Tonga

Users of weather information are attending a first User's Climate Outlook Forum, over two days, 27-28 March, hosted by Tonga Met at the National Reserve Bank Building, Nuku’alofa.

The Forum was officially opened by the Minister for MEIDECC, Hon Poasi Tei who highlighted the importance of the meeting.

This year’s theme is “It’s Time to End TB”.

Tuberculosis is a common disease in most Pacific Island countries affecting people in different livelihoods.

To mark the awareness week, Digicel was fortunate to have Dr Joseph Takai from the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Division to enlighten staff in an engage and learn session on what TB is, the causes and most importantly what to do and how to prevent it.

During a press conference, Alfred Soakai the Political Issues Adviser at the Forum Secretariat said, they received a request from the government to assist them in trying to tackle this issue.

The ballot, open to citizens of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati and Tuvalu takes place between 1 and 30 April.

Each year up to 1100 Samoan citizens, 250 Tongan and Fijian citizens and 75 Kiribati and Tuvaluan citizens are selected by ballot to be considered for residence in New Zealand.

Eligible citizens of these five countries need to be aged between 18 and 45.

After selection, the registrants will then have eight months to lodge their resident visa applications.

They must also be able to indicate they have an acceptable job offer from a New Zealand employer.

There have been a series of walkouts over the past fortnight as the 'Akilisi Pohiva's administration tries to get the bills through.

But the opposition, led by the nobles, say there must be consultation on bills that aim to limit the power of the King, and allow the government to appoint judges and the police commissioner.

While Mr Pohiva has previously talked of such reforms the only public consultations on these bills have been sessions on talk back radio.

This came after Tu'ilakepa announced six bills the government is trying to push through under urgency would first have to go to the House's Standing Committee on Legislation.

Matangi Tonga reported that Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva had not explained why the bills are urgent.

The threat of impeachment is the latest wrangle in a legislature that has faced a series of walkouts by the opposition in the past week.

It also comes as King Tupou VI has been presented with a series of petitions that seek to have parliament dissolved.

Ten people including a woman were arrested on Friday after police seized cannabis, ammunition and cash in a raid.

On Saturday, seven men were arrested after police found cannabis, ammunition and cash in another raid.

A 40-year-old-man of Lapaha was arrested at Ngele’ia on Sunday after he was allegedly found with 21 packs of methamphetamine

Police also arrested a 32-year-old-man of Vaini on the same day after he was allegedly found with cannabis.

All the suspects are in police custody while investigations continue.

Jaqua Heddle returned to New Zealand last year to take up the role General Manager of Netball Taranaki, after 26 years living in Australia.

She spent two decades coaching netball across the Tasman and in 2016 was named Netball New South Wales coach of the year.

Heddle is from a Rarotongan and Tahitian background but said the chance to coach with Tonga was a fantastic opportunity.

There have been a series of walk outs from parliament over the past week as the government tries to push through six bills under urgency.

The opposition, mostly made up of nobles, has asked Prime Minister 'Akilisi Pohiva to explain why the bills are urgent.

This comes after a series of petitions to King Tupou VI calling for Mr Pohiva to be removed, and Massey University's Malakai Koloamatangi, himself a Tongan, says it is a very serious situation for the country.

The office will serve as a regional hub for the development institution’s work across the region.

The new regional hub will be integral to the World Bank Group’s delivery of more than one billion Fiji dollars’ worth of projects across six countries (Fiji, Nauru, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu) in a wide range of sectors including transport, aviation, information and communications technology, education, disaster resilience, fisheries, health and education, among others.