The Fiji Times

India study estimates 11% of population is diabetic

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Some 11% of Indians are diabetic, a government study found, adding that diabetes, hypertension and obesity are much more common in India than previously estimated. The study of more than 113,000 people also found that around 15% of Indians were pre-diabetic and around 35% have hypertension. It was conducted between October...

FijiFirst got $2.2m in gift

FijiFirst received $2.2 million in donations for its financial year ending December 31, 2022. The party spent $3.3m on campaigning for the 2022 General Election. This, according to its annual financial statement submitted to the Fijian Elections Office which stated the party incurred a loss of $1m after its expenses of $4.2m exceeded its total...

Nabua Police investigate woman’s death, security officer in custody

A security officer is in police custody in relation to the death of a woman at Bayview Heights in Suva last night. Nabua Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death at this stage. According to police, the incident occurred at the home of a 52-year-old man, who at the time was inside the house....

Oil prices headed for second straight weekly loss on demand fears

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices looked set to post their second straight weekly loss as prices continued to fall on Friday over demand concerns and scepticism that the United States and Iran could strike a nuclear deal. Brent crude futures dropped 35 cents, or 0.5%, to $75.61 a barrel by 0304 GMT, while the U.S. West...

Mexico still has ‘differences’ with U.S. on air safety rating, president says

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. and Mexico still have “differences” of opinion regarding Mexico’s recovery of a coveted air safety rating, Mexico’s president said on Thursday. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico to the Category 2 air safety rating more than two years ago, citing safety concerns. The decision means Mexican airlines cannot...

Chinese investors flock to Riyadh conference seeking new markets, capital

HONG KONG/RIYADH (Reuters) – Chinese entrepreneurs and investors are flocking to Riyadh this week to attend a business conference, which will bring together business and government leaders aiming to explore expansion and fundraising opportunities, amid warming diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 10th Arab-China Business Conference, the first such forum since Chinese President...

China’s factory deflation steepens as demand wanes

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s factory gate prices fell at the fastest pace in seven years in May and quicker than forecasts, as faltering demand weighed on a slowing manufacturing sector and cast a cloud over the fragile economic recovery. As rising interests rates and inflation squeeze demand in the United States and Europe, China is...

From the Editor-in-Chief’s desk: Your June 10 briefing

Bula The big news right now is obviously about the Fijian Drua taking on the might of the Crusaders in the quarter-finals of the Super Rugby Pacific competition in Christchurch, New Zealand. That’s on the wraparound over the front page of The Fiji Times for Saturday, June 10. In news though, the big story is...

OpenAI CEO visits South Korea as country seeks to encourage AI development

SEOUL (Reuters) – Open AI Chief Executive Sam Altman is set to meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, as the country seeks to encourage domestic competitiveness in artificial intelligence. After crisscrossing Europe last month meeting lawmakers and national leaders to discuss the prospects and threats of AI, Altman has travelled to Israel, Jordan,...

Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter target of EU crypto advertising complaint

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Meta Platforms’ Instagram, Alphabet’s YouTube, TikTok and Twitter could face regulatory action after European consumer group BEUC complained to the European Commission and consumer authorities that the online platforms allegedly facilitate the misleading promotion of crypto assets. U.S. regulators suing crypto platforms Coinbase and Binance, along with last year’s collapse of FTX,...

Dollar eases after jump in US jobless claims; Fed in focus

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar retreated on Friday, dragged down by lower U.S. Treasury yields after a spike in weekly jobless claims raised hopes that a peak in U.S. interest rates was near, as the focus turned to the upcoming week packed with central bank meetings. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment...

Kim Kardashian seeks secret of private equity success as rising rates bite

BERLIN (Reuters) -Reality star Kim Kardashian’s arrival at a gathering of the globe’s top deal brokers in Berlin failed to dispel their dark mood as the rising cost of money puts the brakes on the private equity industry. Flanked by bodyguards, Kardashian drew a crowd of hundreds of executives at the SuperReturn industry event, saying...

England looking to burst Smith’s bubble in Ashes, says Pope

(Reuters) – England’s Ollie Pope said they have to get Steve Smith out of his bubble during the Ashes series and will look for ways of making the Australian run machine as uncomfortable as possible at the crease. Smith batted for 5-1/2 hours against India in the World Test Championship final at the Oval before...

Watched by IMF, Pakistan to present budget amid economic, political crises

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s government will present its annual budget to parliament on Friday needing to satisfy the IMF to have any chance of securing the release of more bailout money, with the crisis-riven country due to hold elections by November. The risk of default on sovereign debt is rising, with the economy creaking under...

U.S. Congress to consider two new bills on artificial intelligence

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. senators on Thursday introduced two separate bipartisan artificial intelligence bills on Thursday amid growing interest in addressing issues surrounding the technology. One would require the U.S. government to be transparent when using AI to interact with people and another would establish an office to determine if the United States is remaining...

