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Thursday 6 January 2022 6:48pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Geologists consider that the eruption at Hunga volcano has died down, after observations yesterday, showed no signs of the volcanic plume for over 36 hours. Meanwhile, dark pumice floats have washed up on Tongatapu's north western beaches.
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Thursday 6 January 2022 6:08pm
Melbourne, Australia : There has been considerable opposition to vaccine mandates – opposition that I have argued is misguided. When both a vaccinated and an unvaccinated patient with COVID-19 need the last available bed in a hospital’s intensive care unit, the vaccinated patient should get it. Those who view vaccination as a “personal choice” need to bear personal responsibility for choosing to place others’ lives at risk. Exceptions should be made for those few patients for whom vaccination is contra-indicated on medical grounds, but not for those who claim to have religious grounds for exemption. No major religion rejects vaccination, and if some people choose to interpret their religious beliefs as requiring them to avoid vaccination, then they, and not others, should bear the consequences. By Peter Singer -
Thursday 6 January 2022 5:49pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Around 83% of eligible population in Tonga have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 up to January 6, the Ministry of Health confirmed today. (This represents about 60% of the total population.) Premium content -
Thursday 6 January 2022 5:03pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A tropical disturbance (TD03F) located north of Fiji, is forecast to track through southern Tonga waters (Tele-ki-Tokelau and Tele-ki-Tonga) by next Wednesday January 12, the Tonga Meteorological said today. The potential for this system to develop into a Tropical Cyclone in the next 24 to 48 hours is low. Premium content -
Wednesday 5 January 2022 8:35pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tomorrow's official opening of Tonga's new parliamentary session for 2022, by King Tupou VI, has been postponed to Tuesday January 11. From the House by Pesi Fonua Premium content -
Wednesday 5 January 2022 8:16pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Changes to requirements for incoming passengers to Tonga will be considered on Friday, ahead of the next repatriation flights to Tonga that were scheduled for January 18 and 20. MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma’u told Matangi Tonga today that recommendations are being prepared for the new Cabinet, including changes to the protocols for repatriations. Premium content -
Wednesday 5 January 2022 7:59pm
Suva, Fiji : Fiji is experiencing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases with 580 new cases over two days January 2-3. Fiji's Ministry of Health and Medical Services confirmed community transmission of both the Omicron and Delta variants of the virus in the country. “As with previous variants, unvaccinated people are at higher risk of severe disease,” stated Fiji's Health Ministry. Fiji has recorded a total of 702 deaths from COVID-19. By Eleanor Gee. Premium content -
Tuesday 4 January 2022 10:26pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Seawater around the active Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano is contaminated with toxic volcanic discharge and local fishermen should assume that fish in these waters are poisonous, or poisonous if consumed, Tongan authorities warned today. -
Tuesday 4 January 2022 6:05pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A gale warning was upgraded to a storm warning for all Tongan coastal waters this afternoon. Extreme high tides at 8:50pm tonight are forecast to bring a heavy damaging swell up to 4-6 metres, driven by storm force winds, as an active trough continues to move slowly over Tonga. Premium content -
Monday 3 January 2022 8:21pm
Tokomololo, Tonga : King Tupou VI, Queen Nanasipau'u and members of the Royal Family attended the traditional funeral with military honours for the Rt. Hon. Col., Lord Ma‘afu Tukui'aulahi this morning, at the Huelo ‘o Hangai Tomb, Tokomololo in Tongatapu. Hundreds of people attended the burial ceremony and outdoor service. Photos by Pesi Fonua, Eleanor Gee and Peter Poulsen. Premium content -
Friday 31 December 2021 5:30pm
Goro, New Caledonia : New York Times reporting: Goro, is the largest nickel mine on a tiny French territory suspended between Australia and Fiji that may hold up to one-quarter of the world’s nickel reserves. It also poses a critical test for Tesla, the world’s largest electric vehicle maker, which wants to take control of its supply chain and ensure that the minerals used for its car batteries are mined in an environmentally and socially responsible fashion. Because of its nickel industry, New Caledonia is one of the world’s largest carbon emitters per capita. And mining, which began soon after New Caledonia was colonized in 1853, is intimately linked to the exploitation of its Indigenous Kanak people. The legacy of more than a century of stolen land and crushed traditions has left Goro’s nickel output at the mercy of frequent labour strikes and political protests. -
Friday 31 December 2021 2:42pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The Tonga Police Drugs Enforcement Taskforce made 32 arrests over the Christmas holiday period between 20-29 December, where a total of 30.48 grams of methamphetamine, 72.74 grams of cannabis, 3.11 grams of cocaine, and drug utensils were seized at various locations on Tongatapu. Most of those arrested are being held in Police custody. Premium content -
Thursday 30 December 2021 10:58pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The funeral programme for the late Lord Ma’afu, is proceeding in Tonga after an Air New Zealand cargo flight landed at Fua'amotu Airport this afternoon, repatriating his remains from New Zealand. Mourners wearing funeral mats, lined the roadside at the estate of Vaini. Photos by Pesi Fonua and Eleanor Gee. Premium content -
Wednesday 29 December 2021 7:16pm
New York, USA : New York Times reporting: The U.S. record for daily coronavirus cases has been broken, as two highly contagious variants — delta and omicron — have converged to disrupt holiday travel and gatherings, deplete hospital staffs and plunge the United States into another long winter. As a third year of the pandemic loomed, the seven-day average of U.S. cases topped 267,000 on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database. -
Wednesday 29 December 2021 6:36pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A man from Pea, named as Tali Fatafehi (39), drowned at White Sands Beach on Monday, 27 December, Tonga Police have confirmed today. The victim was swimming with his son and a friend, when strong currents swept the three away from the beach, at around midday on the public holiday. The other two swimmers were rescued. Premium content -
Wednesday 29 December 2021 5:48pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano continues to erupt intermittently, the Tonga Geological Services said this morning, warning residents in Ha'apai to cover water reservoirs in case of acid rain that may be caused by volcanic emissions in the atmosphere. Premium content -
Wednesday 29 December 2021 5:28pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The Ports Authority Tonga (PAT) will partner with a new society to import ferronickel slag from New Caledonia for major infrastructure projects. Premium content -
Wednesday 29 December 2021 4:41pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni, this afternoon announced his new 12-member Cabinet and the two Governors for Vava‘u and Ha‘apai. The Prime Minister has kept four major portfolios under himself, taking on the Police and the armed forces as well as education. Premium content -
Tuesday 28 December 2021 1:20pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : HM King Tupou VI this morning, 28 Dec., presented Tonga’s newly elected Prime Minister, Hon. Siaosi ‘Ofakivahafolau Sovaleni (51) with a Royal Warrant of Appointment at the Royal Palace in Nuku'alofa. He will hold the office of Prime Minister from 27 Dec. 2021 for four years. Meanwhile, the King has approved a new 12-member Cabinet and two Governors for Vava'u and Ha'apai, and the Warrants of Appointment were read and returned to the Legislative Assembly this afternoon. The names of the new government ministers are expected to be announced by the new Prime Minister soon. Premium content -
Friday 24 December 2021 9:00pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Have a Merry Christmas and stay away from the hazardous Hunga volcano, the Tonga Geological Services advised the public today, warning that extreme hazards in the area up to five kilometres around the eruption, include possible explosions, surges, ballistic ejecta, tephra, lava domes, laze, vog, pumice shoals, volcanic edifice collapse and tsunamis. Premium content
