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About 70% of Tonga’s annual breadfruit yield just rots on the ground and only 30% is consumed as food and for export, a Pacific Breadfruit Roundtable Meeting held in Tonga, learned this week. But breadfruit exports are increasing rapidly.

Sosefo Fe’aomoeata (Fe'ao) Vakata was dismissed as Tonga’s Minister of Internal Affairs, on 13 September 2016, the Prime Minister’s Office announced this afternoon, 15 September.

‘Alani Afu, otherwise known as ‘Alani Koloamatangi, who has been in custody for extradition to Australia to face a charge of murder, which he allegedly committed some 26-years ago had his appeal dismissed by Tonga’s Court of Appeal on 14 September. His appeal was against the dismissal by a Supreme Court judge of his application for a writ of habeas corpus.

Neiafu bowsers have run out of petrol again today, forcing the Vava’u tourist industry into crisis control at the height of the tourist season, and crippling the local economy. Vava’u has not seen a fuel barge arrive in nearly a month and only a trickle of petrol is getting through. Dozens of vehicles remained queued at an empty petrol station in Neiafu this afternoon, waiting in hope for a whiff of fuel.

Some 22.5% of Tonga’s population - or over 23,200 people live below the national poverty line, according to the Asian Development Bank's latest statistics released yesterday. The high cost of living as well as lack of access to basic infrastructure, services and utilities and the lack of employment or opportunities to generate income make it difficult for people to meet their basic needs.

Tonga’s second Court of Appeal sitting today dismissed an appeal filed by a letter writer to the Kele’a newspaper, the Kele'a, and two others in a defamation case that awarded judgment against them when they were ordered to pay more than $200,000 in damages and costs after they were found guilty of defamation in 2013.

Tonga’s Olympic flag bearer, 32-year-old Pita Taufatofua, is in Tonga this week to say thank you for the opportunity to represent Tonga in Taekwondo at the Rio Olympics. After arriving with his coach, Paula Sitapa, yesterday he went straight to work spending a few hours at Digicel Square in the afternoon meeting fans, signing autographs and taking photos. Photos by Caroline Manu-Moli.

A Tonga Navy team won the Inaugural Services Swimming Championship, held at the Masefield Naval Base, Touliki on Friday, 9 September.

The interests of Pacific Members must be at the heart of discussions when looking at how they could influence an effective future engagement through the ACP with the EU, said Dame Meg Taylor, the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, at a Pacific Forum Secretariat meeting on 8 September 2016 in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia.