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Matangi Tonga - Tonga's leading news website
Breaking news
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Wednesday 6 August 2025 11:47pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Penisoni Tu’ifua Angilau (37) was found guilty of four charges that included supplying 534.53 grams of methamphetamine to his second cousin to pack the illicit drug at her residence in Lomaiviti.
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Tuesday 5 August 2025 9:00pm
New York, USA : The government has renewed its sponsorship agreement with Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd (TOML) together with The Metals Company (TMC) this week, 4 August, in New York. Free to view -
Monday 4 August 2025 11:10pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A Cabinet minister and a Noble were suspended from Parliament this morning, 4 August, after a heated argument in the House boiled over. The Minister for Police, Hon. Piveni Piukala, and Vava’u Noble’s Representative no. 2, Lord Tu’ilakepa have been suspended from the Legislative Assembly for five days. Free to view -
Monday 4 August 2025 11:00pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : UK reggae band, UB40, featuring Ali Campbell, will open their ‘The Big Love’ Pacific Tour at Teufaiva Stadium in Tongatapu, on 28 January 2026. Free to view -
Monday 4 August 2025 10:35pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : ‘Oto Langafo’ou Loloa (35) is serving 18 months in prison for two charges that included possession of 1238.71 grams of cannabis leaves and seeds, after police were informed that he was selling from his residence in Fua’amotu. Free to view -
Monday 4 August 2025 10:28pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Saione Funaki (19) received a suspended sentence for common assault when he punched a 16 year old on the mouth, causing him to loose consciousness, when he was walking back to Nukuleka, after a social gathering in Makaunga on eastern Tongatapu. Free to view -
Monday 4 August 2025 10:18pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A new Commissioner of Prisons, Mr Laini Koula ‘Univesiti Manuofetoa (42), was appointed on 29 July 2025. He has served as the Deputy Commissioner of Prisons since 2019. Free to view -
Thursday 31 July 2025 10:13pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Three urgent Government Bills, including a Constitutional amendment, were passed by the Legislative Assembly of Tonga this week, in Nuku’alofa. The Constitutional amendment introduces the word “customs”. People’s Representatives Vaipulu and Sovaleni expressed concerns about the future limitations of using “customary law” and potential confusion in court.
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Thursday 31 July 2025 6:38pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The retail prices for all petroleum prices for Tongatapu will increase by 10 seniti/litre in the next month, the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development (MTED) advised. Premium content -
Thursday 31 July 2025 6:35pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The ‘Ikale Tahi and Queensland Reds from Australia are set to face off at Teufaiva Stadium in Nuku’alofa on 15 August. Premium content
Opinion
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Thursday 31 July 2025 12:21pm
Zurich, Switzerland : Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI’s Sam Altman have been aggressively promoting the idea that everyone – children included – should form relationships with AI “friends” or “companions.” Meanwhile, multinational tech companies are pushing the concept of “AI agents” designed to assist us in our personal and professional lives, handle routine tasks, and guide decision-making. But the reality is that AI systems are not, and never will be, friends, companions, or agents. They are, and will always remain, machines. The most deceptive term of all is “artificial intelligence”. By Peter G. Kirchschläger Free to view
Sports
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Thursday 17 July 2025 5:02pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tonga has won the Women's Tennis gold medal at the 2025 Oceania Tennis Federation (OTF) Pacific Nations Cup, which took place from 30 June to 5 July in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Premium content
Pacific Islands
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Tuesday 15 July 2025 11:34pm
Suva, Fiji : Senior Pacific political leaders have called for urgent regional unity, a stronger homegrown security framework, and peace rooted in Pacific values during the first session of the 2025 Pacific Regional and National Security Conference being held in Suva from 14-16 July 2025. Free to view
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Friday 1 August 2025 5:59pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Na’e fakahu mai ki he Potungaue ‘Atakai ‘o e MEIDECC he ‘aho 2 Siulai, 2025 ‘a e lipooti fakafuofua ki he uesia ‘o e ‘Atakai (EIA) mei he Poloseki ‘a e Tonga Hawaiki Submarine Cable Branch System. Ko e fakataumu’a ke fakatoka ‘a e keipolo (uaea) mei loto tahi ki he lotofonua ‘o Vava’u.’ ‘Oku ‘ataa ke fakahoko mai ha fakatalanoa fekau’aki mo e lipooti’ mei he 8:30 pongipongi Tu’apulelulu 31 Siulai ki he 4:30 efiafi Pulelulu 6 ‘Akosi, 2025. Free to view -
Friday 1 August 2025 5:48pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Public Notice of Development Application for the Tonga Hawaiki Submarine Cable Branch System Project. The development consists of activities in the deep water and shore of Vava’u. MEIDECC has received the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report and is seeking public comments on the EIA from 8:30am Thursday, 31 July 2025 until 4:30pm Wednesday 6 August, 2025 Free to view -
Monday 28 July 2025 6:06pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The first Cyber Security Bootcamp for high school students, hosted by Tonga Women in ICT (TWICT) recently, attracted over 90 students from Tongatapu secondary schools and university. “Tonga, like many Pacific nations, has been facing a surge in scams and cyber threats — affecting both individuals and institutions. This bootcamp served as a critical step toward raising awareness, building digital resilience, and planting the seeds of cyber safety culture among young people,” TWICT stated today. Free to view -
Thursday 24 July 2025 5:00pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : ‘Oku fiefia ‘a e Poate Vai ‘o Tonga ke fakahoko atu kuo tali ‘e he Poate ‘a e Kau Talēkita´ ke holoki ‘a e totongi mo’ua vai´ ‘aki ‘a e pēseti ‘e 9 ‘o e vai ngaue’aki ki he kau ma’uvai´ ‘i he ngaahi ‘api nofo’anga, kamata ia ‘i he ‘aho 1 ‘o Siulai 2025. Free to view -
Thursday 24 July 2025 4:48pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tonga Water Board is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has approved a 9% discount on water usage for all active residential customers (domestic only), effective from 1 July 2025. Free to view -
Tuesday 8 July 2025 9:04pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : ‘Oku lolotonga fakahoko ‘a e fakatonutonu ‘i he vā ‘o e Komisiona ki hono Fakafepaki’i ‘o e Ta’efaitotonuˊ (ACC) mo e Pangikē Pule Fakafonua ‘a Tongaˊ. ‘I he ‘aho 20 ‘o Mē 2025, na’e fakahū atu ‘e he Pangikē Puleˊ ki he Fakamaau’anga Lahiˊ ‘a e kole ke fakata’e’aonga’i ‘a e ‘eke fokotu’u ‘a e ACC ki he Fakamaau’angaˊ pē ko e konga ‘o e ‘eke ko eni makatu’unga eni ‘i he tu’unga fakalao ki hono ngaue’aki e mafai ‘o e ACC ‘i he malumalu ‘o e Lao ki he Komisiona ki he Fakafepaki’i ‘o e Ta’efaitotonuˊ. Free to view -
Tuesday 8 July 2025 8:19pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The Anti–Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Board of Directors of the National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT) are currently involved in litigation. On 20 May 2025, the NRBT submitted an Application to strike out the ACC’s Statement of Claim or, in the alternative, parts of it concerning the extent of the ACC’s powers according to the provisions of the Anti–Corruption Commission Act. Free to view
