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Wednesday 16 February 2022 7:12pm
Canberra, Australia : All Tongans are appreciative of an outpouring of support received from the Australian community, including Tongan diaspora, and government, in response to the double catastrophe of the Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunamis on Jan. 15, says HRH Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tuku'aho in Canberra.
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Wednesday 16 February 2022 12:53pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tonga has reduced its Managed Isolation Quarantine (MIQ) requirement for international arrivals from 21 to 15 days, for the 180 repatriates who arrived at Fua'amotu International Airport yesterday, on three flights coming from New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia. Premium content -
Wednesday 16 February 2022 1:24am
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : An 80 km stretch of Tonga's telecommunications cable, was blown to bits by a volcanic eruption on Jan. 15 and there's no easy fix. Short pieces have been recovered, while a major section of the fibre optic cable, about 55 km long, including an expensive repeater, has yet to be recovered from the seabed. By Mary Lyn Fonua Premium content -
Tuesday 15 February 2022 11:32pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Two Chinese navy ships, the Wuzhishan and the Chaganhu, arrived in Nuku'alofa today with over 1300 tons of restoration and relief items for Tonga, including 500 prefabricated houses. By Eleanor Gee. Premium content -
Tuesday 15 February 2022 2:58am
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Three repatriation flights are scheduled to arrive in Tonga today from New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for MEIDECC, Hon. Poasi Tei, confirmed on Feb.14. They are the first passenger flights in over three months. Premium content -
Tuesday 15 February 2022 2:45am
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Thirty of the 34 container of relief goods that arrived from New Zealand to support families have been distributed, confirmed the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for MEIDECC Hon Poasi Tei at a press conference today, February 14. Premium content -
Tuesday 15 February 2022 2:31am
Suva, Fiji : The Tonga Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption, tsunami and ashfall has caused an estimated US$90.4M (TOP 208 million) in damages – the equivalent of approximately 18.5% of Tonga’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – a World Bank assessment for the Government of Tonga has found. Premium content -
Tuesday 15 February 2022 1:33am
Suva, Fiji : UNICEF and the Government of Japan announced a new US$1,250,000 partnership to support the Government of Tonga to ensure that about 19,250 people, including 10,000 children, affected by the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami have sufficient access to safe drinking water, a clean environment, as well as good health. Premium content -
Tuesday 15 February 2022 12:37am
Canberra, Australia : The impact of the tsunami and volcanic eruption on 'Atata and surrounding islands is most visible from the air. “The wave must have been huge,” said Royal Australian Navy Chaplain Simote Finau, who went ashore with around 30 Australians from the Operation Tonga Assist taskforce, after the locals had evacuated. New photos taken for damage surveys they conducted were released on Friday. -
Monday 14 February 2022 10:46pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A fleet of heavy earthmoving equipment worth $26 million pa'anga was gifted to Tonga’s Ministry of Infrastructure by the People's Republic of China last week. Premium content -
Monday 14 February 2022 10:00pm
Wellington, New Zealand : The New Zealand Defence Force ships HMNZ Canterbury and HMNZ Wellington left Tonga last Friday after assisting with relief efforts following last month’s undersea eruption and tsunami. The NZDF’s deliveries of aid and water have been contactless. Helicopters on board have surveyed damaged areas, and flew Digicel technicians to uninhabited Kao Island to assist in work to restore communications links to Ha’apai. Premium content -
Monday 14 February 2022 2:09pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Thirty one new COVID-19 positive cases were reported this morning, bringing Tonga's total active cases in the current outbreak to 139. There are now 133 active cases in Tongatapu and 6 in Vava'u. They are aged from 5 months to 63 years old. Cases have entered the Hu'atolitoli Prison. Premium content -
Sunday 13 February 2022 7:04pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Seventy-eight people have been charged by Tonga Police for breaching the current lock down restrictions in Tongatapu and Vava'u, which have been enforced since Feb. 4 to minimize and prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in the community. Premium content -
Thursday 10 February 2022 10:46pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Canned pork, gifted to Tonga as part of Chinese emergency food aid delivery, became the source of a diplomatic incident between the development partners, after Tongan officials stopped the distribution of swine products. The Tonga government expressed “profound regrets”. Premium content -
Thursday 10 February 2022 8:04pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Additional relief supplies from Japan arrived in Nuku'alofa on the OHSUMI defence ship yesterday, Feb. 9, to assist those affected by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption and tsunamis. Japanese Ambassador to Tonga, HE Mr Munenaga said this was the first visit by a Japan Maritime Self-Defence ship to Tonga in our history. Premium content -
Thursday 10 February 2022 7:54pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The number of COVID-19 cases is expected to continue rising, warned the Minister for Health, Hon Dr Saia Piukala this morning, February 10, saying “The unvaccinated, young children, the elderly and those with underlying illnesses are at risk...It’s important to rest at home. It’s better to rest at home - than rest in peace.” By Eleanor Gee. Premium content -
Thursday 10 February 2022 4:36pm
NASA, USA : When a volcano in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga began erupting in late-December 2021 and then violently exploded in mid-January 2022, NASA scientist Jim Garvin and colleagues were unusually well positioned to study the events. Ever since new land rose above the water surface in 2015 and joined two existing islands, Garvin and an international team of researchers have been monitoring changes there. The team used a combination of satellite observations and surface-based geophysical surveys to track the evolution of the rapidly changing piece of Earth. Now all of the new land is gone, along with large chunks of the two older islands. Story, pictures and links - NASA Earth Observatory.1 comment -
Thursday 10 February 2022 10:26am
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tonga has reported 31 new COVID-19 positive cases this morning, one of them in Tu'anuku, Vava'u, as authorities try to slow the outbreak with a continuing lockdown. Two new suburbs of Nuku'alofa, named as Mataika and Kolomotu'a have one case each. Tests sent to Australia have confirmed the Omicron variant has arrived in Tonga. Premium content -
Wednesday 9 February 2022 6:17pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Twenty new positive COVID-19 tests were reported in Tonga today, and they are all close contacts and family members of previous cases. Premium content -
Tuesday 8 February 2022 7:44pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The cable repair ship, Reliance, found the Fiji end of the Tonga cable this afternoon - but more breaks are suspected and it will setback the repair date to Sunday Feb. 20. By Linny Folau. Premium content
