Talanoa 'o Tonga News, Taufa'ahau Road, Nuku`alofa (2025)

11/01/2024

A press release issued by the Chief Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Dr. Sione Vikilani on Tuesday 11 January, stated the Supreme Court of Tonga has issued a ruling that the court has no jurisdiction to hear the judicial review application made by 7 members of Parliament, as Plaintiffs, challenging the Lord Speaker and Legislative’s Assembly’s decision in September 2023 concerning the motion for a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister, Hon....

A press release issued by the Chief Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Dr. Sione Vikilani on Tuesday 11 January, stated the Supreme Court of Tonga has issued a ruling that the court has no

07/01/2024

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare saw his dream come true in 2023 when the Solomon Islands hosted the Pacific Games, a big win in his time in office. The four-time Prime Minister has also had tremendous influence on international politics during the year. He took a brave step in forging a bilateral relations security agreement with China despite the protests of some Western nations....

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare saw his dream come true in 2023 when the Solomon Islands hosted the Pacific Games, a big win in his time in office. The four-time Prime Minister has also had

02/01/2024

A powerful earthquake struck central Japan on Monday, killing at least six people, destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground. The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 triggered waves of about 1 metre along Japan’s west coast and neighbouring South Korea. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially issued a major tsunami warning – its first since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck north-east Japan killing nearly 20,000 people – for Ishikawa prefecture....

A powerful earthquake struck central Japan on Monday, killing at least six people, destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting residents in some coastal areas

21/12/2023

For nurses who did not go overseas seeking for better employment, it may not be a merrier Christmas for them this year. This has become apparent in a petition presented to the King this week for a pay raise. But it is not just for better pay the nurses are petitioning for; they are asking for better working conditions, in fact better management of their time and work shifts at Vaiola Hospital, Tonga’s main hospital and clinical service center....

For nurses who did not go overseas seeking for better employment, it may not be a merrier Christmas for them this year. This has become apparent in a petition presented to the King this week for a pay

18/12/2023

The sardines and mackerel were found floating on the surface of the sea near the fishing port of Hakodate in Hokkaido Officials in Japan have admitted they are struggling to determine why hundreds of tonnes of fish have washed ashore in recent days. Earlier this month, an estimated 1,200 tonnes of sardines and mackerel were found floating on the surface of the sea off the fishing port of Hakodate in Hokkaido, forming a silver blanket stretching for more than a kilometre....

The sardines and mackerel were found floating on the surface of the sea near the fishing port of Hakodate in Hokkaido Officials in Japan have admitted they are struggling to determine why hundreds of

17/12/2023

Nuku'alofa CBD was flooded with red and white today, with students, ex-students and families of Tonga College ‘Atele, marching along Taufa'ahau Road to celebrate the schools 141st anniversary. The school did not celebrate its 140th anniversary last year due to the recovery efforts after the 2022 HTHH volcanic eruption and the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s celebration was a combination of the 140th and 141st anniversaries....

Nuku'alofa CBD was flooded with red and white today, with students, ex-students and families of Tonga College ‘Atele, marching along Taufa'ahau Road to celebrate the schools 141st a

14/12/2023

The governments of the world have agreed on a declaration at the Dubai Cop28 climate summit that has been both hailed as historic and dismissed as weak. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) closed with an agreement that signals the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era by laying the ground for a swift, just and equitable transition, underpinned by deep emissions cuts and scaled-up finance....

The governments of the world have agreed on a declaration at the Dubai Cop28 climate summit that has been both hailed as historic and dismissed as weak. The United Nations Climate Change Conference

10/12/2023

The Lulutai Saab 340 aircraft slid off the taxiway at the Fua'amotu Domestic Airport with a full load of passengers, early Friday afternoon, hitting a low concrete wall, after it aborted landing at the Lupepau’u Airport in Vava’u. No one was injured in what was less than a normal landing even though it is reported the passengers were traumatised. The 34-seater aircraft, A3-PUA departed Fua’amotu Airport for Vava’u, but due to what was called a “technical problem with hydraulics”, the plane could not land, and it turned back to Tongatapu....

