.We all love Canada because of severalhings," Prado told CTV's Canada AM on

Wednesday. In particular, he praised Canadaor its "effective government," "absence

of corruption," "friendly and welcomingpeople" and welfare support system.

However, there were a few categorieswhere Canada lags behind, Prado

said, explaining that Canada has a perceived lack of strong brand namesand companies, and is not considered a

particularly important contributor to theglobal culture.Despite its "less positive" scores,Canada's well-rounded performance inmost categories helped it regain top spoton the Reputation Institute's list, after itfell to second place in 2014.Canada held down top spot for threeconsecutive years prior to that, from2011 to 2013."Overall, Canada is a country that canoffer something good in all differentaspects," Prado said.The Reputation Institute surveyedapproximately 48,000 residents ofG8 countries to gather the data for itsrankings. Survey respondents were asked

to rank the reputations of the world's 55wealthiest nations (based on GDP) in a

variety of categories. Norway placed second on the followed by Sweden, Switzerland, Australia. The United States slotted i22nd spot.The Reputation Institute also produa separate list ranking countries baon what their citizens said about thhomelands. Australia ranked rst on "self-image" list, followed by CanaRussia, India and Germany, with U.S. in sixth place.Russia had the largest gap between thself-image and how they are perceiv

by other nations. Russian citizens scotheir country as the third-most reputacountry in the world, but other natiranked them 52nd out of 55 countrahead of only Pakistan, Iran, and IraqThe gap between internal reputation

external reputation was also large China, India and the United States.


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20 Health

Cranberry Juice May Protect AgainstKiller Diseases

Drinking low-calorie cranberry juiceocktail may help lower the risk ofhronic diseases, including heart disease,

diabetes and stroke, says a study.The World Health Organisation

stimates the trio of diseases annuallylaims 15.6 million lives around the

globe. Cranberries provide a richource of protective compounds - called

polyphenols - that support our body'snatural defences and help us achieve abalanced lifestyle to improve health.To nd the effectiveness of polyphenol-

rich cranberries, researchers from theUnited States Department of Agriculture(USDA) provided eight weeks' worthof meals to 56 healthy adult volunteers(average 50 years of age).

'At the start and end of the experiment,the researchers measured things like

blood pressure, blood sugar levels, bloodlipids, as well as C-reactive protein, amarker of inammation,' said ChristinaKhoo, director of Research Sciences atOcean Spray.One group drank a glass of low-calorie

cranberry juice twice daily. The otgroup drank a placebo beverage witsimilar colour and avour.Individuals drinking two glasses of localorie cranberry juice a day impro

across all these measures. It's a chathat adds up, and could be associated wa 10 percent lower risk of heart diseand a 15 percent lower risk of stroke.'These ndings suggest that polyphenhelp to protect our bodies, and m

be adept at keeping a large numberailments at bay,' Khoo said.

Lifestyle Changes Can Prevent Type 2

DiabetesHealthy food and regular exercise cankeep type 2 diabetes from affecting youruture.

With headlines warning of increasingnumbers of people with diabetes andprediabetes, you may wonder whetheryou can prevent type 2 diabetes orwhether diabetes is your destiny. Thegood news is that you can signicantlyeduce your risk of diabetes through diet,xercise, and other lifestyle choices.The question is, do we do the lifestyle

hange for all of society or just try tond the individuals who are at risk?”xplains Vivian Fonseca, MD, professor

of medicine and pharmacology and chiefof endocrinology at Tulane UniversityHealth Sciences Center in New Orleans.A recent analysis of 7,300 adults foundhat 13 percent have type 2 diabetes and

another 30 percent have prediabetes,which means they are at increased riskor developing type 2 diabetes in the

next 10 years.Diabetes: PreventionThere are some simple steps you canake to prevent diabetes:

Maintain (or return to) a healthyweight.Obesity is one of the leading risk factorsor developing type 2 diabetes. It may

be reassuring to know that if you areoverweight, dropping a moderate 5percent to 10 percent of your weightuts your risk of developing diabetesn half. A low-calorie, low-fat diet isecommended as the best way to control

your weight and prevent diabetes.Focus on fruits and veggies. Eating a

variety of fruits and vegetables every daymay cut your diabetes risk by as much as

