News
STC Harold: Hurricane warning for Kadavu, Ono-i-Lau
A hurricane warning is now in force for Kadavu and Ono-i-Lau. The warning was issued by the Nadi Meteorological Service this afternoon as Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold gets closer to the Fiji Group. According to...
COVID-19: Man who smuggled into Lautoka lockdown area testes negative
A man who recently returned from Uruguay via Singapore and smuggled his way into the greater Lautoka area during the lockdown period has tested negative to COVID-19. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said the man was one of the 25 people who were tested for the virus yesterday. He said the man would be investigated for...
COVID-19: Fiji records one more case; total 15 cases
One more new case of COVID-19 has been recorded in the country. The 33-year-old man is the husband of a woman who earlier tested positive to the virus. The woman had contracted the virus after sharing a hug with Fiji’s first COVID-19 patient. Fiji now has 15 cases of COVID-19.
Iran death toll from coronavirus outbreak reaches 3,739 – health ministry
(Reuters) – The death toll in Iran from the coronavirus outbreak has reached 3,739, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV on Monday. The total number of people infected by coranavirus in the country has reached 60,500, he said.
STC Harold: Kadavu villagers warned to move to higher ground
The Kadavu Provincial Council has issued a warning for villagers on the island to start moving to higher ground as they brace for Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold. In a statement issued in the last hour, the council has urged all village headmen to start making the move as STC Harold had the potential of creating...
COVID-19: Taxi business takes a nosedive in Nausori – Chetty
Life has not been easy for many taxi drivers in Nausori following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. For many, this has meant taking home less pay, or returning the vehicles to their owners for an indefinite period. Arjun Chetty, 66, has been driving taxi in Nausori for 46 years now. He...
Fiji Airways takes A330 aircraft to Australia
Fiji Airways has taken its A330 aircraft to Brisbane and Sydney, Australia, as Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold approaches the Fiji group. Fiji Airways managing director and chief executive Andre Viljoen said the aircraft would return to Fiji once the cyclone threat had passed. “Two Fiji Airways’ B737 aircraft, along with the entire Fiji Link fleet, are...
COVID-19: Man alleged to have incited violence fronts court
A 24-year-old unemployed man who is alleged to have incited violence and disobedience of the law through a comment he posted on social media has been granted bail. Josaia Naitukunivalu appeared in the Suva Magistrates Court a while ago. He had allegedly posted a comment calling on people to breach curfew hours following a press statement...
COVID-19: Lautoka returning to normalcy
Life has seemingly returned to some sense of normalcy in Lautoka City this morning. Vehicles including public transport cued up along the main streets of Lautoka as people rushed to shops that were once closed over the last 18 days. Almost 80 per cent of businesses have reopened.
Water situation: Nadi residents advised to store up on water
Low to intermittent water supply will be felt in some parts of Nadi today, attributed to a burst of a 375mm water main along Queens Road. In a statement, the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) advised its customers residing within the affected areas to use water wisely for their immediate needs during this temporary disruption period....
Isolation a double-edged sword for West Bank’s Bedouin herders
AL UBEIDIYA, West Bank (Reuters) – Bedouin herders in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, already isolated by virtue of their nomadic lifestyle, have become more cut off than ever from ordinary Palestinian life since the coronavirus outbreak began. That isolation is a double-edged sword. They say their mobility makes them less vulnerable to catching the infection,...
Northern and Eastern roads open; some remain closed in Western and Central Divisions
All roads in the Northern and Eastern Divisions are open. The Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) has also advised members of the public to take extra precautions while traveling in present conditions with wet weather conditions forecast by the national weather service. In a statement, the FRA said several roads were being monitored for closure. “We...
COVID-19: ANZ offers loan repayment deferrals
With the economic downturn becoming more acute for Fiji and the other Pacific countries because of COVID-19, the ANZ Bank is now offering loan repayment deferrals of up to six months for Pacific customers financially affected by COVID-19. ANZ regional executive for the Pacific Tessa Price said loan repayment deferrals meant that qualifying customers would...
Slovak court sentences journalist’s killer to 23 years in prison
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) – A Slovak court on Monday sentenced former soldier Miroslav Marcek to 23 years in prison for shooting and killing investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova in February 2018. Marcek, 37, who was not present at the sentencing, had admitted guilt in the case, which led to nationwide protests and...
