The Fiji Times

Dutch PM Rutte calls for further investigation into Khashoggi’s death

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday that further investigations are needed after Saudi Arabia’s acknowledgment that journalist Jamal Khashoggi had died inside its Istanbul consulate.[nL2N1WZ1X9] “A lot still remains uncertain. What happened? How did he die? Who is responsible? I expect and I hope that all relevant facts will be...

Indian officials exchange blame for train ploughing into festival crowd

AMRITSAR, India (Reuters) – India’s railway officials and local community leaders traded blame on Saturday over an accident in which a train ran over scores of people gathered on the railway tracks for a festival in the northern city of Amritsar. Punjab state’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh told reporters on Saturday that 59 people had...

Thousands rally in Taiwan, call for referendum on independence from China

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Several thousand pro-independence demonstrators rallied in Taiwan’s capital on Saturday to protest against Beijing’s “bullying” and called for a referendum on whether the self-ruled island should formally declare independence from China. The rally, one of the largest seen on Taiwan this year, was organised by a group called Formosa Alliance founded six...

Afghanistan extends election to Sunday due to chaos at polling stations

KABUL (Reuters) – Voting in Afghanistan’s parliamentary election will be extended to Sunday in some constituencies after technical and organizational problems stopped voters casting their ballot in some polling centres on Saturday, government officials said. Abdul Badi Sayad, chairman of Independent Election Commission said the voting process will continue till Sunday in those places where...

Skull of ancient human found in burned Brazilian museum

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The skull of Luzia, the oldest known human fossil in the Americas, was found by researchers combing through debris at Brazil’s National Museum, which burned down in September, the Museum said on Friday. The skull, though damaged, was protected by a cabinet that fell over the glass box it was...

BepiColombo spacecraft starts seven-year journey to Mercury

TOKYO (Reuters) – A European-Japanese spacecraft set off on a treacherous seven-year journey to Mercury to probe the solar system’s smallest and least-explored planet. The BepiColombo mission, only the third ever to visit Mercury, blasted off from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 rocket at 10:45 p.m. local time on Friday (0145...

Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi died in consulate, Trump says Saudi account credible

DUBAI/GLENDALE, Ariz./WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia said on Saturday a missing journalist had died in a fight inside its Istanbul consulate and it had fired two senior officials over his death, an account President Donald Trump said was credible but U.S. lawmakers found hard to believe. Saudi Arabia’s acknowledgement that Jamal Khashoggi died in the...

Afghans vote amid chaos, corruption and Taliban threats

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghans began voting on Saturday in parliamentary elections overshadowed by chaotic organisation, allegations of corruption and violence that has forced a postponement of the vote in the strategic southern province of Kandahar. President Ashraf Ghani visited a polling station to cast his own ballot, requesting “that every Afghan woman and man should...

Lotto fever grips U.S. as Mega Millions jackpot hits $1 billion

(Reuters) – The drawing for the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history, a cool $1 billion, was held on Friday as lotto fever gripped the U.S. The lucky numbers 15, 23, 53, 65, 70 and the Mega Ball 7 were drawn on Friday night. The winner can opt for an immediate cash payment of $565.6...

British royals give gift of dignity to Australia’s war dead

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, brought the gift of dignity to Australia’s war veterans on Saturday, laying a wreath for those who died at an Anzac war memorial. The Prince, in military uniform, and his wife, respectfully clothed in a high-necked black dress by New Zealand designer Emilia Wickstead, silently...

Over 118,000 homes without power in Florida, Georgia after Hurricane Michael

(Reuters) – More than 118,000 homes and businesses in Florida and Georgia were still without power on Friday in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, power companies said. In total, more than 3.3 million customers lost power from Florida to New York after Michael struck the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10 as a Category 4 storm...

Comoros authorities sign pact to end standoff on island

MORONI (Reuters) – Five days of clashes between protesters and police in Comoros’ Anjouan island have subsided after the national government, local authorities and the Anjouan capital Mutsamudu signed an accord aimed at ending the violence, officials said on Friday. Anjouan has been shaken by clashes pitting security forces against young men angry at President...

Sagrada Familia cathedral gets building licence 130 years after work began

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) – More than 130 years after construction first began, Barcelona’s towering Sagrada Familia cathedral is finally to get a building permit, the city council and the monument’s official blog said. Cranes and scaffolding still flank the ornate spires of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi’s most famous monument, which draws some 20 million visitors...

Australia’s NAB cuts 300 staff over wrongdoing

SYDNEY (Reuters) – About 300 staff of National Australia Bank have been fired or left the company as a result of internal investigations into wrongdoing, Chief Executive Andrew Thorburn said on Friday, following public revelations of misconduct across the sector. Thorburn said he was ashamed of the bank’s behavior and admitted he had been wrong...

Briton, Canadian arrested in Thailand for graffiti on wall

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Two tourists charged with vandalism for spray painting graffiti on a wall in northern Thailand face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty, police said on Friday. Briton Furlong Lee and Canadian Brittney Schneider, both 23, were arrested at a guest house in Chiang Mai on Thursday and are being...

Russia and Uzbekistan launch work on nuclear power plant

TASHKENT (Reuters) – Russia and Uzbekistan began preliminary work on Friday on the first Uzbek nuclear power plant, a project Moscow estimates will cost $11 billion. The plant, to be largely financed by a soft loan from Russia, will allow Uzbekistan to use more of its natural gas for other purposes such as chemicals production...

U.S. student’s lawyer says “battle goes on” over Israel anti-boycott law

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A U.S. student’s court victory against the Israeli government’s attempt to bar her from the country may prove only a short reprieve in the “battle” over a law targeting some pro-Palestinian activists, one of her lawyers said on Friday. Lara Alqasem, 22, was allowed out of Tel Aviv airport on Thursday after...

Greek PM rules out snap polls after foreign minister quits

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ruled out a snap election on Friday following the resignation of his foreign minister, saying his administration still had backing from a majority of lawmakers. Nikos Kotzias unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday, becoming the first major political casualty of a Tsipras-driven campaign to end a decades-old name dispute...

Putin blames fatal college attack in Crimea on globalisation

KERCH, Crimea (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday blamed a mass shooting at a college in Crimea on globalisation, saying a problem that began in the United States had spread around the world through online communities on the Internet. An armed 18-year-old student in the Black Sea port city of Kerch killed 20...

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Macedonian vote opens way for historic deal, Greek PM says