Sources: ABC Australia
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, causing tsunami warnings in Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and other countries in the South Pacific, and generating a 60 cm tsunami in Lenakel, Vanuatu. 2023-05-19
A court in Tonga sentences the former Minister for Infrastructure and Tourism ʻAkosita Lavulavu and her husband to six years in prison after the Supreme Court found them both guilty of obtaining money by false pretenses. 2021-07-2
Tonga extends the state of emergency, which includes curfews and restrictions on gatherings, until November 23. The country, which is COVID-19-free, imposed strict measures on March 12. 2020-10-28
Tonga and Fiji declare a state of emergency as part of an ongoing measles outbreak. Conditions worsen in Samoa where the death toll continues to rise and schools remain closed. There are 1,797 confirmed cases as of Saturday, with 153 detected on Friday alone. 2019-11-23
About 67% of Tonga's registered voters participate in the country's general election. 2017-11-16
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes west of the Pacific Island of Tonga. There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage. 2017-08-19
From the Diocese of Tonga, Catholic Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi is welcomed at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in Honolulu, Hawaii. Appointed by Pope Francis, Mafi is the first and youngest cardinal from the small South Pacific nation of Tonga. 2016-01-16
The King of Tonga George Tupou V dies in Hong Kong at the age of 63. He is succeeded by his younger brother, ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho. 2012-03-18
Cyclone Rene hammers Tonga with gusts of 160 kilometres an hour, isolating Tongans for several days. Widespread damage is reported in the capital, Nukuʻalofa, and contact is lost with the northern island of Vavaʻu. 2010-02-15