The Fiji Times

Kabul blast a setback for Afghan women seeking education against the odds

KABUL (Reuters) – Raihana, 19, wanted to be a doctor, studying until midnight in recent weeks for Afghanistan’s university entrance exam, a chance for women to advance their education even as they face growing restrictions from the Taliban government. Her diligent preparation ended on Friday when a suicide attacker detonated his explosives during a practice...

Violence, mismanagement plague volatile Indonesian scene

(Reuters) – Volatile crowds and violent fan groups have long been a hallmark of Indonesian soccer, left reeling from Saturday’s rioting in East Java in which 129 people were killed following Arema FC’s defeat by Persebaya Surabaya. The sport is the country’s most popular, with huge crowds turning out for bitter clashes between local rivals...

Hurricane-ravaged Florida, Carolinas face daunting recovery

MIAMI (Reuters) – The largely innocuous but soggy remnants of Hurricane Ian drifted through Virginia early on Sunday, leaving in their wake storm-ravaged residents in Florida and the Carolinas facing a disaster recovery expected to cost tens of billions of dollars. The storm’s toll on human life also was expected to rise as floodwaters receded...

Pope begs Putin to end ‘spiral of violence and death’, cites nuclear threat

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis made an impassioned appeal on Sunday to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop “this spiral of violence and death” in Ukraine, saying the crisis there was risking a nuclear escalation with uncontrollable global consequences. In an address dedicated to Ukraine and made to thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square,...

EU ambassador leaves Nicaragua in week of diplomatic tensions

(Reuters) – European Union Ambassador Bettina Muscheidt left Nicaragua on Saturday, just three days after being declared “persona non grata” by the government of President Daniel Ortega, in a week of tensions with the international community. Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada verbally notified Muscheidt that she should leave the country after the EU delegation demanded...

Tired of gridlock, Bulgarians vote in 4th election in less than two years

SOFIA (Reuters) -Bulgarians voted in their fourth national election in less than two years on Sunday, with little hope for a stable government emerging because of deep divisions within the political elite over how to tackle entrenched corruption. Prolonged political turmoil threatens to undermine Bulgaria’s ambitions to join the euro zone in 2024 amid double-digit...

Indonesia authorities say 125 dead in soccer stadium stampede

MALANG, Indonesia (Reuters) -A stampede at a soccer stadium in Indonesia has killed at least 125 people and injured 180 after police sought to quell violence on the pitch, authorities said on Sunday, in one of the world’s worst stadium disasters. Officers fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse agitated supporters of the losing...

Australian government slams Optus for cybersecurity breach

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The Australian government on Sunday levelled its harshest criticism yet against Optus, the second-biggest telecoms company, for a cybersecurity breach that affected the equivalent of 40% of the country’s population. The government blamed Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications, for the breach, which affected 10 million accounts, urging the company to speed up...

Australia expands sanctions against Russians

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia on Sunday imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 28 Russian-appointed separatists, ministers and senior officials after President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the annexation of four regions of Ukraine. The new sanctions targeted individuals who the Australian government said were flouting international law to legitimise Russia’s actions in Ukraine through “sham...

Malaysia’s ruling party pushes for national elections this year

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, which forms the biggest component of the ruling coalition, agreed to hold a general election this year, its top decision-making body said. An election is not due until September 2023, but several UMNO lawmakers have been calling on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to...

Burkina Faso soldiers announce overthrow of military government

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) -Armed soldiers in fatigues and masks appeared on television in Burkina Faso on Friday night to confirm the ouster of President Paul-Henri Damiba, the second coup in the troubled West African country this year. The announcement capped a day that began with gunfire near a military camp in the capital Ouagadougou, an explosion...

World Bank to give Ukraine $530 million in additional aid

(Reuters) – The World Bank has said it will provide an additional $530 million in support to Ukraine, bringing the total aid by the bank to $13 billion, as Russia’s invasion of the country continues. The aid is supported by the United Kingdom ($500 million) and the Kingdom of Denmark ($30 million), the World Bank...

Australia’s Optus says ‘deeply sorry’ for cyberattack

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s second-largest telcoms firm Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications, on Saturday ran a full-page apology in major newspapers for a “devastating” cyberattack 10 days ago and pointed affected customers to a new help site. “We’re deeply sorry that a cyberattack has happened on our watch,” the company said in the notice. “We...

Deep underground, Mexican coal miners remember those who never came back

SABINAS, Mexico (Reuters) – Each time Juan Briones descends deep into the ground of northern Mexico to dig for coal he knows he must balance earning a living and avoiding death. In August, his brother-in-law was one of 10 miners trapped in the nearby coal mine of El Pinabete as water broke through a shaft...

