News and information service for Banaban Network Worldwide!

All Blog Posts (1,094)

Getting lunch on Rabi

FIJI TIMES ONLINE Sunday, July 05, 2009

Aaron Tekenatang with the catch his brother speared.

EVERY afternoon when the bell rings at Banaban Primary School Bakaua Mateo rushes home as fast as his feet can carry him. After a hastily gulped down afternoon tea the energetic teenager spear, googles and snorkeling pipe in hand makes a dash for the jetty at Nuku… Continue

Added by Stacey King on July 6, 2009 at 1:39pm — No Comments

RABI - Sea, sand, sun, isolation and the people

FIJI TIMES ONLINE By Theresa Ralogaivau Sunday, July 05, 2009

Rabi Islanders

NOTHING beats an island 'tonic' when it comes to de-stressing tired minds. The 'tonic' here is the music, the sights and the sounds of the island. And this can be found on a 17,000 acre volcanic island off the north east coast of Vanua Levu. Rabi Island is home to about… Continue

Added by Stacey King on July 6, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

A sanctuary for women - Rabi Island Fiji

FIJI TIMES ONLINE - Sunday, July 05, 2009

The Women's Interest Centre at Nuku is a sanctuary for women on Rabi Island. It's a place where they can bring in their handicrafts to sell and contribute to the family income. It's also somewhere they can gather for a lively game of bingo that can become a hilarious affair as they regale each other with jokes and laughs. The interest centre is an initiative of the… Continue

Added by Stacey King on July 6, 2009 at 1:27pm — No Comments

RABI - A vision from the sea

FIJI TIMES ONLINE Sunday, July 05, 2009

Tepora Teaoti

RABI was a green vision that rose from the sea to the sky according to 84 year old Tepora Teaoti (Pictured), probably the oldest person on the island.

According to the elderly widow leaving behind devastated Ocean Island was painful but with little water and vegetation left due to extensive… Continue

Added by Stacey King on July 6, 2009 at 1:24pm — No Comments

NOPE Article on Life at Rabi High School (NOPE is the acronym for Network of Pacific Educators), a network implemented by USP Institute of Education (IOE)

From: Navitalai Halofaki [halofaki_n@usp.ac.fj]

Sent: Friday, July 03, 2009 12:00 PM

To: 'Koroata O'Brien'

Subject: FW: NOPE Article on life at Rabi High School Fiji

From: nope-bounces@usp.ac.fj [mailto:nope-bounces@usp.ac.fj] On Behalf Of Teweiariki Teaero

Sent: Friday, July 03, 2009 11:18 AM

To: nope@usp.ac.fj

Subject: RE: NOPE Article on life at Rabi High School Fiji

Dear… Continue

Added by koro on July 3, 2009 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

Marine park will receive aid from Pacific Islands, China

By Natalia Real editorial@fis.com www.fis.com Friday, July 03, 2009, 04:10 (GMT + 9)

Papua New Guinea's Pacific Island Countries (PIC) neighbours have offered aid in the form of capital and labour in exchange for the establishment, currently underway, of a PGK 803 million (USD 300 million) marine park in the province of Mandang’s Pacific marine industrial zone (PMIZ). According to Minister for Commerce and Industry Gabriel Kapris, preventative measures or “special conditions” must be… Continue

Added by Stacey King on July 3, 2009 at 9:55am — No Comments

RABI - A slice of heaven

FIJI TIMES ONLINE - Thursday, July 02, 2009

Ranjishwar Prasad with a student at Rabi High School

FAR from the mainland and the trappings of urban living, a Wainikoro man is enjoying being an island teacher. He grew up surrounded by the back-breaking labour often involved in green acres of cane farms and by contrast the deep blue of the shimmering seas that… Continue

Added by Stacey King on July 2, 2009 at 9:27am — 1 Comment

The rise of an Irish telco in the Pacific

ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA Wed Jul 1, 2009 9:09am AEST

The Irish-owned Digicel mobile phone company is to expand into Nauru - the sixth Pacific Island country to welcome Digicel. The company says it is building a pan-Pacific mobile service modeled on its already successful multi-nation operations in the Caribbean. Australia's Network's Pacific Editor, Sean Dorney, has been following the… Continue

Added by Stacey King on July 2, 2009 at 8:54am — No Comments

Life on an island

Fiji Times Online - By THERESA RALOGAIVAU Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Students of Rabi High School. Picture: THERESA RALOGAIVAU

STUDYING at Rabi High school is nothing short of a wholesome experience. There is the weaving of traditional island mats to be learnt, beading dance necklaces, plaiting raffia skirts, learning how to build canoes and the okatano. It's a… Continue

Added by Stacey King on July 1, 2009 at 12:28pm — 3 Comments

Banaban Rehab Radio Interview now available for download

Go to Banaban Vision - http://www.banabanvision.com to download a copy of the audio file for a radio interview by Radio Australia-Pacific Beat broadcast in June 2009

