1. New Na Sala Cava questions will be posted next week when a new approach to this feature will be announced. Scroll down for this week's questions.
2. The second commentary on the Forum MCG meeting fallout, promised for today, will now be published tomorrow.
(G) STATE LAND REGISTER UNDER REVIEW. The land register administered by the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources is currently under review to ensure an effective administration of state land, says Permanent Secretary for Lands and Mineral Resources, Lt-Col Neumi Leweni.
“With whole of Government seeking social stability and sustainable economic development, the state land register is crucial to these aspirations being realised,” Lt-Col Leweni explained. The ministry recognises that land is a source of wealth and for the ministry to unlock that wealth an effective system of state land registration needs to be in place. “Good land registration would enable Government to clearly determine the best use of the land and get maximum returns from it."In addition, Lt-Col Leweni says one of the major concerns is the poor policing of state land and the developments undertaken on these lands.
With rental arrears of approximately $22million as of May 2010, and 284 state leases to expire by the end of this year, Lt-Col Leweni stressed that the ministry will focus on how state land could be best utilised, to ensure maximum return to Government while at the same time contribute effectively to land reform in the country. -- Minfo release.
ONGOING VISA RESTRICTIONS imposed on Fijian military personnel by the Australian government has cost the Fijian side to play the Wallabies in Canberra on Saturday the services of two key players.
BUDGET AIRLINE VIRGIN BLUE is considering cutting its loss-making Fiji service rather that complete with Qantas and its budget subsidiary Jetstar.
FLY DIRECT AUCKLAND TO SUVA. Air Pacific has re-introduced direct flights from Auckland to Nausori, saving time and money for business and other people wishing to visit the capital.A Boeing 737-700 aircraft with eight seats in Tabua/Business Class and 110 in Pacific Voyager/Economy Class will be used. Tickets are for sale now.
TYPHOID UPDATE.The vaccination of all people in the outbreak area started yesterday.Parental consent is being sought for the vaccination of children. All pubic gatherings,sports functions, the sale of uncooked food and grog (kava) drinking are banned until further notice. The Ministry of Health is grateful to the assistance given by AUSAid and WHO. No further cases have been reported outside the affected area that is located in five villagers in remote inland Navosa on the main island of Viti Levu. There is no perceived threat to tourists if their normal sanitary standards are maintained.
Having said that, it would appear that some typhoid cases (not outbreaks) have been reported in many areas and that all up there are 263 reported cases. The actual figure could be much higher, with new cases being reported after mass gatherings such as weddings and funerals.
On a more positive note, World Health Organization officials in Fiji think a mass immunisation of the population over the age of two could "completely eradicate the disease." Funding is being sought for this purpose.
4 comments:
Yes croz, the Australian government are to be congratulated for the travel sanctions against the military junta. Fiji military personnel and/or their families are not welcome. If the junta don't like it - too bad - they can stop the team from coming. This of course won't happen. Let us all hope that the proud Fijian rugby team (sans junta) have a good tour and enjoy Ozzie hospitality!!!
The recent headlines of the Fiji times that two Boeing jets of Air NZ and VAustralia were within seconds of crashinfg into each other shows how the Fiji Times could have damaged Fiji's reputation.
Both Airlins have released statements denying that the planes were within seconds of crashing and were infact several nautical miles and hundreds of feet altitude apart.
It appears that someone from the Aviation Authority may have released the information and twisted to make it appear that disaster was avoided in seconds.
Come on Fiji Times put your act together and cross check your stories. Imagine what this story could have done to tourists booking flights to Fiji.
If this was an antiIG source then their motive shows what they really - selfish and reckless idiots who don't care a hoot about Fiji's economy.
@Proud Fijian
From FBC and cleared by the censor..........
"Confidential documents sighted by the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation describe an incident in Nadi airspace as a ‘near collision’.
The incident which has been reported here and overseas occurred between a Virgin Blue aircraft and an Air New Zealand aircraft on the 7th of May 2010.
Representatives of the two airlines have argued that there was never a risk of collision and that the two planes knew exactly where each aircraft was at all times. However the documents sighted by FBC News strongly suggests a very serious incident occurred in the Nadi airspace.
The Virgin Blue document describes the incident as ‘Near Collision with Air NZ B767’ while the Air New Zealand document describes the incident as ‘Traffic Collision Avoidance System’.
The airlines have told Fiji aviation authorities that an investigation was required, with Air New Zealand seeking a response within 10 days. "
BASA
Proud Fijian
‘Several nautical miles’ is a deliberately loose phrase. The radar on both aircraft would allow both pilots to know exactly how far apart the aircraft were.
However, assuming that 9 miles is the maximum (since if the aircraft had been ten or more miles apart the disingenuous airlines would have presumably termed the separation ‘tens of miles’), then we can calculate approximately how long it would have been before they crossed paths.
Assuming relatively slow speeds of 300 knots each (if one was on approach and one was on departure), the closing speed could have been 600 knots. It takes 54 seconds to cover 9 nautical miles at 600 knots.
54 seconds can therefore be taken as the absolute maximum the aircraft were apart from each other. As it was, one crew member made visual sighting of the other aircraft (therefore, given normal visual acuity, they were more likely to have been less than 5 miles apart) and the collision alarms sensors in both aircraft were activated automatically.
The separation could therefore have been as little as 20 seconds.
PF, you will no doubt be able to read the full result of the investigation later but a knee jerk reaction against FT or ‘anti IG sources’ for being ‘selfish and reckless’ in reporting this story – under media censorship - is uncalled for.
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