22 percent, according to results from a 12-year dietary study of 21,831 adults. Yourrisk reduction is directly related to howmany fruits and veggies you consume.Cut out the sugary drinks. Health datafrom 43,960 black women showed thatwomen who drink two or more sweetdrinks a day (think soda or fruit juice)have a 25 to 30 percent higher risk ofdiabetes than their peers.Get moving. Getting at least 30 minutesof exercise a day can help you achieve

your weight loss goals and cut yourdiabetes risk — but exercise also hasa benecial effect on blood sugar andinsulin levels.Cut back on TV time. The hours youspend watching television are correlatedwith diabetes risk.“People who watch television [for] morethan 20 hours a week have much morediabetes than people who watch for 10hours,” says Dr. Fonseca.This effect may due to the fact that peoplewho are watching TV are not physicallyactive — or to the increased risk ofunhealthy snacking during eveningshows. Instead of parking yourself infront of the tube, use that time to take

a walk with your spouse, practice ydance moves, or play with your childor grandchildren.Type 2 Diabetes: Other Risk FactoBesides those who are overweightobese, certain groups of people haveincreased risk of diabetes and may nto take extra precautions with lifestchoices, early diabetes screenings,even medication to prevent or delay development of type 2 diabetes. Peowith an increased risk include those w

have:• A family history of diabe(especially a parent or sibling wdiabetes)

• A physically inactive lifestyle• Native American, Afric

American, or Hispanic heritage• A prior gestational diabetes diagno• Birth of a baby over nine pound

weight• High blood pressure or treatment

high blood pressure• Polycystic ovarian syndro

(PCOS) diagnosis• A history of heart diseaseDiscuss with your doctor whether yneed to be tested for diabetes.

Tip Of The DayHeart attack warning signs aren't always sudden or severe and some people don

experience chest pain at all.


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2Health

Aspirin 'Not Best' For PreventingStrokes

Doctors are being told not to routinelyprescribe aspirin for a common heartondition that increases stroke risk.

Guidelines from the National Instituteof Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

are set to recommend other drugs insteador patients with an irregular heartbeat,alled atrial brillation.

Warfarin or similar blood-thinningmedicine is best, says NICE in draftadvice to be nalised this month.The advice will affect hundreds ofhousands of patients.

But experts say most doctors alreadyollow the advice to prescribe blood-hinners other than aspirin and that the

guidelines are "playing catch-up" - this ishe rst time they will have been updated

ince they were rst issued in 2006Stroke preventionAtrial brillation (AF) is the mostommon heart rhythm problem, affecting

up to 800,000 people - roughly one in00 - in the UK.n AF, the heart cannot work as well as ithould and blood clots can form, which,

in turn, increases the risk of a stroke.Aspirin has been used for years tohelp protect patients from strokes, butmounting evidence suggests the drug's

benets are too small compared with

other treatments.The NICE guidelines for England andWales look set to say that althoughdaily aspirin might still be benecial forsome patients, most should be offeredsomething else as well or instead.According to its draft advice, NICEsays warfarin or a newer type of oralanticoagulant is often best.The British Heart Foundation said mostdoctors were already doing this.Prof Peter Weissberg, medical directorat the British Heart Foundation, said:

"Strokes caused by atrial brillation are both common and preventable but onlyif the abnormal heart rhythm is identiedin the rst place and if effective drugs aregiven to prevent blood-clot development."The revised NICE guidance reectsaccumulating evidence that warfarin andthe newer anticoagulants are much more

effective than aspirin at preventing strok"This does not mean that aspirin is important and effective at preventheart attacks and strokes in otcircumstances. Patients who are unc

on whether or not they should continto take aspirin should speak to thdoctor."Prof Peter Elwood, an expert at CarUniversity, warned it could be unsafsuddenly stop taking aspirin. "If aspis to be stopped, it should be stoppgradually," he said.• An irregular pulse could be a s

that you have AF• It will feel erratic, and beats may

variable in strength• AF is most common in people a

over 55• If you think you might have AF, yshould get yourself checked outa doctor

• Often, the underlying cause is found, but AF is more common

people with high blood pressure heart disease.

Top Causes Of Vitamin D DeciencyVitamin D is very important for the upkeep of bone and overall health.

