Covid-19 crisis

Another 126 new cases of the virus were reported in the Pacific nation on Monday.

The New Zealand government is now allocating up to $10 million towards Fiji's Covid-19 response.

In addition, a team of Australian and New Zealand medical specialists have arrived in the Pacific nation to help.

Red Cross Covid-19 coordinator Lauren Bird, who is based in Suva, said many people felt back in April there was light at the end of the tunnel.

But she said this recent outbreak had reset the clock.

Covid-related travel restrictions, and increasing prices of imports, have created new challenges, on top of destructive weather events, such as tropical cyclones which can sweep over the archipelago, destroying crops and infrastructure.

UN-supported projects are encouraging the inhabitants of Tonga’s 36 inhabited islands to return to rural areas and grow food, reducing their dependence on imported products, and boost the local economy.

Tuesday saw a three-digit increase in cases for a fifth day after weeks with numbers generally around the 40s.

South Korea is viewed as one of the world's coronavirus success stories for its management of the disease.

But a spike in new cases linked mostly to a church has sparked concerns of a wider outbreak.

The country recorded 246 new infections on Tuesday, bringing the nationwide total to 15,761.

Many of the new cases have been linked to the Sarang Jeil Church, whose pastor has been a vocal critic of President Moon Jae-in.