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The apocalyptic images of the locked-down Chinese city of Wuhan have reached us all. The world is holding its breath over the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, and governments are taking or preparing drastic measures that will necessarily sacrifice individual rights and freedoms for the general good. ...But few mention, let alone confront, the underlying cause of the epidemic. - Peter Singer.

Tonga’s famous Olympic flag bearer, Pita Taufatofua, has made history again for the Kingdom, after qualifying in Taekwondo for his third Olympics in a row on 29 February, on the Gold Coast, Australia. Malia Paseka also secured an Olympic spot, for the first time in Taekwondo.

Air New Zealand has cut down on its Auckland-Apia weekly services from six to three effective today, 2 March, after receiving a directive for all airlines by the Samoan Government.

The body of a 13-year-old girl was recovered from the swimming pool at Touliki after 2:00pm today.

Soane Patita Toutai’olepo (19) was sentenced to two-years imprisonment for grievous bodily harm, when he threw a rock injuring another student in a school rivalry between Tupou College and Tonga College, in 2019. The Chief Justice said it was a deterrent for future rival school violence. "It is a very great shame that the defendant must start his adult years by spending a year in prison.”

The cruise ship MS Amsterdam has been cleared by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to dock in Nuku’alofa at 8am on 28 February and depart at 5pm.

The jury trial against Lord Tu'ivakano on offences relating to the issuance of Tongan passports continues with revelations that legal advice from the then Acting Attorney General against the issuance of Tongan passports to Chinese applicants was ignored. The court was told this was despite real concerns of criminal activity.

A 16-year-old boy received a fully suspended sentence for indecently assaulting a 51-year-old woman, who was going for a run in the morning. "No member of society deserves to be set upon in broad daylight in the way in which the defendant did here,” said the Chief Justice in sentencing the offender.

Tonga’s growth potential is below what it could be. The economy has been growing well below the regional average for the past two decades, says an IMF Staff report released on February 24. Growth is expected to gradually decline “unless there is a concerted effort to remove bottlenecks hampering private sector development.”