Lack of vitamin D in the body can make

you a host for various chronic diseaseand infections. A Registered Dietitianand health blogger provides you withdetailed information about the causesof vitamin D deciency, so that you canavoid them for a good health.Vitamin D deciency can occur due to anumber of reasons -

. If you do not consume theecommended allowance of vitamin D

This can happen if you follow a strict

vegetarian diet as the sources of vitamin Dare of animal-origin like sh, sh oils, beefliver, fortied milk, cheese and egg yolk.2. If you do not get enough sunexposureThe skin generates vitamin D whenexposed to sunlight. You may not receiveenough exposure if you work indoorsmost of the time, wear long clothes that

prevent sun contact or have a dark skin

tone.

3. Your kidneys cannot convvitamin D to its active formAs we age, our kidneys become efcient at converting vitamin Dits active form and thus increasing chances of a deciency.4. Low rate of absorptionDigestive disorders like celiac diseor chrons disease can reduce the rateabsorption of vitamin D in the stoma

Short, Intense Workouts Are Key To SupeHealth

Health magazines are full of the benetsof short, intense workouts. Now, it hasound a place in a scientic journal too

as a new study reveals molecular secretsbehind intense workouts.n the study, scientists from The Scripps

Research Institute (TSRI) discovered theactivation of a single protein known asCRTC2 and its effects.The sympathetic nervous system gets turned

on during intense exercise, but many had

believed it wasn't specic enough to drivepecic adaptations in exercised muscle,"

said Michael Conkright who led the study.The ndings show that not only doesit target those specic muscles, but itimproves them - the long-term benetscorrelate with the intensity of theworkout, Conkright noted.Following high-intensity exercise,CRTC2 integrates signals from twodifferent pathways - the adrenaline

pathway and the calcium pathway.This directs muscle adaptation and

growth only in the contracting muscle.Using mice genetically modied to

conditionally express CRTC2, scientshowed that molecular changes occurthat emulated exercised muscles in absence of exercise.In the genetically altered animal modthis resulted in a muscle size increaseapproximately 15 percent."If you think of the adrenaline systas something that mobilises resourwhen you encounter, say, a bear on yway to work, what we found is that

system also gets you ready for your n bear encounter," Conkright said.


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22 For Woman

Wedding Make Up Dos And Don’ts Eye makeup should be so perfect that it draws attention to your face but is not distracting at the same time

Make up is an integral (and migraine-nducing we must add) part of weddings.

Most brides love to play up their eyes forheir weddings. However, refrain from

matching your make up to the shade of

your attire. Having two distinct lines ofolours in your eye shadow is extremelyacky. Eye makeup should be so perfecthat it draws attention to your face but is not

distracting at the same time. Before you goall out with your arsenal, go through ourdenitive list of do’s and don’ts:Absolutely do:Appoint a make up artistOk so you are good at doing your ownmake up but your wedding make uphould not look like everyday make up.t makes sense to get professional help.

Also, all the stress related to marriageeaves most brides jittery. Doing your

make up while you are a bundle of nervessn’t a good idea. Try and test morehan a few make up artists, discuss theook that you have in mind, and appointomeone who can give you exactly what

you want.Eye drops are handyLack of sleep, stress or just sheddingears (some brides do get emotional)

might leave you looking tried andrritated. You don’t want your eyes totch and look red. Try keeping a bottle of

ye drops at hand and make sure to use abrand you are familiar with. Remembernot to indulge in any product or regimehair and skin related) four weeks beforehe wedding.

Snooze

This is one of the most important andalso one of the most difcult advices tofollow. Indian weddings are known tosap the energy out of you. However, itis necessary that you get enough sleep to

look and feel fresh. Dark circles can becovered with concealer however, puffyeyes are more difcult to camouage.Matte eye shadowBridal outts are full of bling and so isthe jewellery. It makes sense to go easyon the bling make up-wise. Use matte eyeshadows since they don’t reect light soyour eyes won’t look shiny in pictures.Use a highlighter under the brow boneas this really makes your eyes stand out.Absolutely don’t:Go overboard with eye makeupAlthough a lot of makeup artists will betempted to load your eyes with makeup,steer clear of heavily done up eyes. It’syour wedding, not a Halloween partyyou are heading to.Coloured contactsThey spell crass with a capital C. Avoidall shades of blue, green, grey etc. Yourmakeup artist should do a fabulous jobwith your make up such that you don'thave to depend on contact lenses to makethem stand out. Unless you are wearing anatural shade of brown, stay away fromcoloured contacts.

