The Fiji Times

UNICEF warns Haiti fuel shortages put hospitalised women and children at risk

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Fuel shortages in Haiti are putting the lives of hundreds of women and children at risk as hospitals run low on supplies for electricity, United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said on Sunday. Fuel supplies to the capital Port-au-Prince have been severely disrupted in recent weeks by a wave of kidnappings, including the...

‘Vibrant’ cinematographer remembered as police probe Baldwin shooting

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) -The crew was setting up a difficult shot during filming on the New Mexico set of “Rust”, and the movie’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, wasn’t quite satisfied. She turned to Lane Luper, a member of the camera crew, who suggested some adjustments that she found worked perfectly. That kind of collaborative spirit, Luper...

Fire blazes on cargo ship containers off British Columbia

(Reuters) – A fire broke out on Saturday on containers on a cargo ship carrying mining chemicals off British Columbia, and the Canadian Coast Guard said it is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to assess the situation, including environmental hazards. Sixteen crew members have been evacuated from the MV Zim Kingston, while five remained...

Tesco says online services disrupted by interference ‘attempt’

LONDON (Reuters) – British supermarket chain Tesco said on Sunday that its website and app had been disrupted by an attempt to interfere with its systems. “Since yesterday, we’ve been experiencing disruption to our online grocery website and app. An attempt was made to interfere with our systems which has caused problems with the search...

Libyan elections commission to start registering candidates in Nov – commission head

TRIPOLI (Reuters) -Registration for candidates in Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections should open in November, the head of the electoral commission said on Sunday. Elections are a key step in a U.N.-backed process to end a decade of violence by creating a new political leadership whose legitimacy is widely accepted. But wrangling over the constitutional...

Israeli official says reopening of U.S. Palestinian mission in Jerusalem may not happen

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s deputy foreign minister said on Sunday that the Biden administration may shelve its plan to reopen a U.S diplomatic mission for Palestinians in Jerusalem after Israel voiced opposition to such a move. The Jerusalem consulate was subsumed into the U.S. Embassy that was moved to the contested city from Tel Aviv...

China says it must consider food and energy security when curbing emissions

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s cabinet on Sunday outlined measures to achieve its goals of reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 but said food and energy security must be considered amid those efforts. The statement came as severe energy shortages in China threaten to overshadow Beijing’s efforts to curb greenhouse gas...

Sheep replace cars as they cross Madrid en route to winter pastures

MADRID (Reuters) – The streets of Madrid were filled with sheep and the clanking of bells on Sunday as shepherds guided their flocks through the heart of the Spanish capital, following ancient seasonal herding routes. Locals lined the route to welcome back the spectacle, which was cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The...

Uzbek leader expected to secure second term in office

TASHKENT (Reuters) -Uzbekistan votes in a presidential election on Sunday in which incumbent President Shavkat Mirziyoyev faces no genuine opposition and is almost certain to win a second term. Mirziyoyev’s predicted victory will allow him to deepen his largely successful reform campaign and likely lead to Uzbekistan opening up further to foreign trade and investment...

German police stop far-right vigilantes patrolling Polish border

BERLIN (Reuters) – German police said on Sunday they had stopped more than 50 far-right vigilantes armed with pepper spray, a bayonet, a machete and batons who were trying to patrol the Polish border to stop migrants from entering the country. The vigilantes were following a call by the Third Way, a far right-party with...

Don’t send migrants back to unsafe countries, pope says, citing Libya

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Sunday urged countries not to send migrants back to insecure countries such as Libya, where he said many suffer violent and inhumane conditions similar to those in concentration camps. The pope’s appeal at his Sunday blessing came as European Union leaders are struggling to overcome their differences on...

Melbourne to ease more COVID curbs as 80% vaccination rate nears

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Melbourne, the world’s most locked-down city that emerged from its latest spate of COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, will see more curbs eased next week when Victoria state reaches an 80% full vaccination rate, officials said on Sunday. Home to about five million people, Melbourne endured 262 days, or nearly nine months, of...

France disappointed with fishing talks with UK, more talks scheduled

PARIS (Reuters) – France is disappointed by the pace of negotiations with Britain on settling a row about post-Brexit fishing rights but talks are set to continue on Monday, the head of a French fishing association said on Saturday. His remarks appeared to suggest French fishermen were stepping back from threats to hold protests from...

UK says substantial differences remain with EU over Northern Ireland trade

LONDON (Reuters) – The United Kingdom said on Saturday that talks with the European Union over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland had been constructive, but substantial differences remained. Goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland currently face customs checks, as part of a deal reached before Brexit to avoid more contentious border checks between...

