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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Oct. 2) – A task force appointed to review Fiji’s Great Council of Chiefs after it was suspended in April has recommended sweeping reforms.

Fiji TV reports that among the recommendations is for the president to appoint the members of the new Great Council of Chiefs until the body meets to approve a new nominating authority.

The main aim of the recommendations is to make the body non-political and the report says chiefs will have to choose between serving in the Great Council or being involved in party politics.

Prospective nominees to the body who have been involved in party politics will not be eligible for membership and will have to undergo a 5-year stand-down period.

Chiefs not eligible will be those who have been a member of either house of parliament in the last five years, a candidate in an election or an office bearer of a political party.

Also not eligible will be those who are un-...

PAPEÉTE, Tahiti (Tahitipresse, Oct. 2) - The Shell Va’a team will head to Hawai΄i soon to defend last year's impressive victory in the Molokai Hoe outrigger canoe race, considered the world championship of long-distance canoe paddling. This year's 56th Molokai Hoe Race will be on October 7.

Shell, the fifth Tahiti team to win the race in Hawai΄i, set a record last year with a time of 4 hours 46 minutes 4.5 seconds for the 41-mile (66 km) race from Molokai to Oahu. Shell knocked 4 minutes 26.5 seconds off the previous record of 4:50:31 set by the Lanai Canoe Club in 2000.

Shell also was one of three canoe teams from Tahiti that finished first, second and third last year. But Shell's winning margin over Tahiti's Hitioa Era’i canoe club was the largest gap between first and second places since 1962, according to the Honolulu Advertiser newspaper.

Last year was the second time that Tahiti canoe clubs swept the top three places in the Molokai Hoe race, which has...

PAPEETE, Tahiti (Tahitipresse, Oct. 1) – Air New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic are preparing to operate the airline industry's first test flight of a commercial airliner partially powered by biofuel, according to two Internet news sources.

Both airlines are preparing to fly one engine of a four-engine commercial jet running partially or entirely on a biofuel. Virgin Atlantic's ground testing is well underway in the U.S., aiming for a biofuel flight early next year. Air New Zealand is looking at a test flight in late 2008 or early 2009, according to the Internet Web site for BBC News.

Air New Zealand plans to use a 747 aircraft, which is part of a deal signed by the airline, engine producer Rolls-Royce, and aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Virgin Atlantic has a partnership with engine producer General Electric and Boeing. A Virgin spokesman told the BBC that ground testing was well underway in the...

SUVA, Fiji (FijiSUN, Oct. 2) - As of yesterday, all Telecom Fiji Limited’s post pay international call rates dropped by 20 percent, as recently determined by the Commerce Commission.

The drop would see calls to countries in Band Z such as Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom dropping from around 75 cents to 60 cents [US$0.48 to US$0.38] per minute.

Calls to South Pacific Island countries will now cost around 75 cents a minute compared with the previous 94 cents per minute and other post pay international call rates dropped by 20 percent as well.

"We are pleased that we can offer our customers the new reduced call rates. We hope that our customers will take advantage of these new rates and keep in touch with their friends and families more often," says TFL Group acting chief executive officer, Taito Tabaleka.

Apart from international calls, inter-region call rates for post pay customers will drop by

about 10 percent from about 23 to 21 cents...