The Lulutai Saab 340 aircraft slid off the taxiway at the Fua'amotu Domestic Airport with a full load of passengers, early Friday afternoon, hitting a low concrete wall, after it aborted landing

07/12/2023

Tonga's Prime Minister Honorable Hu’akavameiliku at a High level segment at COP28 introduced the groundbreaking "BRACE" project, earmarking USD 70 million to fortify the education sector against climate change impacts. In a compelling address, the Prime Minister underscored the Global Education Crisis, emphasizing the imminent risk of disrupted education for nearly one billion children due to climate change. Highlighting the vulnerability of the education sector to climate risks, a critical aspect often overlooked in climate discussions, the Prime Minister detailed the key elements of the USD 70 million BRACE project....

Tonga's Prime Minister Honorable Hu’akavameiliku at a High level segment at COP28 introduced the groundbreaking "BRACE" project, earmarking USD 70 million to fortify the education s

04/12/2023

After 55 years of teaching, a big question facing the University of the South Pacific (USP) is whether it might be time for more than just simple reforms, but for closing it down. When it was founded at an old New Zealand air force base in Fiji in 1968, the concept of regional universities was greatly favoured by aid donors. They were not necessarily useful for the recipient countries who made up the membership of each regional group....

After 55 years of teaching, a big question facing the University of the South Pacific (USP) is whether it might be time for more than just simple reforms, but for closing it down. When it was f

03/12/2023

The most important global meeting of the year on climate change among the nations of the world, COP 28 is being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and will run until December 12. COP stands for “Conference of the Parties” to the convention under the umbrella of the United Nations, referring to the convening of member countries every year to determine ambition and responsibilities, and identify and assess climate measures....

The most important global meeting of the year on climate change among the nations of the world, COP 28 is being held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and will run until December 12. COP stands for

03/12/2023

The Sol2023 Pacific Games concluded with a vibrant closing ceremony at Honiara’s National Stadium on Saturday night, marking the end of a two-week sporting extravaganza featuring 24 Pacific nations. The Games saw more than 5,000 athletes compete in 24 sports that witnessed New Caledonia top the medal tally with an impressive 82 gold medals. New Caledonia was also the champion of the 2019 Pacific Games....

The Sol2023 Pacific Games concluded with a vibrant closing ceremony at Honiara’s National Stadium on Saturday night, marking the end of a two-week sporting extravaganza featuring 24 Pacific nations. T

02/12/2023

Nature, people, lives and livelihoods must be at the heart of climate action. That was the message from the King of Tonga, His Majesty King Tupou VI, to world leaders and delegates at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) in Dubai, UAE. His Majesty King Tupou VI was the first Pacific leader to address the High-Level plenary at the World Climate Action Summit at COP28 and reminded the meeting about the lived reality of the climate crisis for Pacific countries....

Nature, people, lives and livelihoods must be at the heart of climate action. That was the message from the King of Tonga, His Majesty King Tupou VI, to world leaders and delegates at the 28th

02/12/2023

His Excellency Mr. Cao Xiaolin leaves Tonga this week having served as Chinese Ambassador to Tonga for the past 4 years. He is probably the most experienced Chinese diplomat who has worked in Tonga. He first came to Tonga as an embassy worker twenty five years ago when the two countries established diplomatic relations. After this first stint in the kingdom, he left and then was commissioned to come back four years ago as China's ambassador to Tonga....

His Excellency Mr. Cao Xiaolin leaves Tonga this week having served as Chinese Ambassador to Tonga for the past 4 years. He is probably the most experienced Chinese diplomat who has worked in Tonga.

30/11/2023

Fifty years of service in Tonga by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was celebrated on 23 November in an event in which the Deputy Prime Minister, Samiu Vaipulu, and the Japanese Ambassador HE Mr. Kensaku Munenaga were representing their respective countries. JICA is also known as Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV). There are four volunteers currently serving in Tonga but 568 volunteers have served in Tonga over the past 50 years....

Fifty years of service in Tonga by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was celebrated on 23 November in an event in which the Deputy Prime Minister, Samiu Vaipulu, and the Japanese

26/11/2023

Tonga has won its first gold at the Pacific Games in Honiara on Friday when Salote Alexis Vakasiuola, aged 16, took the gold for the women's golf. Of the four rounds of gold, Alexis was able to win the gold by 10 strokes from the runner-up. Not only is this Tonga's first gold at the Honiara Pacific Games, but it is the first gold it has ever won in the sport of golf at the Games....

