The Fiji Times

Nigerian court denies bail for separatist leader -lawyer

ABUJA (Reuters) -A Nigerian court on Wednesday denied a bail request for separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, who is standing trial on terrorism charges and for broadcasting falsehoods, one of his defence lawyers said. A judge said Kanu has to account for his whereabout following previous bail and refusal to attend court hearing, the lawyer told...

Russia expels 27 Spanish diplomats in tit-for-tat move

(Reuters) – Twenty-seven Spanish diplomats must leave Russia within a week, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Spain said in April it would expel some 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff from Madrid, joining other European Union countries that have ordered Russian officials to leave.

World in no better place to fight pandemics than before COVID – review

LONDON (Reuters) -The world is no better prepared for a new pandemic than it was when coronavirus emerged in 2019 and may actually be in a worse place given the economic toll, according to a panel set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) to evaluate the global response. A lack of progress on reforms...

Bezos’ Blue Origin delays 5th crewed flight

(Reuters) – Jeff Bezos’ space tourism venture Blue Origin delayed its fifth crewed launch that was scheduled for Friday as one of the New Shepard rocket’s back-up systems did not meet expectations. Blue Origin’s fourth flight landed successfully in March in west Texas after taking six passengers for a 10-minute journey to the edge of...

Twelve workers killed by wall collapse at India salt factory

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Twelve workers at an Indian salt factory were killed on Wednesday when a 3 metre high wall collapsed on them, government officials said. The incident took place in the town of Morbi in the western state of Gujarat. Police have launched an investigation. “The wall collapsed when the workers were packing...

Severe drought could pose problems for US power grid this summer -NERC

(Reuters) – The organization responsible for North American electric reliability warned energy shortfalls were possible this summer in California, Texas and the U.S. Midwest where extreme heat from a severe drought could cause power plants to fail. In 2021, numerous extreme weather events stressed the U.S. power grid, including the February freeze in Texas that...

Brazilians take on Braskem in Dutch court over city of cracks

LONDON (Reuters) – A group of Brazilians seeking to sue petrochemicals giant Braskem SA in the Netherlands, after tremors and gaping cracks forced thousands to abandon their homes, will hear in September whether the test case can proceed. Law firm PGMBM, which is bringing the case against Braskem and its Dutch subsidiary in a Rotterdam...

Portugal identifies five monkeypox infections, Spain has 23 suspected cases

LISBON (Reuters) – Portuguese authorities said on Wednesday they had identified five cases of the rare monkeypox infection, and Spain’s health services are testing 23 potential cases after Britain put Europe on alert for the virus. The five Portuguese patients, out of 20 suspected cases, are all stable. They are all men and they all...

Canada says China removes restrictions on imports of canola seed

(Reuters) – China has removed restrictions on imports of Canadian canola seed that were put in place three years ago, Canadian officials said on Wednesday. “Canada has been advised that China has reinstated access to its market for two Canadian companies that China Customs had suspended from exporting canola seed to China since March 2019,”...

London City Airport brings forward net zero target to 2030

LONDON (Reuters) – London’s City Airport has vowed to become net zero by 2030, accelerating an original goal of 2050 to get ahead of what it believes will be a move by large corporations to cut flying to reduce emissions, threatening its business travel. Located beside former dockyards a few miles east of the Canary...

Australia’s gas producers eye profits from carbon capture

BRISBANE (Reuters) – Australian oil and gas producers are eyeing future profits from carbon capture and storage (CCS) as the industry globally races to meet net zero emissions targets, even as the world’s largest CCS project, in Australia, struggles to hit capacity. Chevron Corp’s A$3 billion ($2 billion) facility linked to the Gorgon liquefied natural...

Oceans are hotter, higher and more acidic, climate report warns

(Reuters) – The world’s oceans in 2021 grew to their warmest and most acidic levels on record, while melting ice sheets helped push sea levels to new heights, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Wednesday. Oceans saw the most striking extremes as the WMO detailed a range of turmoil wrought by climate change in...

Japan nuclear regulator grants initial nod to Fukushima water release plan

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) granted an initial approval on Wednesday for a Tokyo Electric Power’s (Tepco) plan for releasing water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant into sea, citing there are no safety issues. The NRA plans to make a decision on final approval after a one-month public comment period,...

Sri Lanka to default on debt, no money for fuel, minister says

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka is expected to be placed into default by rating agencies on Wednesday after the non-payment of coupons on two of its sovereign bonds, while the energy minister said the country had run out of money to pay for fuel. An economic crisis unprecedented in the country’s history since independence in...

Finland, Sweden apply to join NATO, face Turkish objections

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Finland and Sweden formally applied to join the NATO alliance on Wednesday at allied headquarters, a decision spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but face objections from Turkey to an accession process that is expected to take only a few weeks. Neutral throughout the Cold War, Sweden’s and Finland’s decision to join NATO...