Concealer that is too lightApply a concealer that matches your skintone. It must not be dark and certainlynot lighter unless you want to look likeyou have two headlights for eyes.Get carried away by trends

Some trends are classic, while soare purely fads. Five years down line, you might cringe looking at ywedding pictures. So stay away frtrends and opt instead for classic sty

or something that's an in-betweenNo dark eye shadowPerfectly done up smoky eyes loclassy. It’s a great look for weddings t

provided you do it with lighter coloYou want your eyes to look feminine

bridal but not punched. You are betterwithout colours like black, brown, grcharcoal etc.Frosty, shiny eye shadowsLike we said before bridal lehengas

jewellery are extremely blingy, so whit comes to make up you can leave shshimmery, sparkling, frosted make out. These types of eye shadows areect a lot of light which means thcould affect how you look in y

pictures (in a bad way).No tweezing on D-dayYou absolutely must not tweeze yeyebrows on your wedding day. You miend up with angry, red patches as you wdown the aisle and that surely isn't hyou want to look in your pictures.Wear falsiesIs your wedding day going to be yrst time wearing false eyelash

Then by all means don’t wear themyou still insist on wearing falsies, thtry wearing them a few times befthe actual day. You want to enjoy ywedding without having to worry abyour falsies falling off.

How To Get Model-Perfect Skin AtHome

Whether you're walking the catwalk ordown the high street, there is always anurge to look good but it requires a greatkincare routine, says an expert.

Experts of skin research company haveeamed up with make-up artist, who has

worked with models and celebrities andhares tips on achieving model perfectkin at home.

Luminous, clear skin is an essential baseor any make-up look so I always tell

my clients to invest in an appropriatekincare routine. You don't need to overomplicate things, just nd a couple

of staple products which cleanse and

protect the skin.

Start with deep cleansingWhen working with models on shoots orcatwalks, I always start by doing a deepcleanse. With as many as three shows

per day during fashion week, the make-up gets quickly scrubbed off for the nextshow and applied again and again.I always suggest using a product whichexfoliates, reducing the buildup of deadskin cells, which can leave the skinlooking dull and prone to outbreaks.Protect skin from sunIt is important to protect the skin. Sundamage is the main cause of skin ageingand it takes time and a lot of layers to

conceal the signs of UV damage, whichis why I always preach prevention.


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Parenting

Stop Spoiling Your Kids

Your primary job as a parent is toprepare your child for how the worldeally works. In the real world, you don't

always get what you want. You will bebetter able to deal with that as an adult if

you've experienced it as a child.f your parent/child relationship is based onmaterial goods, your child won't have thehance to experience unconditional love.

Be a good role model. We're not the onlynuence in our kids' lives, so we better

be the best inuence.Redene what taking care of yourhildren means. Are you providingor them emotionally and spiritually?

You need not buy them material goodsn order to create a bond. Instead ofangible gifts, how about spending someime together? Be careful that you aren't

eaching them that emotions can behealed by a trip to the mall.Don't let your guilt get in the way ofyour parenting. Your job as a parent isnot to make yourself feel good by givinghe child everything that makes you feel

good when you give it. Your job as aparent is to prepare your child to succeedn school and when they get out into the

world. Kids have to be socialized in a

way that they understand you work hardfor what you get. You don't want to teachyour child that they will get everythingthrough manipulation, pouting, crying,door slamming and guilt induction.

Make sure your children aren't deningtheir happiness and their status in theworld as a function of what they wearor drive. Sit down with them and havea one-on-one conversation about whatreally denes their worth — theirintelligence, their creativity, their caring,their giving, their work ethic, etc. If youspent equal time sitting down and talkingto them about what really mattered asyou do shopping, you might be ablecounterbalance the countless imagesthey see telling them otherwise.Understand "intrinsic" versus "extrinsic"

motivation. Intrinsic motivation is when people do things because they feel proud of themselves when they do it.They feel a sense of accomplishmentand achievement. Extrinsic motivationis when someone does something

because of external motivation. Forexample, they will receive money, a toyor privilege if they do the task. If youare always rewarding your child with

material things, he/she will never lehow to motivate themselves with interrewards like pride. They also will nelearn to value things because there aremany things and nothing is special.

