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Heavy police presence: Officers deployed to carry out awareness campaigns – Tudravu
Heavy police presence was felt in certain parts of the country yesterday as information of an alleged protest against the passing of Bill 17 reached the Fiji Police Force. In Tavua Town, police officers in...
U.S. CDC chief says there will be no federal mandate on COVID-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Friday there will be no nationwide mandate for Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine, clarifying comments she made earlier during a televised interview. “To clarify: There will be no nationwide mandate. I was referring to mandates by private institutions and...
Turkish wildfire leaves charred home and ashes, as blazes spread
MANAVGAT, Turkey (Reuters) -Days after a raging wildfire in southern Turkey drove his family from the home they lived in for four decades, Mehmet Demir returned on Saturday to discover a burnt-out building, charred belongings and ashes. Bedsprings, a ladder, metal chairs and some kitchenware were the only things left identifiable after some of the...
Traditional roles a vital key in COVID fight
The role of the vanua in the battle against the COVID pandemic has always existed within the structures of the vanua which when activated became a safety net for those in the structure, says Roko Tui Tailevu, Mosese Nakoroi. However, he said, iTaukei people had been disobedient to government advisories and were very vocal against...
People over 50 and at risk of developing severe COVID urged to visit screening clinics
If you are over the age of 50 or have an illness that increases your risk of developing severe COVID-19, come to our screening clinics to get tested and put on the appropriate care pathway where you will be monitored by our health teams. That’s the plea of the Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James...
COVID-19 cases surge in Sydney as police cordon deters protest
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Sydney’s coronavirus cases continued to surge on Saturday as police cordoned off the city’s central district, preventing a planned anti-lockdown protest from taking place. There were 210 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 reported in Sydney and vicinities that are under a weeks-long strict lockdown while battling an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta...
U.S. issues new Cuba sanctions, Biden promises more to come
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States imposed sanctions on the Cuban police force and two of its leaders on Friday in response to the Havana government’s crackdown on protesters, and President Joe Biden promised Cuban-American leaders more actions were coming. The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions, which appeared to be largely symbolic, were a reaction...
Vaccine Task Force: Critical to improve clarity and transparency on evolving vaccine market
The Task Force Committee on Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics for Developing Countries says it is critical to improve clarity and transparency around the evolving vaccine market, expected production volumes, delivery schedules, and pre-purchase options. The Task Force – established by the heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and the...
Weather watch: Heavy swell alert remains in force
A heavy swell alert remains in force for the coastal areas of the Southwest and Southern Viti Levu from Nadi to Natadola, to Coral Coast, to Suva and up to Rewa. The alert is also in force for Southern coastal areas of Kadavu, Beqa, Vatulele, Southern Lomaiviti and Southern Lau group. In its weather bulletin...
Haiti police say former Supreme Court judge suspect in president’s killing
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Haitian police on Friday outlined fresh accusations against a former Supreme Court judge over her links to the assassination of President Jovenel Moise earlier this month, saying she had met with some Colombian mercenaries accused of killing him. The assassination of Moise has plunged the Western hemisphere’s poorest nation deeper into chaos,...
Argentina lakes turn pink but the outlook not rosy, environmentalists say
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Two lakes in a far-flung coastal region of Patagonia, in Argentina, have turned fluorescent pink, as of yet unexplained phenomena that local environmentalists fear could be harmful and caused by industrial contamination. The lakes, located near an industrial park on the outskirts of the Argentine city of Trelew, sprawl across a...
Delta variant rampant in Asia; Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia post record COVID infections
The Olympics host city Tokyo, as well as Thailand and Malaysia, announced a record number of COVID-19 infections on Saturday, mostly driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the disease. Cases surged in Sydney as well, where police cordoned off the central business district to prevent a protest against a strict lockdown that will...
U.S. sues Texas after it blocks transport of migrants in state
The U.S. Justice Department sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday, seeking to block an executive order that restricts the transport of migrants through the state and authorizes state troopers to pull over vehicles suspected of doing so. In a lawsuit filed in El Paso federal court, the Justice Department said Abbott’s order, which he...
Multilateral Task Force urges COVID vaccine manufacturers to scale up production
The Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics for Developing Countries says the supply of CVID-19 doses to COVAX, and low and low-middle income countries are delayed or ‘too slow’. And the Task Force has urged vaccine manufacturers to redouble their efforts to scale up production of vaccines, specifically those countries. The Task Force...
Thousands displaced as floods hit Bangladesh Rohingya camps
Heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and flash floods in refugees camps displacing thousands of Rohingya Muslims in southeastern Bangladesh this week, U.N. and other officials said on Friday, with further heavy rainfall expected. At least six Rohingya, including three children, died in landslides and flooding while 15 Bangladeshis were killed and more than 200,000 stranded...
