Fiji

Youth with a Mission Ships Aotearoa sails to remote Fijian islands to provide free healthcare, but Koha is currently at a standstill because of a broken tailshaft bearing.

Managing director Marty Emmett told Morning Report the vessel was specially equipped with two on-board dental clinics and other medical equipment.

He said more than 5000 people living in isolated islands in Fiji had benefited from the ship in the past two years.

The earlier Tropical Depression was upgraded to a category one cyclone last night, and as predicted is now a category two system.

Fiji Meteorological Service Acting Director, Bipen Prakash says they expect it to remain a category two.

“Tropical Cyclone Mal has further developed into category two system earlier this morning at around 6am. While we are expecting that it will maintain category two status, we are very carefully monitoring its further development.”

For a Category 2 cyclone, you can expect the following conditions and impacts:

The Fiji Meteorological Service said tropical cyclone Mal is a category one system.

Schools in Fiji are closed on Tuesday, and Wednesday local time, and all public servants have been instructed to work from home.

Fiji's Metservice said at 3am local time, Mal was positioned about 450km West of Rotuma - Fiji's northern most island - and about 720km north west of Nadi.

It's moving south, south eastward at about 28kmph.

The UN adopted a resolution over the weekend on the "protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations" in relation to the ongoing Gaza crisis.

The vote passed with 120 nations, including New Zealand and Solomon Islands voting in favour. However, the majority of Pacific states voted against - siding with the United States, Israel and United Kingdom.

Cyclone Lola has formed over the Santa Cruz Islands, north of Vanuatu.

The Nadi weather officer did report that cyclone Lola does not pose a direct threat to the Fiji Group, based on current analysis.

It further stated that Cyclone Lola is the first system to emerge during the 2023–2024 Tropical Cyclone (TC) Season.

It is only the seventh South Pacific cyclone to be named in October since 1970.

Cyclone season typically runs from November 1 to April 30.

Fiji scored two successive tries when they were 14 points down to lock the game up at 24-all inside the last 10 minutes.

The national side had a chance to score a winner with about five minutes extra being played but they failed to look after the ball when it mattered most.

Discipline proved to be Fiji’s downfall with England flyhalf Owen Farrell kicking five penalties.

The thousands of England fans voices failed to deter the 15 Fijians on the pitch.

Farrell registered the first points with a penalty in the 10th minute.

Fiji Meteorological Service predicts at least two to three cyclones will pass through the Exclusive Economic Zone this season.

FBC News reports the Minister for Meteorological Services Ro Filipe Tuisawau said one or two of these cyclones is expected to be above category three or more.

The cyclone season in Fiji runs from November through to April every year.

In a statement the Bank says it will continue to grow alongside its customers and the economies of Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Westpac says it believes it has a great role to play in this region with their ability to be a strong, stable and trusted financial partner in the Pacific.

Westpac Pacific Managing Director, Damien MacRae, says the Bank has proudly supported Fiji’s and PNGs economic growth and development for more than a century and they are well placed to continue this support.

Fiji has so far conceded 24 penalties, averaging eight per game and in defense they’ve only been penalized five times.

In turnovers, the Flying Fijians have won the most per game and their stats stand at 8.3 with 5 of those coming from the breakdown, the best by any team.

The national side is the only team to still have 100% scrum success, however, they’re not as good in their lineout as they’ve lost the most per game which is four and joint with Ireland for just sixth-best success rate at 78%.

In his remarks at the Pacific SIDS High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change in Fiji, Al Suwaidi underscored the COP28 Presidency’s commitment to delivering for vulnerable countries at the upcoming climate summit. Al Suwaidi also recognized that climate change is an existential threat to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and emphasized the COP28 Presidency’s intention to keep 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach.