The Pacific Islands Forum's Ministerial Contact Group (MCG) on Fiji met in Auckland, New Zealand Yesterday, 31 May 2010, to continue Forum efforts to engage with Fiji authorities on addressing the situation in Fiji.
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Results for Press Releases
Tuesday 1 June 2010
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Suva, Fiji

Monday 31 May 2010
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Geneva, Switzerland
In observance of World No Tobacco Day 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging global action to protect women and girls against the sickness and suffering caused by tobacco use

Wednesday 26 May 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
At approximately 11:15am this morning (Wednesday 26 May) Chathams Pacifics 8 Seat Queen Air Aircraft suffered a nose wheel collapse on landing at Fuaamotu Airport. - Chathams Pacific

Monday 24 May 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Nine competing High Schools will be competing today for the four top teams to be awarded an initial capital to set up their businesses, manufacture their products and start selling them to the public.

Monday 24 May 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A meeting was held in Nuku'alofa last week to discuss ways in which the Tongan tourism industry can benefit from the recently signed Tonga Energy Road Map (TERM).

Wednesday 19 May 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A major function of the Electricity Commission is to independently regulate (control) the electricity tariff (price) paid by Tongan consumers. There are two elements in the tariff (price of power), the fuel component and the non-fuel component.

Wednesday 19 May 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Australia will provide Tonga with an estimated A$27.8million in official development assistance in 2010-11. This represents a A$6.5million increase compared to the estimates of official development assistance to Tonga for 2009-10.

Friday 14 May 2010
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Washington D. C. , U.S.A.
On May 6, 2010, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation1 with Tonga on a lapse of time basis. Under the IMFs lapse of time procedures, the Executive Board completes Article IV consultations without convening formal discussions. -International Monetary Fund, Public Information Notice

Tuesday 11 May 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga will receive 90,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine in addition to the first batch of 10,000 doses that was received in March this year. Necessary ancillary items, such as syringes, needles and supplement to the operational costs will also be provided. This has been made possible with the generous support from donor partners of WHO, including Australia and New Zealand.

Tuesday 4 May 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The EU responded positively to Tonga's application by agreeing to provide 5.5 million euros, the equivalent of 16.5 million pa'anga, by way of budgetary support. The EU also agreed to provide 2.5 million euros (TOP 7.5 million) towards improvement of the electricity distribution network to the rural areas. This is Tonga's first application under the Energy Facility II.

Monday 3 May 2010
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Brussels, Belgium
Decades of deregulation, greed and free-market speculation have plunged the world into deep economic recession, with appalling impacts on working people and their families across the planet. 34 million jobs have been lost, and the end is not in sight. With a further 64 million people pushed into extreme poverty, the quest to end global poverty is yet further out of reach.

Sunday 2 May 2010
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Canberra, Australia
The global financial crisis may seem like a strange time to launch negotiations on a new regional trade and economic agreement. But I am convinced that Pacific Islands Forum Leaders made exactly the right decision when they agreed in August 2009 in the darkest days of the global financial crisis to commence negotiations on a new trade and economic agreement known as PACER Plus.

Friday 30 April 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
I have had difficulty having that independent role accepted to the point where the Government has removed most if not all of my responsibilities. These have been allocated to either the Cabinet or the Minister of Justice. This is not the independence the Government said it wanted to achieve when it created the new Attorney General's position. The Minister of Justice is not the Attorney- General. - Office of Attorney General

Monday 26 April 2010
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Suva, Fiji
A decision to set aside 4.5million square kilometers of international waters in the Pacific as off-limits to purse seine fishing for tuna represents one of the largest ocean protection moves in history said Greenpeace.

Thursday 15 April 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The loss of 74 lives on the MV Princess Ashika was a devastating tragedy where it appears serious breaches of the law may have occurred. I express my deep sympathy to those who lost family and friends in the sinking of the vessel. In consultation with the Solicitor General and other Crown Counsel I have approached the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) to nominate two special prosecutors to work in Tonga in relation to the purchase, operation and sinking of the MV Princess Ashika.

Tuesday 13 April 2010
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Melbourne,Australia
The speakers, Alisi Taumoepeau (former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in Tonga) and Mosmi Bhim (Communications and Advocacy Officer at the Citizens Constitutional Focrun) gave two very distinctive and emotive accounts of how their respective countries deal with issues of democratisation.

Friday 9 April 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
His Majestys Government, having studied the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry, is satisfied that all the recommendations of the report should be addressed as soon as possible and the law should be permitted to take its course with regard to the issue of criminal and civil liability.

Friday 9 April 2010
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Sydney, Australia
The Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers will meet in Port Vila, Vanuatu from April 27 - 29. They will look at the free trade agreement PACER-Plus. Despite all the noise made by the Australian and New Zealand governments about 'development' being the 'plus' part of the agreement, it seems by not postponing the meeting until the Pacific Islands are in a position to engage properly, their focus is on putting the pace into PACER-Plus.

Friday 9 April 2010
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Geneva, Switzerland
Urban settings have a direct impact on the health of the people who live there. On World Health Day WHO is launching a campaign to highlight urban planning as a crucial link to building a healthy 21st century.

Monday 5 April 2010
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
We seek to make clarifications regarding the press conference by the Minister for Information and Communications on 1st April, 2010. The Ministry is happy to report that the press conference did achieve its goal. Even those who still wanted their reports there and then did understand that the delay would be very brief, and that it was properly caused by the rules of operation, and not by any improper motives or actions.
