Tonga

Norway's International Development Minister, Nikolai Astrup, made the announcement at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' summit in Nauru.

Mr Astrup said the money will go to the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and the goal of 10 percent renewable energy in the Pacific.

The centre was established last year in Nuku'alofa to promote policy and investment in renewable energy.

In the first robbery in Fanga, a masked armed man fired a shot before demanding cash and fleeing in a stolen car.

In the second case in Veitongo, the attendant resisted the gunman but was then shot four times.

Police say the gunman left his disguise and firearm at the scene.

The attendant is in a stable condition in hospital.

Mate Ma'a Tonga will take on the Kangaroos at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium on October 20th, almost 11 months after a sold out crowd watched the Kingdom pipped by England at the same venue in the World Cup semifinals.

Tonga coach Kristian Woolf and Australia's Mal Meninga have both been supportive of the fixture but confirmation was delayed after New Zealand Rugby League officials expressed concerns the test could overshadow or affect ticket sales for the Kiwis vs Kangaroos clash at the same venue a week earlier.

The Grand Ball is expected to attract over 300 guests.

Tickets are $100 pa’anga per person for buffet dinner, drinks all night and entertainment by popular Fijian band, Makare.

This year’s theme is ‘Fiji’s Essence’ which encapsulates the true significance of Fiji to individuals through the uniqueness of its people, the diverse culture and the geographical spread of its 333 islands.

All proceeds from the Ball will go to Autism Tonga.   

However, the RLPA will push for greater player input on international scheduling to ensure such a sacrifice is not needed in future.

The Kangaroos have agreed in principle to the significant pay cut in which they will sacrifice the lion's share of their standard $20,000 match payments for Tests.

The Mate Ma'a will likely receive the same payment - expected to be less than $5000 per player - when the two nations meet for the first time at international level.

Digicel Tonga Chief Executive Officer, Francis Thomsen said, “The d’Music app was designed to give our customers access to music right at their fingertips, whenever they want it, wherever they want it. Currently, we have over 30 million songs for our customers to choose from. Once they have an active plan, they can listen to music they choose anywhere, once they’re connected to our extensive 4G+ mobile network."

Seven women attended the group’s first meeting recently.

The woman are currently working as computer programmers and network engineers in line ministries and the private sector.

The name CoConeck was agreed upon by the group after the first meeting; ‘CoCo’ stands for coconuts which represent islanders and ‘neck’ stands for its connection to the world wide web of Technology.

The office said in the 2017/18 year the Office has investigated 209 complaints compared with just 48 in 2014.

It believes this is due to the public awareness programmes they have been carrying out over the past three years.

The Ombudsman's role is to try and ensure a "fair, accountable and responsive administration in government departments and organizations in Tonga."

A team of 21 hearing care coordinators set up screening, hearing-aid fitting and counseling during the two day clinics.

The foundation's Megan Baiocchi said on the first day they saw 710 people and 450 of those were fitted with hearing aids.

This continued into the final day she said, with adults and elderly the majority who required the hearing aids but some children were also fitted.

Matangi Tonga reports the foundation will provide free ongoing maintenance for the hearing aids.

It's been four years since the last East Asia Pacific qualifier in the game's shortest format when Papua New Guinea went through undefeated.

Shane Deitz said the Vanuatu squad has been working hard in preparation since returning from World Cricket League Four in May.

Two teams will advance to the East Asia Pacific Regional Final and Deitz expects all four will fancy their chances.