List of selected general practitioners
The Fijian Government has published a list of selected private practitioners around the country under the ‘COVID-19 Engagement of Private Medical General Practitioners Scheme’ who have been approved for services in communities. The approved medical services are as follows: 1. Consultation 2. Review 3. Referrals 4. Injections 5. Dressings 6. Other minor dressings. “General practitioners...
Haiti police say former Supreme Court judge suspect in president’s killing
Haitian police on Friday outlined fresh accusations against a former Supreme Court judge over her links to the assassination of President Jovenel Moise earlier this month, saying she had met with some Colombian mercenaries accused of killing him. The assassination of Moise has plunged the Western hemisphere’s poorest nation deeper into chaos, and launched an...
What’s happening today!
Bula vinaka everyone. We hope you’re all staying well and safe with your families and loved ones in your respective bubbles, and practising every COVID-safety measure that have been advised. Our thoughts and prayers goes out to everyone, especially families who have had their loved ones and friends battling this virus in their homes,...
U.S. issues new Cuba sanctions, Biden promises more to come
The United States imposed sanctions on the Cuban police force and two of its leaders on Friday in response to the Havana government’s crackdown on protesters, and President Joe Biden promised Cuban-American leaders more actions were coming. The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions, which appeared to be largely symbolic, were a reaction to “actions...
COVID-19 cases surge in Sydney as police cordon deters protest
Sydney’s coronavirus cases continued to surge on Saturday as police cordoned off the city’s central district, preventing a planned anti-lockdown protest from taking place. There were 210 locally acquired cases of COVID-19 reported in Sydney and vicinities that are under a weeks-long strict lockdown while battling an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant. Saturday’s...
‘The war has changed,’ CDC says, calling for new response to Delta variant
The war against COVID-19 has changed because of the highly contagious Delta variant, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said, proposing a clearer message, mandatory vaccines for health workers and a return to universal masking. An internal CDC document said the variant, first detected in India and now dominant across the globe, is as contagious...
31st July
From the Editor-in-Chief’s desk: Your August 1 briefing
Bula everyone There was so much to celebrate tonight as Fijians lapped up the scenes at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, in the battle for the bronze medal in the women’s rugby 7s competition. After a nail-biter semi-final against New Zealand, the Fijiana were up against Great Britain to decide bronze medal winners. We were...
Ratu Suliano: “An election campaign budget’
Opposition member of Parliament Ratu Suliano Matanitobua says the 2021-2022 National Budget was a betrayal of the mandate given to Government by those who voted them in. In his contribution to the 2021-2022 Appropriation Bill, Ratu Suliano said everyone could see that the budget prepared by Attorney-General and Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum was nothing but...
Weather watch: Heavy swell alert in force for coastal areas
A heavy swell alert is now in force for the coastal areas of the Southwest and Southern Viti Levu from Nadi to Natadola, to Coral Coast, to Suva and up to Rewa. The alert is also in force for Southern coastal areas of Kadavu, Beqa, Vatulele, Southern Lomaiviti and Southern Lau group. In its weather...
MP: Frontline workers tired and overworked
Frontline workers are tired, dangerously overworked and do not have enough personal protective equipment, says Opposition MP Dr Ratu Antonio Lalabalavu. He made the comment during debate on the 2021-2022 Appropriation Bill this week. Dr Lalabalavu said some commentators felt frontliners should bear some of the blame for the spread of the virus because they...
International Space Station thrown out of control by misfire of Russian module -NASA
The International Space Station (ISS) was thrown briefly out of control on Thursday when jet thrusters of a newly arrived Russian research module inadvertently fired a few hours after it was docked to the orbiting outpost, NASA officials said. The seven crew members aboard – two Russian cosmonauts, three NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut and...
COVID-19: Fiji reports 1121 new cases and 6 deaths in two days
New positive COVID-19 infections on Viti Levu remain high with 1121 confirmed cases reported tonight for the 24-hour period that ended at 8am today. And six deaths have also been reported on July 29-30. In his COVID-19 update statement tonight, Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong said 241 cases were from the Western...
2020 Tokyo Olympics: Fantastic Fijiana win historic Bronze medal
The Fijiana side has won Bronze in the Women’s Rugby 7s event at the Tokyo Olympics. This after the Saiasi Fuli coached side beat Great Britain 21-12 in the Bronze medal playoff this evening. Alowesi Nakoci gave Fijiana the perfect start with two tries inside the first seven minutes as Fiji led 14-nil. Great Britain...
Police – Woman dies in road accident; six others treated and sent home
A woman in her late 50s is alleged to be the country’s latest road fatality victim after the vehicle she was travelling in veered off the Kings Road yesterday morning. Police said the woman from Verevere Village was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a 26-year-old man from Nayavutoka Village. The accident occurred near...
Peru’s Castillo names Marxist party member as prime minister
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo on Thursday named Guido Bellido, a member of his Marxist party, as prime minister, a move which dimmed hopes of a moderate left administration and will face an uphill confirmation battle in Congress. Bellido, a congressman, is a member of the self-described Marxist-Leninist Free Peru party, with which Castillo won the...
