A tropical cyclone warning is now inforce for the Niuas, Vava’u and Ha’apai land areas, Tonga MetService said this morning.
A gale warning still remains in force for the Niuas, Vava’u and Ha’apai Land areas.
A heavy rain warning and flash flood advisory still remain in force for the Niuas, Vava’u and Ha’apai land areas.”
It said the tropical disturbance Tropical Disturbance 04F was located near latitude 17.0 south and longitude 177.2 west or about 230km southwest of ‘Ēsia (Niuafo’ou) or 380km west – southwest of Hihifo (Niuatoputapu), or 385km west- northwest of Neiafu (Vava’u), or 420km northwest of Ha’afeva (Ha’apai), or 430km northwest of Pangai (Ha’apai) at 10am this morning.
The system is currently slowly moving southeast at a speed of 12knots (24km/hr).
The weather forecast for midnight tonight for Tonga indicates associated clouds, heavy rain, and strong to gale-force winds with thunderstorms affecting the Niua Islands, Vava’u, and the Ha’apai groups.
The forecast for the Niuas indicates west to northwest winds of 25-30 knots (30-40 km/hr), with occasional gusts reaching gale force winds of 35-45 knots (70-90 km/hr).
Conditions will be overcast with occasional rain, which could be heavy at times, alongside isolated thunderstorms.
Flooding in low-lying areas is risky due to the expected heavy rainfall.
For Vava’u and Ha’apai, it is expected east to southeast winds 15-20knots (30-40km/hr), then rising up to 25knot at times this morning, and gusting up to gale force winds of 35-45knots (70-90km/hr) at times.
Overcast with occasional rain, heavy at times with isolated thunderstorms.
Flooding in low-lying areas due to heavy rain is expected.
Tongatapu and ‘eua forecast an east-to-southeast wind 10-15knots (20-30km/hr), rising up to 20knots (40km/hr) at times.
Police are appealing for anyone who might have seen any suspicious activity the night after a man was discovered with critical injuries on Hihifo Road to come forward.
Viliami Taulaki
As Kaniva News reported yesterday, Viliami Taulaki died in hospital of his injuries after he was discovered on Wednesday morning at about 5.30am.
“His family has been notified of his condition”, the Police said.
They said they have yet to establish Taulaki’s cause of death.
Taulaki was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit before his death few hours later.
He was last seen at 11pm on Wednesday, and his family confirmed he had not returned by 3am.
The Police said occupants of a Black Toyota Bb discovered Taulaki on their way to a morning service.
“Tonga Police are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the nature of this incident”, the Police said.
Police urged the public to report any crimes they witnessed, emphasizing that community vigilance is crucial for maintaining safety and security.
Police said people could call on 924 or 7401614 if they have any information to help their investigation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia is closely monitoring the situation, after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military action to take Greenland from Denmark.
Peskov said the Arctic was in Russia’s “sphere of national and strategic interests and it is interested in peace and stability there”.
Trump’s remarks on Greenland – a largely autonomous Danish territory – have drawn a warning from European leaders.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has stressed that “we have to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland”, and Germany’s Olaf Scholz has made clear that “borders must not be moved by force”.
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Trump said earlier this week that the US needed both Greenland and the Panama Canal “for economic security”, and refused to rule out using either economic or military force in taking them over.
He also referred to the border with Canada as an “artificially drawn line”. Denmark and Canada are both close Nato allies of the US.
Dmitry Peskov said Trump’s claims were a matter for the US, Denmark and other nations, but Russia was watching the “rather dramatic” situation surrounding his remarks. “We are present in the Arctic zone, and we will continue to be present there,” he said.
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Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to dampen concern about the president-elect’s remarks during a visit to Paris: “The idea is… obviously not a good one, but maybe more important, it’s obviously one that’s not going to happen.”
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also played down Trump’s comments, but he acknowledged the “intensity of his rhetoric and the unpredictability sometimes of what he said can be destabilising”.
About 56,000 people live in Greenland, and it is home to US as well as Danish military bases. It also has considerable untapped mineral and oil wealth.
