Results for Tonga

The World Trade Organization faces challenges today that are unmatched in its 25 years, Director-General Roberto Azevedo stated on the WTO's 25th anniversary on 1 January 2020. Tonga is one of 164 members.

Fine Tu’itupou-Arnold, has become the first person of Pacific Island descent to be elected as a member of the Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent during an international conference last month in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Matangi Tonga Online website hosts over 13,000 articles, attracting over 3.21 million page views during the year 2019. The top ten articles countdown on Matangi Tonga Online document triumph and tragedy, with the highs and lows, spectacular achievements and disappointing failures, but end with photos of true love in the Pacific Island country of Tonga and her people in the year 2019.

A low number of 16 new measles cases occurred in the last week, according to a Tonga situation report issued on 2 January 2020. This brings the total number of confirmed or suspected measles cases to 612 since the outbreak began in October 2019 with around 96% estimated to have recovered.

The installation of new weather stations and sea level monitoring equipment throughout Tonga has been a huge logistical exercise, six months in the planning and another year in the implementation. Tonga welcomes 2020 with 21 new weather stations and two sea level monitoring stations.

There are rare moments on an archaeological project which offer extraordinary insight into the past or when the past connects with the present in an utterly astonishing way. Both occurred in late July of 2007, as we were carrying out archaeological excavations in the village of Nukuleka at the northeast entrance to Fanga ‘Uta Lagoon on Tongatapu. This story is about the documentation of a shell game, taupita, but a shell game, as we found out, with an almost 3000-year-old history. It also is a story that binds Tonga’s earliest Lapita ancestors to the people of Nukuleka today. By David Burley and Sean Connaughton.

Tropical Cyclone Sarai (Category 1) caused minor damage on Tongatapu last night and early this morning, with some flooding in areas with poor drainage, fallen powerlines, and flattened vegetation. International flights were cancelled to Tonga.

UPDATED: At 2:00am on Tuesday, 31 December, Tropical Cyclone Sarai (Category 2) was tracking closer to Nuku'alofa than previously forecast. On its current track, Tropical Cyclone Sarai is expected to be located 90km west of Nuku'alofa at 7:00am Tuesday morning. Occasional rain and strong to gale force winds will continue to affect the group this morning.

A Nuku'alofa businessman died on Saturday night, 28 December, after a hit and run incident on Vuna Road, Fasi.