COVID-19: Man charged with inciting violence, disobedience of the law
A Tacirua man in Nasinu will be produced at the Suva Magistrates Court today for allegedly inciting violence and disobedience of the law through a comment he posted on social media. Fiji’s Commissioner of Police Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho said the 24-year-old had allegedly posted a comment calling on people to breach curfew hours following a statement...
COVID-19: 42 arrested for breaching curfew and lockdown restrictions
A total of 42 arrests were made in the last 24 hours. Police say these include two lockdown breaches where the suspects trekked through Wailoku to get to Delainavesi. Fiji Commissioner of Police Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho said the curfew arrests accounted for 17 of the total number of people arrested, and 23 people were taken...
U.S. small-business rescue loan program enters fourth day plagued by technical problems
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government’s $350 billion small-business rescue program entered its fourth day on Monday, plagued by technology and processing problems that are delaying disbursements to businesses hurt by the novel coronavirus, according to industry groups, bankers and an email seen by Reuters. U.S. lenders, inundated by thousands of loan applications, struggled to...
COVID-19: Kashmir temporary lockdown lifted
The temporary lockdown of an area in Kashmir, Lautoka, early this morning has been lifted. Police officers who set up checkpoints at entry points into the residential area were seen packing up their equipment at around 8.30AM. Vehicles were seen driving into the suspected lockdown area after the checkpoints were removed.
STC Harold: Harold to start affecting Fiji by tomorrow
Fiji is expected to start feeling the effects of Tropical Cyclone Harold by tomorrow morning. According to the Nadi Meteorological Service, a tropical cyclone alert remains in force for Yasawa and Mamnuca Group, Viti Levu, Kadavu and nearby smaller islands, Lomaiviti and Southern Lau Group. A heavy rain alert remains in force for the Yasawa...
UK PM Johnson moved to intensive care as COVID-19 symptoms worsen
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to an intensive care unit on Monday after his coronavirus symptoms worsened, but his Downing Street office said he was still conscious. Britain has no formal succession plan should the prime minister become incapacitated, but Johnson, 55, asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputize for...
COVID-19: LTA suspends driving tests, learners permit
The Land Transport Authority has suspended all driving tests, including learners permit from today. According to the Authority, this was due to the requirements of having an effective social distancing policy. “As soon as we are in a position to safely resume all driver testing, we will do so. Customers will be advised accordingly,” said...
Pakistan police clash with doctors protesting lack of virus protection gear
QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) – Riot police wielding batons used force to break up a protest by Pakistani doctors and medical staff against a lack of gear to protect against coronavirus, arresting dozens of medics who say the government has failed to deliver promised supplies. Reuters journalists at the scene, in the southwestern city of Quetta,...
Scots’ medical chief resigns after flouting own coronavirus rules
LONDON (Reuters) – Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood resigned on Sunday after she broke her own advice to stay at home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus by visiting her second home this weekend and last. Calderwood said that during discussions with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Sunday evening they agreed...
Canada coronavirus deaths jump 20%, Ottawa offers reservists full-time jobs
OTTAWA (Reuters) – The number of people killed by the coronavirus in Canada has jumped by just over 20% to 258 in a day, officials said on Sunday, while Ottawa offered full-time jobs to reservists in the armed forces. By 11:05 eastern time (1505 GMT), the number of those diagnosed with the coronavirus had risen...
COVID-19: Counselling provider receives 600-plus calls
Empower Pacific has received more than 600 calls from Lautoka and the maritime area from people who needed food and medicine and those who were traumatised by COVID-19. CEO Patrick Morgam said he was expecting more calls from the greater Suva area after it went on lockdown last week. The Lautoka-based counselling organisation activated its...
COVID-19: Fish supply steady despite lockdown – Kumar
Despite the challenges that come with the lockdown and curfew, Lautoka fishermen are trying to meet customer demand and make a decent living. Anish Kumar said despite the movement restrictions and limit on the number of fishermen per vessel, there continued to be a steady supply of fresh fish at the Sugar City market. “People...
Japan’s PM Abe to declare state of emergency as soon as Tuesday – Yomiuri
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will declare a state of emergency as early as Tuesday in a bid to stop the coronavirus spreading across the country, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, as the cumulative number of infections topped 1,000 in Tokyo alone. Abe will likely announce his plans to declare the emergency on...
American joins United, others in suspending more NYC flights on coronavirus spike
(Reuters) – American Airlines Group Inc <AAL.O> said late Sunday it would suspend more flights in and out of New York City’s three main airports for about a month, joining other airlines that have cut flights to the area following a spike in coronavirus cases. Between April 9 and May 6, American will operate a...