Make sure your child understands value of hard work. For example, alwtell your boys, 'If you make C’s, yogoing to have a C standard of livingyou make B’s, you're going to have standard of living. If you make A’s, yogoing to have an A standard of living.If your child idolizes a celebrity, ask hher why. One young boy who looksto rich girls like Paris Hilton and NicRichie. What have either of them edone, except spend money that they from somebody else? What is it youlooking up to?

Your child does not have to love yevery minute of every day. He'll get othe disappointment of having been t"no." But he won't get over the effect

being spoiled.Help your child set goals. Teach him/that striving to own nice things is nhe/she understands how much hard wit takes to afford that, and then doesn't bhis/her self-worth around what she buy

Your Vision In ChildhoodYou've noticed your child squinting.Does he have a vision problem?Squinting can be a sign of nearsightedness,or myopia, as your eye doctor would callt. Nearsightedness is just one of severalommon childhood vision problems.

One out of every 4 kids has troubleeeing clearly. Often, parents don't knowhere's a problem. That's why all childrenhould get regular eye exams.

Clues for Childhood Vision ProblemsYour child's eyes cross or are not linedup with each other.The problem could be: Eyes that are notaligned (strabismus).What to do: Take your child to a pediatric eyedoctor. The doctor may put a patch over thetronger eye to strengthen the weaker one, or

prescribe special glasses or eye exercises.Your child has trouble seeing thingshat are far away.

The problem could be: Nearsightedness,or myopia.What to do: Have your child's visionhecked. Eyeglasses or contact lensesan improve distance vision.

Your child has trouble seeing things

hat are close up.The problem could be: Farsightedness,

or hyperopia.What to do: Eyeglasses or contact lensescan improve close-up vision.Your child has blurry vision.The problem could be: Your child'scornea (part of the eye) may be curvedand can't focus on images clearly. That'scalled astigmatism.What to do: Take your child for an eyeexam to see if eyeglasses would help.Other eye issues seen in kids include"lazy eye," which doctors call amblyopia.It often has no symptoms. It can befound during a regular eye exam, andcan usually be corrected (or improved)if it's found and treated early enough.Depending on the cause, treatment mayinclude an eye patch on the stronger eye,eyeglasses, or surgery in rare cases.Rarer vision problems in kids include:Glaucoma: A group of diseases thatdamage the eye’s main nerve. It's mostcommon later in life, though somechildren are born with glaucoma ordevelop it.Cataract: These cloud the lens of theeye. Cataracts are most common in older

adults. Some children are born withcataracts or get them from diabetes or

childhood diseases.Retinoblastoma: A rare cancer of retina.Watch Those EyesKids with vision problems will shsome similar behaviors, most notasquinting. Look out for these other sithat your child is struggling to see clea-Complaining about headaches or bluvisionClosing one eye-Rubbing the eyes-Complaining about pain in the eye-Redness, tearing, oozing, or crust in eyes-Having an eye that turns in, out, down, or wanders-Eyes that cross or can't focus-Trouble reading -- holding the boreally close to see the wordsIf you spot one of these symptomake an appointment with your chi

pediatrician or an eye doctor. Gettincheckup right away can let the docnd vision problems before they affect your child's sight and sch

performance. It is very important

watch your child, since many kids doknow something is wrong!


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24

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2Lifestyle

Indian Foods That Cut FatYou don't have to acquire a taste forolive oil, seaweed or soya to maintain aow-fat, healthy diet. Indian cuisine can

be healthy too, if it's cooked with oil andngredients that take care of your heart

and health.nclude all tastes — sweet, sour, salty,

pungent, bitter and astringent — in ateast one meal each day, to help balance

unnatural cravings. Here are some foodshat can help you lose weight and gain

health:Turmeric: Curcumin, the activeomponent of turmeric, is an object

of research owing to its propertieshat suggest they may help to turn offertain genes that cause scarring andnlargement of the heart. Regular intake

may help reduce low-density lipoproteinLDL) or bad cholesterol and high bloodpressure, increase blood circulationand prevent blood clotting, helping toprevent heart attack.Cardamom: This is a thermogenic herbhat increases metabolism and helps

burn body fat. Cardamom is consideredone of the best digestive aids and isbelieved to soothe the digestive systemand help the body process other foodsmore efciently.Chillies: Foods containing chilliesare said to be as foods that burn fat.

Chillies contain capsaicin that helps in

increasing the metabolism. Capsaicin isa thermogenic fo

Documents

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