More penguins dying from avian flu at Cape Town’s Boulders beach colony

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – More penguins have died from avian flu at the colony at Cape Town’s Boulders beach, a popular tourist attraction and an important breeding site in South Africa, raising concerns for the species and for other seabirds. David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian at the South African Foundation For The Conservation Of Coastal...

Florida, Carolinas count the cost of Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS, Fla./CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) -Florida, North and South Carolina were on Saturday trying to recover from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ian, after one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S. mainland caused tens of billions of dollars in damage and killed more than 20 people. Ian, now a post-tropical cyclone,...

Superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian on sale for 29.5 million euros

(Reuters) – A U.S.-based luxury yacht broker is advertising for sale a 168-foot (51-metre) superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Igor Kesaev for 29.5 million euros (roughly $29 million), according to an email seen by Reuters. The proposed sale of the MySky yacht, which was disclosed in an advertisement emailed from the brokerage firm to...

Amid China concerns, Biden vows to address Pacific island needs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden, his administration pledging to help stave off China’s “economic coercion,” promised Pacific island leaders on Thursday to work harder with allies and partners to address their needs. After a two-day Washington summit, the United States and leaders and representatives from 14 Pacific island states issued a joint declaration resolving...

Japan selects ‘promotion areas’ for offshore wind farms

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s industry ministry said on Friday it has designated three “promotion areas” off the coast of Nagasaki, Niigata and Akita prefectures for developing offshore wind farms, while selecting five “promising areas” and 11 “potentially suitable areas”. The newly designated promotion areas are off Saikai, Nagasaki in southwestern Japan, off Murakami, Niigata and...

Cubans in Havana bang pots and protest days-long blackout after Ian

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cubans took to the streets on Thursday night to bang pots and protest across several neighborhoods in the capital Havana as the country entered its third day of blackouts following Hurricane Ian. The massive storm, now ploughing north along the southeast coast of the United States, caused Cuba’s grid to collapse earlier...

Mexican President confirms hack on government files

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday a cyber hack had accessed confidential government files, confirming information from internal documents published in local media overnight.

To tackle a kimchi crisis, South Korea banks on massive cabbage warehouses

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s kimchi makers are in serious pain – brought low as a climate change-induced shortage of cabbages sent prices rocketing this year, exacerbating damage inflicted by cheaper offerings from Chinese competitors. Such is the sense of crisis surrounding the spicy pickled side dish eaten daily by many Koreans and central to...

Malaysia PM orders misconduct probe into former attorney-general

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Friday ordered a probe into possible misconduct by a former top prosecutor who had brought corruption cases against several senior members of his ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party. Tommy Thomas, who served as attorney-general between 2018 and 2020, will be investigated for...

Nestle to stop sourcing from Indonesian palm oil producer AAL

LONDON/JAKARTA (Reuters) – Food giant Nestle plans to stop sourcing from subsidiaries of Astra Agro Lestari (AAL), a major Indonesian palm oil producer accused by environmental groups of land and human rights abuses. The move comes as multinationals face increased reputational and legal pressure from consumers and governments to clean up their global supply chains...

Sweden resumes arms exports to Turkey after NATO membership bid

OSLO (Reuters) – Sweden’s Inspectorate of Strategic Products (ISP) said on Friday it had resumed giving permissions for exports of military equipment to Turkey, reversing a ban in place since 2019. The policy reversal was linked to Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance, of which the Nordic country sought membership earlier this year...

Gandhi loyalist, ex-UN diplomat in race to lead India’s opposition Congress party

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – An ex-United Nations diplomat and a veteran politician emerged on Friday as contenders to lead India’s main opposition Congress party as it prepares to elect a new president from outside the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty for the first time in nearly 25 years. Shashi Tharoor, a three-term federal lawmaker who previously served as...

EU says ‘stricter assessment’ needed for Russians seeking travel visa

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission said on Friday it was recommending that EU member states make “stricter assessments” to applications by Russians for travel visas, especially those made from third countries. Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, noting that “a lot of Russian citizens” are leaving their country because of the mobilisation for the war...

Elon Musk set to showcase Tesla’s humanoid robot after delay

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said a robot business will be worth more than its cars, and on Friday investors, customers and potential workers expect to see a prototype at Tesla’s “AI Day” that could prove whether the bot named “Optimus” is ready for work. The robot will be the star...

Thai court clears way for PM Prayuth’s return from suspension

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday ruled Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha had not exceeded the maximum eight years allowed in office, clearing the way for the former coup leader’s return from a five-week suspension. The decision will be a big boost for Prayuth, a staunch royalist whose premiership has been beset by attempts to...

World

3rd October

Italy’s Meloni vows government action to tackle soaring energy prices