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The prices of petrol, kerosene and diesel have fallen largely in new prices effective on May 18.

Faced with a deficit National Budget for 2020-21, the salaries of Cabinet Ministers and Members of Parliament will be reduced by 20%, to help Tonga to counter the impact of the COVID-19, the Prime Minister told parliament this morning.

On November 2, 1866, the Reverend Shirley Waldemar Baker, missionary and eventual Prime Minister of Tonga, gave a lecture in which he describes the last traditional God House in Ha'apai....“I have stood in the old Fale Mee at Haano, which is the last fale otua (temple of their god) still standing in Haapai. At the foot of the principal post there is buried a man, who was said to be the best singer in all Tonga. He was offered a living sacrifice to the god at the building of the temple, as an act of dedication.” By David V. Burley.

No-fishing areas established around Tonga are showing they are helping coral reef ecosystems to recover, says the Special Management Area Report 2020, compiled by the Ministry of Fisheries in partnership with Australia's James Cook University recently. Damaged reefs might take 20 years for full recovery.

A ‘My Body My Rights’ program aimed at empowering girls by increasing their understanding of their rights and control over their bodies and lives began in Tongatapu this week.

The Seychelles, a string of 115 verdant, rocky islands in the Indian Ocean, recently announced – in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic – that it would protect 30% of its glittering turquoise waters from commercial use - made possible through an innovative debt-swap deal – that will also bolster the health, wellbeing, and prosperity of the Seychellois, who number under 100,000 but cater to more than 350,000 visitors each year. - By Enric Sala

Australia has committed to providing up to AUD$1.8 million to extend the Tonga Health Systems Support Program to the end of next year, and a further AUD$1 million for CoViD-19 preparations, signing the increased assistance package with the Minister of Health today.

A former Prime Minister and Head of State of the Republic of Samoa, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi has challenged Samoa’s current Prime Minister Hon. Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi over his move to amend Samoa’s 1962 Constitution, and the meaning of land rights.

A grant of $460,000 pa'anga from the Asian Development Bank will fund immediate water sanitation and hygiene needs in Tonga, to areas affected by storm surge, among other recovery efforts after Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold in April.