Focus turns to safety fears before New Mexico movie shooting tragedy

SANTA FE, N.M. (Reuters) -The movie director who was wounded on set when Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun said on Saturday he was “gutted” by the death of the film’s cinematographer, as more details emerged suggesting the production was troubled even before the accidental shooting. Joel Souza, who was hit in the shoulder on...

Colombia nabs Otoniel, drug kingpin and gang leader -government

BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombia’s armed forces have captured Dairo Antonio Usuga, known as Otoniel, in the biggest blow to drug trafficking in the Andean country since the death of Pablo Escobar, President Ivan Duque said on Saturday. Otoniel, 50 , was captured during operation Osiris in a rural area of Colombia’s Uraba region, located in Antioquia...

Picasso artworks in Las Vegas fetch more than $100 million

(Reuters) – Eleven Picasso paintings and other works that helped turn Las Vegas into an unlikely destination for art were sold at auction on Saturday for more than $100 million. The Sotheby’s auction was held at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, where the works had been on display for years, and took place two...

Prince Charles says “dangerously narrow window” to accelerate climate action

RIYADH (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Charles, in recorded remarks at an environment event in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, said there was a “dangerously narrow window” to accelerate climate change action. Citing experts, he said the U.N Climate Change Conference COP26 due to start at the end of October must have nationally determined contributions (NDCs) with...

New Zealand’s coronavirus outbreak spreads to South Island

(Reuters) – New Zealand reported 104 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, including the first community case of the virus in the country’s South Island in nearly a year, health officials said. Most of the new infections were reported in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city that has been under a strict lockdown for more than two...

Russian, Chinese warships hold first joint patrols in the Pacific

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian and Chinese warships held their first joint patrols in the Western part of the Pacific ocean on October 17-23, Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Moscow and Beijing, which staged naval cooperation drills in the Sea of Japan earlier in October, have cultivated closer military and diplomatic ties...

Austrian government proposes law to legalise assisted suicide

ZURICH (Reuters) – Austria’s federal government has submitted a draft law to make assisted suicide for seriously ill adults legal, the federal chancellery said in a statement on Saturday. The new law lays out the conditions under which assisted suicide will be possible in the future, following a ruling by Austria’s Constitutional Court last December...

New migrant caravan in Mexico pushes past blockade to head north

TAPACHULA (Reuters) – Several thousand migrants from Haiti, South America and Central America set off from southern Mexico headed north on Saturday, clashing with law enforcement trying to hold the caravan back. Some people among the latest mass movement of migrants trying to pass north through Mexico said they hoped to eventually reach the U.S....

U.N. plane aborts landing as air strike hits Ethiopia’s Tigray

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -An Ethiopian government air strike on the capital of the northern Tigray region on Friday forced a U.N. aid flight to abort a landing there, the United Nations said. In neighboring Amhara region, people were fleeing intensified fighting. Humanitarian sources and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls the area, said...

Lyft records more than 4,000 sexual assault cases in long-overdue safety report

(Reuters) – Lyft Inc received reports of more than 4,000 instances of sexual assault on its ride-hailing platform between 2017 and 2019, it said, detailing the data in a safety report it had promised to publish about two years ago. The company report, issued late on Thursday, showed sexual assault reports on its platform had...

Tunisia imposes COVID-19 vaccine pass on Tunisians and all foreign visitors

TUNIS (Reuters) -Tunisia is imposing COVID-19 vaccine passes on Tunisians and all foreign visitors, a presidential decree showed on Friday. Officials, employees and users are required to show a card proving inoculation against the coronavirus to access public and private administrations, according to the decree. The pass will also be required to enter cafes, restaurants,...

Prop guns spark debate after cinematographer’s death on set

(Reuters) – An on-set shooting death has reignited concern about the use of prop guns like the weapon actor Alec Baldwin discharged in the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while filming a movie in New Mexico. Some prop guns are non-firing facsimile weapons, but many are real guns, loaded with blank rounds instead of bullets....

FDA says benefits outweigh risks for Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday that the likely benefits of giving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to 5 to 11 year olds clearly outweigh the risks of rare cases of heart inflammation. Earlier on Friday, the vaccine makers said their shot showed 90.7% efficacy against the...

Australia’s Melbourne enjoys weekend of eased COVID curbs after long lockdown

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Melbourne, Australia’s second-biggest city, began its first weekend out of the world’s longest string of COVID-19 lockdowns with spontaneous street parties, live music and packed pubs, bars and restaurants. Home to about five million people, Melbourne endured 262 days, or nearly nine months, of restrictions during six lockdowns since March 2020, longer...

China passes law to cut homework pressure on students

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China has passed an education law that seeks to cut the “twin pressures” of homework and off-site tutoring in core subjects, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday. Beijing has exercised a more assertive paternal hand this year, from tacking the addiction of youngsters to online games, deemed a form of...

World

Container ship fire off British Columbia smoldering, no longer spreading