Added by Stacey King on July 1, 2009 at 10:43am — No Comments

Youth ambassadors prepare to set sail for Pacific

Radio Taiwan International - 26 June 2009

Foreign Minister Francisco Ou on Friday hailed Taiwan's "youth ambassadors" as they prepared to visit Taiwan's six allies in the Pacific region. Six teams made up of students from Taiwan's top universities will travel to Kiribati, Palau, Nauru, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands in early July. There they will hold summer camps with… Continue

Added by Stacey King on June 30, 2009 at 9:19am — No Comments

Pacific identity a concern

FijiVillage.com 26/06/2009

Pacific Islanders we have to maintain our unique identity and many youths are forgetting theirs and this is a concern. Pacific Youth Festival Organizing Committee member and Fiji Alumni President Jacob Itautoka said one of the pillars to be discussed will be Pacific Identity, due to the fact that modern times and the influence of the western society is slowly… Continue

Added by Stacey King on June 30, 2009 at 9:14am — No Comments

Somali piracy spreads fear to Pacific

By Phil Mercer

BBC News, Sydney

Funafuti Island in Tuvalu

Paradise lost... piracy a world away is ruining the lives of people in Tuvalu

The lawlessness of Somalia has spread fear and panic to one of the world's smallest and most isolated nations, tiny Tuvalu, that sits in the South Pacific Ocean near the International Date Line.

Eleven Tuvaluan seamen aboard the German cargo ship the Hansa Stavanger were abducted when Somali pirates stormed the vessel… Continue

Added by Mr. Atabi Ewekia Baoa on June 25, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Melbourne should bid for the next rugby union team of Pacific Islander

ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA Updated Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:56pm AEST

A former Wallabies coach says Melbourne should bid for the next rugby union team made up entirely of players from the Pacific islands.The Australian Rugby Union wants to boost the number of teams in the competition to15 but face stiff opposition from a number of countries for the right to host the new team. Even though John Connolly coached the… Continue

Added by Stacey King on June 25, 2009 at 9:46am — No Comments

Rabi Council owes FNPF $69,000

FIJI TIME ONLINE By SERAFINA SILAITOGA Thursday, June 25, 2009

AN island council in the Northern Division owes the Fiji National Provident Fund $69,000 in arrears for two years' contribution. The Rabi Island Council says plans are underway to involve the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption. Newly-elected council chairman Paulo Vanu-alailai said that unpaid contribution for their employees, some of whom have… Continue

Added by Stacey King on June 25, 2009 at 8:44am — 1 Comment

Kiribati says 52 HIV cases now known

RADIO NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL - Posted at 02:51 on 17 June, 2009 UTC

The number of confirmed cases of HIV in Kiribati stands at 52, according to Ministry of Health figures, but authorities believe others are infected. 20 women and 32 men are now confirmed HIV positive. The HIV/AIDS Coordinator Mamao Robate said two women were recently detected through voluntary blood tests.

She says two of those infected have gone… Continue

Added by Stacey King on June 24, 2009 at 8:36am — No Comments

Latest News - Rabi Update 23 June 2009

by Terikano Takesau Rabi (see photos attached)

Rabi Hospital Clean Up Campaign

The Rabi hospital Board of Visitors organized a clean up campaign last saturday 20th June which involved the cleaning of the hospital inside out.

16 students from Buakonikai primary school participated in the clean up campaign together with our medical officer, Dr. Sam Fullman, the staff nurses and the board members.

Despite the preparation for the external exams,these kids… Continue

Added by Stacey King on June 23, 2009 at 7:00pm — 1 Comment

Japan's financial hold on Pacific pro-whale votes

ABC RADIO AUSTRALIA Updated 2 hours 32 minutes ago

The International Whaling Commission's annual meeting begins tomorrow in Portugal, and again pro-whaling nations' arm-twisting for support from Pacific nations will no doubt take place. This time, however, the gathering will have some of the heat taken out of it as a number of contentious issues will not be up for a vote.

Presenter: Michael Cavanagh

Speaker: Sandra Pierantozzi, Palau's Minister for State and… Continue

Added by Stacey King on June 22, 2009 at 11:54am — No Comments

Rabi Council to Restore Ocean Island

The Fiji Sun

6/18/2009

Rabi council to restore Ocean Island

People of Rabi Island now have a chance to return to Ocean Island when rehabilitation works on their native island is completed.

Development plans are already underway to restore the island which was vacated in the early 1900 due to the phosphate extraction by European companies on the island.

The phosphate extraction ruined 90 per cent of the island forcing the native… Continue

Added by Mere Taberanibou on June 19, 2009 at 10:08am — 4 Comments

New hope for Pacific phosphate island - Banaban Rehabilitation

Nauru is another Pacific island country where phosphate mining wreaked environmental havoc. [AFP]

Last Updated: 36 minutes ago RADIO AUSTRALIA NEWS - Melbourne Australia

People forced from Ocean Island - or Banaba - in the Republic of Kiribati, by phosphate works have received a glimmer of hope about an eventual return home.

At present, some of the… Continue

Added by Stacey King on June 19, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments