Now upgraded to Category 2 storm in Tonga, Tropical Cyclone Ian is moving towards Tonga’s northernmost island, Niuafo‘ou. On its current track, TC Ian may bring damaging gale force winds to Niuafo‘ou in the next 12 to 24 hours, and is expected to turn and move to the southeast over Tonga during the next three days.
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Results for Pacific Islands
Wednesday 8 January 2014
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Nuku‘alofa, Tonga

Monday 6 January 2014
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
UPDATE: A tropical cyclone alert and strong wind warning remains in force for Vava‘u and Ha‘apai as a tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Cyclone Ian Category 1, located halfway between Vava‘u, Tonga, and Lifuka, Fiji, this morning. Tonga's Fua’amotu Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre issued a third Tropical Cyclone Advisory at 4:30pm today, January 6, 2014 as Cyclone Ian slowly moves closer to Tonga.

Monday 9 December 2013
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Newcastle, Australia
The Tonga team has won nine medals at the Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Games that ended last week in Newcastle, Australia. The eight athletes are expected tp return to Tonga early Tuesday morning, Dcember 10. A celebratory march will be held in Nuku'alofa, organised by a Special Olympics Committee leaving from the Tonga Red Cross Offices on Hala Taufa'ahau at 9:00am. A program will be held at the Digicel Christmas Tree Square at 10:00am.

Tuesday 3 December 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The rescheduling of Tonga's T$119 million loan from China for the reconstruction of Nuku'alofa has not been decided, according to Xu Zhiguang, the first Secretary of the Chinese Embassy, Nuku'alofa this afternoon, December 3.

Thursday 28 November 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A new report states that Tonga is the fourth most over-weight country in the world, and that Non-Communicable Diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms and diabetes are a leading cause of adult death, while data showed that 36 percent of Tongan boys and 54 percent of Tongan girls were over-weight or obese. Death rates in the most productive age groups are three times higher than in Australia and New Zealand

Thursday 28 November 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The World Bank has announced that it has setup a US$5 million support operation to aid Tonga’s recovering economy.

Tuesday 26 November 2013
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Sydney, Australia
The Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA has become a new partner to the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility PRIF, the Asian Development Bank ADB announced today, 26 November.

Wednesday 20 November 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga’s former Attorney General John Cauchi accepted that the Government of Tonga had created circumstances that forced him to resign, which was the basis of his evidence in chief given at the Supreme Court in Nuku’alofa, on Wednesday November 20.

Friday 25 October 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tatafu Moeaki the CEO of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning completed a one-week program as the fourth New Zealand Prime Minister’s Fellow.

Friday 25 October 2013
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Seoul, South Korea
A more targeted and mutually accountable Regional Partnership that clearly sets out the specific areas of the Republic of Korea's assistance was agreed upon during a 2nd Korea-Pacific Islands Senior Officials Meeting held in Seoul this week.

Tuesday 22 October 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Sky TV will broadcast the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympic Games to 14 Pacific Island countries including New Zealand and Tonga.

Wednesday 25 September 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The power distribution network of villages in Tongatapu will be upgraded in the continuation of a Tonga Village Network Upgrade Project funded by New Zealand with $32 million pa’anga, its single biggest energy commitment in the Pacific to date.

Wednesday 11 September 2013
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The health of Tonga's coral reefs is under investigation in a new study that began this week. The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is on a one-month Global Reef Expedition in Tonga to research and make recommendations on how Tonga can preserve the resources.

Wednesday 4 September 2013
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New York, USA.
The new Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations Development Programme, Haoliang Xu, says it is time to have an honest dialogue with some of its government partners so that they see UNDP, not as a donor, but rather as a trusted development partner: “If we don’t find a breakthrough in this regard, UNDP’s potential to add value to their national development agenda cannot be fully materialized.”

Tuesday 3 September 2013
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Auckland, New Zealand
Tongans in New Zealand have begun celebrating “Tongan Language Week” with various events promoting the Tongan language, being held from September 1-7.

Monday 2 September 2013
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Sydney, Australia
This week’s Pacific Islands Forum focuses on: “Marshalling a Pacific Response to Climate Change” when the leaders of the Pacific Island Forum will propose the Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership, to galvanize a new wave of climate action. At this critical time in the history of the Pacific, it is essential the discussion goes beyond words and pledges and results in concrete actions and commitments, from all actors, to combat climate change. - World Bank Group.

Saturday 24 August 2013
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Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
The Tonga Energy Road Map (TERM), an agency that was established by the Tongan Cabinet in 2011 to implement Tonga's ten-year multi-million renewable energy planning, has not come under the government's budget for 2013-14.

Monday 12 August 2013
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Wellington, New Zealand
The New Zealand Government stepped up its travel advisory for visitors to Tonga, as the MA-60 aircraft, operated by REAL Tonga started commercial passenger flights to Vava‘u on Saturday August 10.

Wednesday 7 August 2013
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Nuku‘alofa, Tonga
Tonga's current education system hampers the development of the talents of Tongan children, and it has to be changed to counter the mounting youth unemployment and school dropouts, believes Tonga's Minister of Education and Training, Dr 'Ana Taufe'ulungaki. - By Pesi Fonua

Tuesday 6 August 2013
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Auckland, New Zealand
A new Tongan Early Childhood Playgroup and Training Centre has opened at Mt Roskill in Auckland, and named ‘Muniao ‘o e ‘Ofa’ or Net of Love by Hon. Lupepau’u Tuita on August 1.
