COVID-19 pandemic

The farm and factory workers of Mainland Holdings Ltd wish the same courtesy could be extended to them. All they want is for management to listen to their fears regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and look for a way forward.

Ellis Philip works at the wrapping unit of the Six-Mile Tablebirds processing plant.

She has been with the company for 11 years.

Most of the women she works with are either widowed, divorced or separated. They commonly refer to themselves as “trangu mama”.

COVID-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said the variant "changes the game considerably" and makes existing protections "look less adequate".

It comes as the country announced a further 21 confirmed cases in the latest outbreak of the virus.

New Zealand had quashed earlier COVID outbreaks with rapid, strict lockdowns.

The country was praised for its efforts, which effectively stopped the spread of the virus. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly referred to New Zealand as "our team of five million".

The World Cup board met on Wednesday night and reluctantly decided postponement was the best option after the ARLC and NZRL withdrew the Kangaroos, Jillaroos, Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns due to concerns over the safety of players travelling to England this year.

NRL clubs backed the decision of the ARLC and called for the tournament to be postponed to ensure the top players were on display at the World Cup, which was set to be the most ambitious in the code’s history.

In Port Moresby, residents turned up at their respective churches to celebrate the historical day.

Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday of April every year where Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This day occurred over 2,000 years ago on the third day after Jesus’ burial.  

Christians all over the world and Papua New Guineans have been observing the Holy Week.

This Sceptred Isle will chart the terrifying events that marked the first wave of the ongoing pandemic, which has infected almost 100 million people worldwide. 

Johnson, 56, has faced intense scrutiny for his handling of the health crisis, which was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March last year. Covid-19 has particularly ravaged the UK, a country dragged through a series of restrictive lockdowns in a desperate bid to curb transmission.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists at the regular Geneva briefing that progress on vaccines, in recent days, “gives us all a lift, and we can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

He praised the United Kingdom’s emergency authorisation for the Pfizer/BioNTech rollout which is due to begin next week, describing it as “an important scientific step for the world”.

At the conclusion of the OCO Heads Annual Conference on October 20, themed “Working together to build a safer Blue Pacific”, leaders of Customs administrations in the region stated the loss in revenue collection for their governments due to the closure of borders as their biggest cost of COVID-19.

However, in addition to generating revenue for their governments, Customs administrations are increasingly being presented with other challenges such as the rise of illicit drugs, contraband goods and having to crew quarantine centers.

Officers said the "most significant activity" took place at the Queen Victoria Market where protesters chanting "freedom" were met with a heavy police presence.

The demonstrators at one point linked arms as they were surrounded by police officers.

Scuffles broke out as arrests were made.

A Victoria Police spokesman said there were between 200 and 250 people involved in the protest activity, and 176 were fined.

Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "too many countries [were] headed in the wrong direction".

Cases were rising where proven measures were not adopted or followed, he added.

The Americas are the current epicentre of the pandemic. The US has seen a rise in cases amid tensions between health experts and President Donald Trump.

The US, the worst affected country, has over 3.3 million confirmed cases and more than 135,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

What has the WHO said?

Several other interim measures designed to ensure the safety of players and match officials have been ratified by the ICC Chief Executives Committee -- including allowing home umpires in international series.

International cricket will resume next month when West Indies face England in a three-match test series.

The tourists arived in Manchester today and will go into quarantine before the first game scheduled for July 8th.