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Tuesday 15 February 2022 2:31am
Suva, Fiji : The Tonga Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption, tsunami and ashfall has caused an estimated US$90.4M (TOP 208 million) in damages – the equivalent of approximately 18.5% of Tonga’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – a World Bank assessment for the Government of Tonga has found.
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Tuesday 15 February 2022 1:33am
Suva, Fiji : UNICEF and the Government of Japan announced a new US$1,250,000 partnership to support the Government of Tonga to ensure that about 19,250 people, including 10,000 children, affected by the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami have sufficient access to safe drinking water, a clean environment, as well as good health. Premium content -
Tuesday 15 February 2022 12:37am
Canberra, Australia : The impact of the tsunami and volcanic eruption on 'Atata and surrounding islands is most visible from the air. “The wave must have been huge,” said Royal Australian Navy Chaplain Simote Finau, who went ashore with around 30 Australians from the Operation Tonga Assist taskforce, after the locals had evacuated. New photos taken for damage surveys they conducted were released on Friday. -
Monday 14 February 2022 10:46pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A fleet of heavy earthmoving equipment worth $26 million pa'anga was gifted to Tonga’s Ministry of Infrastructure by the People's Republic of China last week. Premium content -
Monday 14 February 2022 10:00pm
Wellington, New Zealand : The New Zealand Defence Force ships HMNZ Canterbury and HMNZ Wellington left Tonga last Friday after assisting with relief efforts following last month’s undersea eruption and tsunami. The NZDF’s deliveries of aid and water have been contactless. Helicopters on board have surveyed damaged areas, and flew Digicel technicians to uninhabited Kao Island to assist in work to restore communications links to Ha’apai. Premium content -
Monday 14 February 2022 2:09pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Thirty one new COVID-19 positive cases were reported this morning, bringing Tonga's total active cases in the current outbreak to 139. There are now 133 active cases in Tongatapu and 6 in Vava'u. They are aged from 5 months to 63 years old. Cases have entered the Hu'atolitoli Prison. Premium content -
Sunday 13 February 2022 7:04pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Seventy-eight people have been charged by Tonga Police for breaching the current lock down restrictions in Tongatapu and Vava'u, which have been enforced since Feb. 4 to minimize and prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in the community. Premium content -
Thursday 10 February 2022 10:46pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Canned pork, gifted to Tonga as part of Chinese emergency food aid delivery, became the source of a diplomatic incident between the development partners, after Tongan officials stopped the distribution of swine products. The Tonga government expressed “profound regrets”. Premium content -
Thursday 10 February 2022 8:04pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Additional relief supplies from Japan arrived in Nuku'alofa on the OHSUMI defence ship yesterday, Feb. 9, to assist those affected by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcanic eruption and tsunamis. Japanese Ambassador to Tonga, HE Mr Munenaga said this was the first visit by a Japan Maritime Self-Defence ship to Tonga in our history. Premium content -
Thursday 10 February 2022 7:54pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The number of COVID-19 cases is expected to continue rising, warned the Minister for Health, Hon Dr Saia Piukala this morning, February 10, saying “The unvaccinated, young children, the elderly and those with underlying illnesses are at risk...It’s important to rest at home. It’s better to rest at home - than rest in peace.” By Eleanor Gee. Premium content -
Thursday 10 February 2022 4:36pm
NASA, USA : When a volcano in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga began erupting in late-December 2021 and then violently exploded in mid-January 2022, NASA scientist Jim Garvin and colleagues were unusually well positioned to study the events. Ever since new land rose above the water surface in 2015 and joined two existing islands, Garvin and an international team of researchers have been monitoring changes there. The team used a combination of satellite observations and surface-based geophysical surveys to track the evolution of the rapidly changing piece of Earth. Now all of the new land is gone, along with large chunks of the two older islands. Story, pictures and links - NASA Earth Observatory.1 comment -
Thursday 10 February 2022 10:26am
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tonga has reported 31 new COVID-19 positive cases this morning, one of them in Tu'anuku, Vava'u, as authorities try to slow the outbreak with a continuing lockdown. Two new suburbs of Nuku'alofa, named as Mataika and Kolomotu'a have one case each. Tests sent to Australia have confirmed the Omicron variant has arrived in Tonga. Premium content -
Wednesday 9 February 2022 6:17pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Twenty new positive COVID-19 tests were reported in Tonga today, and they are all close contacts and family members of previous cases. Premium content -
Tuesday 8 February 2022 7:44pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The cable repair ship, Reliance, found the Fiji end of the Tonga cable this afternoon - but more breaks are suspected and it will setback the repair date to Sunday Feb. 20. By Linny Folau. Premium content -
Tuesday 8 February 2022 5:02pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Six new COVID-19 positive cases were announced by Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni today Tuesday, Feb. 8, bringing the total number of active positive cases in Tonga to 13. They are all close contacts of earlier cases. Two were believed infected while kava drinking at Pili, and the other four are a family of an earlier case at Vaini, with both areas are identified as hotspots in the current outbreak. Premium content -
Monday 7 February 2022 11:28pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Progress has been slow today, Monday, in the search for the Fiji end of Tonga's submarine telecommunications cable - suspected to be broken in several places. Bad weather and rough seas persist in the area. The cable repair ship Reliance recovered the Tonga end of the international cable over the weekend, and secured it at 7:00am Saturday. The ship also recovered a 1.2km long piece of separated submarine cable. Premium content -
Monday 7 February 2022 10:05pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Two ports workers might have contracted COVID-19 early last week due to 'human error' said Ministry of Health CEO Dr Siale 'Akau'ola, yesterday, Feb. 6. The Omicron variant is suspected in the Tonga outbreak and expected to be confirmed later this week, when the virus test results come from Australia. Premium content -
Sunday 6 February 2022 9:07pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Two new COVID-19 positive cases, bring the active number to seven for Tonga, Prime Minister Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni, told a Sunday afternoon press conference. The 48-hours national lockdown, which expired today at 6:00pm, has been extended for 14-days for Tongatapu and Vava’u, as testing and vaccinations are continued. Premium content -
Sunday 6 February 2022 8:21pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : After two weeks of scrambling for satellite connectivity, one of Tonga's two main telecommunications networks started rolling out more data capacity last week. But there's simply not enough capacity to meet national demand, and allocation of bandwidth has to be carefully managed, until the fibre optic cable is repaired. Premium content -
Saturday 5 February 2022 3:07pm
Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand : Aotearoa New Zealand is donating an additional 9,300 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Tonga, and $3 million in humanitarian funding. A Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules has departed Base Auckland Whenuapai earlier today, Feb. 5, carrying the vaccines, rapid antigen tests, and equipment to support re-establishing the electrical network. Premium content