Binance.US suspends US dollar deposits after crackdown by regulators

(Reuters) – Crypto exchange Binance.US said on Thursday it is suspending U.S. dollar deposits and that its banking partners are preparing to pause fiat dollar withdrawal channels as early as June 13, just days after U.S. regulators sued Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao. The U.S. arm of the world’s largest crypto exchange said in...

Honduran president arrives in Shanghai

BEIJING (Reuters) – Honduran President Xiomara Castro arrived in China’s financial hub of Shanghai on Friday, state broadcaster CGTN said, on a visit that will run until June 14. She will meet President Xi Jinping to “jointly plan and lead” the future development of ties, the official news agency, Xinhua, said. (Reporting by Beijing newsroom;...

Two giant rubber ducks debut in Hong Kong in bid to drive “double happiness”

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A pair of Rubber Ducks made a splash in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour on Friday, part of an art installation dubbed “Double Ducks” by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, who says he hopes the ducks will bring happiness to the city. The inflatable yellow ducks, 18 metres (59 feet) high, will sail...

Four toddlers stabbed in France, government says suspect is Syrian refugee

ANNECY, France (Reuters) -Four toddlers and two pensioners were stabbed in a knife attack in the tranquil French mountain town of Annecy on Thursday and the government said the suspected assailant was a Syrian refugee. A video of the attack, taken by a bystander and verified by Reuters, showed the assailant jump a low wall...

Damaged reservoir can still provide water for big Ukrainian nuclear plant -IAEA

VIENNA (Reuters) – Water from the reservoir of a breached Ukrainian dam is still being pumped to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to cool reactors and other areas, though levels are at values earlier thought to make it impossible, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on Thursday. The plant, occupied by Russia since the early days...

Marine pollution cannot be ignored – Manoni

THE present challenges of marine pollution cannot be ignored, says deputy secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Dr Filimoni Manoni. Speaking at the World Oceans Day in Suva yesterday, Dr Manoni said people needed to take some responsibility and understand better the climate ocean nexus. “We cannot ignore illegal unreported and unregulated fishing,...

Global recognition

MAUI Palms has been bestowed with the Trip Advisors Peoples Choice Best of the Best Winner this year. Owners of the boutique beachfront resort – Wayne Downs and Christine Badia said the recognition would not have been possible without the continuous support and loyalty of their beloved guests, who inspire the couple to believe in...

Favourite bottled water brand

FIJI Water is resoundingly Americans’ favourite bottled water brand, new data released by international survey and research firm, Morning Consult has announced. Based on net favorability rating, Poland Spring was the number one bottled water brand for consumers in the Northeast, while Ice Mountain tied Fiji Water for first in the Midwest, per Morning Consult...

Council records 119 complaints

The Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) has issued an alert for consumers against engaging with an electronics dealer that has amassed 119 complaints so far. While the complaints were against three separate businesses, Quantum Electronics, Computer Hub, and Vision Cyber Tech, are reportedly managed by the same individual. According to the council, the individual in...

Portable ECG devices

PROVIDING Fijians with the option to monitor their heart health from the comfort of their homes, the Spandan portable ECG device is now available in Fiji through Life Safe Investments. The pocket-sized 12-lead ECG machine can reportedly detect over 39 heart diseases and claims a 99.7 per cent accuracy rate to the traditional ECG machines...

Supermarket chain joins the fight against cancer

SHOWING their support in the fight against cancer, Extra Supermarket yesterday handed over a transperineal ultrasound machine to the Urology Clinic at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva. The P25 Diagnostic Color Doppler ultrasound system machine worth $170,000, will help early detection of prostate cancer in a process which is much faster and safer....

Focus on use of social media platforms by MSMEs

MICRO, small and medium enterprises in Fiji need to understand how to improve their presence online via various social media platforms. This was made known to 20 registered small micro and small business owners in an e-commerce training organised by Business Assistance Fiji general manager Ramesh Chand in Nadi yesterday. Mr Chand said social media...

101 complaints, watchdog to name scammers

THE Consumer Council of Fiji (CCoF) has received 101 complaints relating to online platform scams from January to date. CEO Seema Shandil has urged consumers to exercise extreme vigilance when dealing with certain individuals/traders operating via social media platforms. “It is deeply concerning to see that these dodgy dealers are on the rise,” she said....

No case to answer for 10

THE Suva Magistrate’s Court yesterday ruled that 10 individuals who were charged by the Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission for receiving payments in relation to the Lagilagi Housing project had no case to answer. Semeti Qalowasa, Chantelle Khan, Suliana Siwatibau, Samuela Saumatua, Mere Krishna, Vijay Naidu, Akuila Yabaki, late Kevin Barr, Cama Raimuria and Aisake...

News

10th June

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