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Thursday 13 May 2021 4:59pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : HM King Tupou VI accepted Letters of Credence from Japan’s new Ambassador to Tonga, HE Mr Munenaga Kensaku and the new resident British High Commissioner, Lucy Joyce at the Royal Palace on 12 May. This is the first Diplomatic Week held since January 2020, when COVID-19 impacted international travel restricting ambassadorial visits to Tonga.
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Thursday 13 May 2021 3:34pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tonga has prohibited the import of passenger vehicles older than 15 years under a recent Customs and Excise Management Act Order 2021 made on 2 March. Forfeiture and penalities came into effect last week on 3 May, said the Ministry of Revenue and Customs yesterday. Premium content -
Thursday 13 May 2021 2:42pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Income tax cuts for individuals and sole traders from July 1 means all income taxpayers in Tonga will pay less. The tax-free income level will be raised from the first $10,000 to the first $12,000 pa'anga earned in the new financial year, with further adjustments in tax thresholds easing higher income tax levels. Premium content -
Thursday 13 May 2021 12:58pm
Geneva, Switzerland : With people everywhere struggling to preserve their livelihoods under the constant threat of the coronavirus, it has become clear that this pandemic is more than a health emergency. It has become a global whole-of-society crisis. In this context, one of our greatest fears is that after decades of improvement, future generations’ prospects have suddenly plummeted. Some regions are experiencing a reversal of gains achieved in the past 20 years. It will be many months – even years – before vaccines against current and future variants of the virus are accessible to everyone. By Palitha Abeykoon, Maha El Rabbat, David Nabarro -
Wednesday 12 May 2021 8:11pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The trial against current Cabinet Minister ‘Akosita Lavulavu and her husband 'Etuate Lavulavu is going ahead, after a Supreme Court judge ruled there is a criminal case to answer against both of them on all three counts. They are jointly charged with obtaining over $500,000 pa'anga by false pretences, relating to a number of irregularities in an audit at the ‘Unuaki ‘o Tonga Royal Institute. It is alleged that the couple knowingly falsified student applications in order to claim TVET grants. Premium content -
Wednesday 12 May 2021 6:40pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Around 19,200 doses of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine arrived on an Air New Zealand cargo flight in Tonga this afternoon, confirmed Ministry of Health Acting CEO, Dr Reynold ‘Ofanoa. These are for the second doses of people who have been innocculated. So far, over 20,000 people in Tonga have received their first shots. Premium content -
Wednesday 12 May 2021 6:34pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Two repatriation flights are planned for June from Auckland, New Zealand, and Brisbane, Australia, confirmed MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma’u today. Premium content -
Wednesday 12 May 2021 6:18pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Angilau Palanite received a fully suspended sentence for possession of 0.12 gram of methamphetamine seized at Puke on September 14, 2020. Police received information that he was driving around selling illicit drugs. The defendant admitted his hopelessness of the life he was leading in drugs. Premium content -
Wednesday 12 May 2021 6:13pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The findings of a recent survey on the impact of COVID-19 on hundreds of women in Tonga, conducted by the “Women and Children Crisis Centre”, are expected to be published at the end of the month. Premium content -
Tuesday 11 May 2021 10:37pm
Dublin, Ireland : New Zealand will host the Tonga vs Samoa Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifier over two legs in July, confirmed World Rugby on 10 May. -
Tuesday 11 May 2021 10:36pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : ‘Alifeleti Uasi (18) was sentenced today to 18-months imprisonment for causing serious bodily harm, when he injured a shopkeeper with rocks at a Chinese shop. He was drunk and was denied getting a can of soda, which he did not have enough money for. The judge said it was clear that the accused had a very real problem with alcohol. Premium content -
Tuesday 11 May 2021 10:28pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Two men found guilty of possession of methamphetamines seized at Ngele'ia at a place that was dealing in drugs. They will be sentenced on June 2. Premium content -
Tuesday 11 May 2021 10:13pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The Tongan Government is rolling out business recovery support payments to those in the informal sector, who have suffered financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Premium content -
Tuesday 11 May 2021 6:03pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Plans for repatriated passengers to start paying for their quarantine starting on 28 July is underway, confirmed MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma’u today. Premium content -
Monday 10 May 2021 6:17pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Athletes and officials are still waiting for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and sporting International Federations (IF) to decide how many spots will be allowed for athletes to represent Tonga in their respective sports at the Tokyo Olympic Games, to be held from 23 July to 8 August 2021. Takitoa Taumoepeau said Team Tonga is looking at around 8-9 Athletes with 12 Officials. By Eleanor Gee. Premium content -
Monday 10 May 2021 6:10pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The 247 passengers that were repatriated from Auckland, Pagopago and Apia last week have tested negative for COVID-19. Premium content -
Monday 10 May 2021 6:09pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : ‘Epuefi Laimani was sentenced to five and a half years imprisonment for possession of 5.15gms of methamphetamine, 3.59gms of cannabis, while offering cash as bribes to a police officer. The court found that he intended to sell the illicit drugs. Premium content -
Monday 10 May 2021 6:01pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tonga’s Public Health Emergency has been renewed to prevent or minimize the spread of COVID-19 within Tonga, starting from 8:00pm today until 8:00pm 7 June. Premium content -
Monday 10 May 2021 1:45pm
New York, USA : The combination of export bans, hoarding, and supply shortages has meant that COVAX has so far managed to deliver only one in five of the Oxford-AstraZeneca doses that were supposed to arrive in countries by the end of this month. At this rate, advanced economies will be able to vaccinate their entire populations before many low-income countries even begin their vaccine rollout. By Rosalind McKenna -
Monday 10 May 2021 12:49pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Parliament is deferred indefinitely while the House frames its response to the King's speech. King Tupou VI opened the 2021-22 parliamentary session on Thursday with a challenging speech from the throne that questioned members' abilities to run the government. From the House by Pesi Fonua Premium content
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