China Eastern crash probe eyes intentional action – sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Investigators looking into the crash of a China Eastern Airlines jet are examining whether it was due to intentional action on the flight deck, with no evidence found of a technical malfunction, two people briefed on the matter said. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that flight data from one of the...

Climate change is hurting insurers – report

LONDON (Reuters) – Climate change is hurting the insurance industry and only 8% of insurers are preparing adequately for its impact, consultants Capgemini and financial industry body Efma said in a report on Tuesday. Insured losses from natural catastrophes have increased 250% in the last 30 years, with perils such as wildfires and storms, seen...

Colombia presidential candidate Gutierrez reports microphone found in campaign office

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombian center-right presidential candidate Federico Gutierrez on Tuesday said a microphone had been found illegally installed in one of his campaign offices in the Andean country’s second city of Medellin. The microphone was found on Friday and police were immediately notified Gutierrez – who opinion polls put in second place behind leftist...

Authorities discover narco-tunnel on U.S.-Mexico border

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – U.S. anti-narcotics agents have discovered a drug-smugglers’ tunnel running under the U.S.-Mexico border and equipped with a rail track, electricity and ventilation system, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The so-called “narco-tunnel” led from the Mexican city of Tijuana to a warehouse 300 feet from the border in San Diego, California,...

Prehistoric fossil in Peru sheds light on marine origin of crocodiles

LIMA (Reuters) – The discovery of a prehistoric crocodile fossil in Peru from around 7 million years ago has given paleontologists more clues as to how modern crocodiles, all freshwater creatures in the Andean country, first came to land from the sea. According to a Peruvian research team that analyzed jaw and skull remains of...

In Europe’s first, Spain aims to introduce paid menstrual leave

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s leftist coalition government on Tuesday approved a draft bill to reinforce abortion rights and make Spain the first country in Europe to offer state-funded paid leave for women who suffer from painful periods. The minority Socialist-led government hopes to guarantee access to abortion across Spain and destigmatise menstrual health with the...

EU lawmakers vote for more ambitious carbon market overhaul

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Lawmakers on the European Parliament’s environment committee voted on Tuesday for a more ambitious overhaul of the EU carbon market than previously proposed, as they prepare to negotiate reforms to the bloc’s core emissions-cutting policy. Europe’s carbon market forces power plants and factories to buy CO2 permits when they pollute. It has...

Finland’s parliament votes yes to NATO

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland’s parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a proposal to apply for membership of the NATO military alliance in a historic policy shift prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. President Sauli Niinisto and the government decided officially on Sunday that Finland would apply for membership but the decision was pending parliament’s approval. Of...

Ethiopia, World Bank agree $300 million grant for reconstruction

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -Ethiopia and the World Bank have signed a pact for a grant of $300 million to assist reconstruction and recovery in conflict-hit areas, the finance ministry said. Fighting that erupted in the northern region of Tigray in November 2020, and spilled over into neighbouring Afar and Amhara last year, has eased since...

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth attends opening of London train line

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, whose public engagements have been limited in recent months due to mobility issues, made a surprise appearance on Tuesday at a ceremony to mark the completion of a long-awaited London train line named in her honour. Elizabeth, wearing a bright yellow hat and coat and using a walking stick, was...

Biden approves redeployment of under 500 ground troops to Somalia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized the redeployment of fewer than 500 American troops into Somalia, U.S. officials said on Monday, after Donald Trump ordered their withdrawal during his presidency. Prior to Trump’s withdrawal, the United States had about 700 troops in Somalia focused on helping local forces defeat the al Qaeda-linked al...

Burkina Faso rescuers find no survivors in flooded mine’s rescue chamber

OUGADOUGOU (Reuters) -Rescue workers have found no survivors in a rescue chamber deep inside a flooded zinc mine in Burkina Faso, the government and the mine owner said on Tuesday, all but extinguishing hope that eight missing miners could still be alive after a month. The Perkoa mine, owned by Canadian firm Trevali Mining Corp...

Depp lawyer questions Heard about drugs, love notes in defamation case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Johnny Depp’s attorney grilled the actor’s ex-wife Amber Heard on Tuesday, producing affectionate notes she wrote during their short-lived marriage to challenge her accounts of frequent violence and bolster the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star’s case for defamation. Depp, 58, is suing Heard for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she...

Australian PM touts fiscal discipline in final election campaign lap

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s ruling coalition on Tuesday pledged to fund A$2.3 billion ($1.60 billion) worth of its election promises by curbing public sector spending over the next four years, which it said would also further reduce the budget deficit. With the national election just four days away on Saturday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said...

World

Australian leaders focus on undecided voters in final campaign push