People in the Malolo Group are beginning to experience heavy rain, and wind from this hour.

The majority of tourists in the Mamanuca and Yasawa groups have been safely repatriated to the mainland.

National Disaster Management Minister, Sakiasi Ditoka has thanked all government departments and other relevant stakeholders for their coordinating efforts as the country braces for Tropical Cyclone Mal.

Villagers of Yalobi, Waya in Yasawa have moved to the community hall as winds have started to pick up.

The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji has advised vessels of 15m and less to cease operation from this morning.

With Tropical Cyclone Mal now approaching the Fiji group, Acting Meteorology Services Director Bipen Prakash says most of the impact will be overnight.

Orphaned during a coup in his homeland Guinea, teenager Moussa Camara took to sea in a wooden boat with 240 other migrants, enduring an 11-day voyage, half of it without food and fresh water, before reaching the Canary Islands.

Excavators began drilling with heavy machinery to fix a wide steel pipe that will help pull out almost 40 Indian workers trapped inside a collapsed Himalayan highway tunnel that caved in two days ago in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.

A storm warning is in force for the Yasawa and Mamanuca groups, western and southern Viti Levu, Vatulele, Kadavu and nearby smaller islands.

Fans of Prince, who was known nearly as much for his extravagant wardrobe as for his chart-topping hits, will have a chance to bid on some of the late musician’s sartorial splendor in an online auction this week.

The Fiji Police Force is reminding the people that movement will be controlled in high risk areas.

As Tropical Cyclone Mal affects parts of the country, the Fiji Police Force, is committed to working tirelessly throughout the night to ensure the safety of Fijians.