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A large scale Tonga Police and Fire investigation is underway today, Sunday 12 November, following a major fire in the Nuku'alofa CBD in the early hours of this morning that may, possibly, be linked to a robbery.

The cruise ship, Pacific Explorer, docked at Vuna Wharf in Nuku’alofa this morning, with over 2,500 passengers.

Ahead of the signing of the Samoa Agreement in Apia next week Tonga's Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku met with the Secretary General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) HE Mr. Georges Rebelo Chikoti, in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The Samoa Agreement to be signed by the European Union and its Member States, and the 79 Member States of OACPS, on 15 November 2023 in Samoa, is the first comprehensive partnership agreement between the OACPS and EU to be signed in the Pacific.

The quality of Tonga's water supplies will come into focus next week, when stakeholders come together for a workshop to look at water supply and sanitation management. The Water Safety Planning process will result in a Quality Risk Assessment for the Nuku’alofa Water Supply System. At a second workshop, the Ministry of Health and ADB, will present findings from a recent pilot study on Village Water Supply systems in Tongatapu.

The United Kingdom Minister of State for Indo-Pacific, Rt. Hon.Anne-Marie Trevelyan will pay a high-level visit to Tonga, on 14 November, being her first official visit since the UK High Commission in Tonga re-opened in 2020.

The impacts of sea level rise and climate events on development were a common concern for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) attending the 52nd Pacific Leaders Meeting in the Cook Islands this week. Attending the Forum is HE Mr Dennis Francis, the new President of the UN General Assembly, who held a bilateral meeting with Tonga's Prime Minister on important issues for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Liuaki Fainu (23) who was sentenced to two-years six-months imprisonment, for dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm to a police officer in Vava’u had his sentence fully suspended on conditions. The officer who suffered a broken leg, in December 2022, awaits bone reconstruction experts from Australia next month who will operate to re-connect his fractured femur.

A group of agricultural researchers led by Professor Dorin Gupta from the University of Melbourne, have established a research site at Haveluloto, Tonga, called the “Mother Site”, to develop their Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Project (SAI), focusing on improving traditional farming practices.

Tonga’s economy is performing strongly but faces growing headwinds, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated in its country report for Tonga published on 3 November. Although tourism-related services are recovering, tourism receipts as a share of GDP are anticipated to remain below pre-pandemic levels until FY2026 due to slow reconstruction of damaged facilities. Worker migration is causing severe labour shortages.