Tonga has won its first gold at the Pacific Games in Honiara on Friday when Salote Alexis Vakasiuola, aged 16, took the gold for the women's golf. Of the four rounds of gold, Alexis was able to

24/11/2023

Four participants of the Tonga cohort of the 2023 Pacific Greenpreneurs Program graduated today, marking a significant milestone in their entrepreneurial journey and showcasing the positive impact of the program on green enterprise development in the Pacific region. Two recipients were awarded total funds of USD$55,000 (approximately TOP $130,000). The event was held at the Davina House in Ma'ufanga, and brought together key stakeholders, including government officials, representatives from the private sector, and fellow Pacific Greenpreneurs....

Four participants of the Tonga cohort of the 2023 Pacific Greenpreneurs Program graduated today, marking a significant milestone in their entrepreneurial journey and showcasing the positive impact of

22/11/2023

The Pacific community’s stand against corruption got a major boost when leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum endorsed the establishment of a taskforce on the Teieniwa Vision to oversee its implementation. Supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and endorsed by forum leaders on February 3, 2021, as the region’s anti-corruption roadmap, the Teieniwa Vision envisions a corruption-free Pacific by harnessing collective regional anti-corruption priorities....

The Pacific community’s stand against corruption got a major boost when leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum endorsed the establishment of a taskforce on the Teieniwa Vision to oversee its i

21/11/2023

The 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) convened in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, from November 6 to 10, 2023, with a resounding call for collective support and partnerships to ensure the success of the region's strategic policy document, the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Heads of State, Government, and Territories, including Tonga, participated in discussions revolving around the theme "Our Voices, Our Choices, Our Pacific Way: Promote, Partner, Prosper."...

The 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) convened in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, from November 6 to 10, 2023, with a resounding call for collective support and partnerships to ensure the

13/11/2023

The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union dressed up as a bilateral treaty – meaning it works for both countries – should really have been called the Australia Defence Treaty in Tuvalu. Because that’s exactly what it is. The Australian line about it being “honoured to respond” and “the foresight of the Government of Tuvalu in seeking it (the treaty)” is nothing but a con job....

The Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union dressed up as a bilateral treaty – meaning it works for both countries – should really have been called the Australia Defence Treaty in Tuvalu. Because that’s exact

12/11/2023

Tonga is most grateful to the Commonwealth Secretariat for all the support given to the Kingdom over the years, Prime Minister Honourable Hu’akavameiliku told the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Rt Honourable Patricia Baroness Scotland in Rarotonga last week. The Hon Prime Minister said Secretary General Scotland’s attendance of the Forum Leaders’ meeting speaks volumes of the importance of the partnership between the Commonwealth Secretary and the Pacific Islands Forum and that the Government of Tonga appreciates the Commonwealth’s continued and proactive support to Tonga....

Tonga is most grateful to the Commonwealth Secretariat for all the support given to the Kingdom over the years, Prime Minister Honourable Hu’akavameiliku told the Secretary General of the C

10/11/2023

Questions raised about the appointment of in-coming Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Nauru’s Baron Waqa, have threatened to dismantle a frail unity among the leaders of the regional organisation. Mr Waqa, former President of Nauru, has been named the next Forum Secretary General despite his history which includes ongoing investigation by Australian Federal Police for taking bribes, sacking of judges he disagreed with, and imposing harsh restrictions on media....

Questions raised about the appointment of in-coming Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Nauru’s Baron Waqa, have threatened to dismantle a frail unity among the leaders of the r

06/11/2023

The leaders and their delegations from 18 Pacific Island nations have converged on Rarotonga for the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting (PIFLM) which will be begin Tuesday 7 November. The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and outgoing caretaker Prime Minister of New Zealand, Chris Hipkins are also part of the Leaders’ Meeting. This year's meeting is chaired by the Cook Islands Prime Minister, Hon....

The leaders and their delegations from 18 Pacific Island nations have converged on Rarotonga for the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting (PIFLM) which will be begin Tuesday 7 November. The P