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has been pushing for independence, although the territory’s economy relies heavily on Danish subsidies.
Both he and the Danish leader have emphasised that it is “not for sale” and that its future is in the hands of Greenlanders themselves.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said Copenhagen has a clear interest in ensuring that the US – “absolutely its closest ally” – plays a key role at a time of rising tensions in the North Atlantic, particularly involving Russia.
Facing a major foreign policy crisis, she has called a meeting of other political parties at her office on Thursday evening.
The European Commission said Trump’s threat to Greenland was “extremely theoretical” and “wildly hypothetical”, considering he was not yet in office.
However, it has confirmed that Greenland, as an overseas territory, does come under a mutual assistance clause requiring all EU states to come to its aid in case of attack.
The Kremlin ridiculed the European response, suggesting it was reacting “very timidly… almost in a whisper”.
Last week, Greenland’s leader said the territory should free itself from “the shackles of colonialism”, although he made no mention of the US.
A former Greenland foreign minister, Pele Broberg, who now heads the biggest opposition party, told the BBC that most Greenlanders he talked to believed the US was vital for their defence and safety.
“We are part of the North American continent, that’s why the defence of the US is in such a great place with regards to Greenland, because we create a buffer zone that doesn’t need to be militarised.”
He has called for a “free association agreement” with the US covering trade and defence which would give Greenland independence but hand the US responsibility for security.
Trump’s allies have reinforced his views on Greenland.
Keith Kellogg, chosen by Trump to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, said a lot of the president-elect’s remarks on Greenland made sense, “putting the United States in a position of global leadership”.
Republican congressman Mike Walz told Fox News that the issue was “not just about Greenland, this is about the Arctic”, because Russia was trying to take control of the polar region, with its mineral and natural resources.
“Denmark can be a great ally, but you can’t treat Greenland, which they have operational control over, as some kind of backwater – it’s in the Western hemisphere.”
The US is Denmark’s biggest export market and sales increased in the first 11 months of 2024 to 326bn kroner (£36bn; $45bn) – a 17.3% share of the country’s total exports.
Earlier this week, Trump said he would impose tariffs on Denmark if it rejected his offer to buy Greenland.
A man who left with a machete after a failed attack attempt and returned with a sharp object and stabbed his victim has been sent to jail.
David Kent Jr Tau’alupe, 39, wounded ‘Alo’i Kei in his left upper abdomen during a drink-up altercation at the Laione Club in Vava’u.
He was jailed for one year for causing grievous bodily harm.
The court was told that on the evening of 8 December 2023, Tau’alupe, Kesitoni and Kei were drinking alcohol before heading to Laione Kava Club.
At one point, Kei and another left to get more alcohol in Kesitoni’s vehicle, apparently without his permission.
Upon their return, there was bantering between Tau’alupe and Kei about the taking of the vehicle, which escalated into an argument that led to Tau’alupe punching Kei.
Tau’alupe left and returned with a machete to attack Kei, but Kesitoni was able to stop him and reconcile them.
Tau’alupe left the club with the machete without incident.
He later returned and punched the victim, challenging him to a fight. He was seen holding what looked like a small knife in his trouser pocket.
The victim took the challenge and got up to fight the defendant. He did not know about the sharp object in the defendant’s possession.
It was not until while engaged in the fight with the defendant and others were urging the victim to retreat as he was bleeding, that he realised he was hurt.
He moved back and saw blood on his clothes and backed off, resting his back against the wall and sliding down to a seated position.
He was immediately rushed to the hospital by a neighbour.
Tau’alupe was initially sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment.
However, the judge suspended one and a half years on conditions.
A woman who violated her suspended jail sentence by committing another robbery has been instructed to activate her suspension, which will be added to her new jail term.
An AI impression of Kalolaine Fainga’a
Kalolaine Fainga’a, 32, is serving three years and four months in prison for serious housebreaking and theft of goods worth $13,830, including Tongan handicrafts and jewellery from a residence in Tofoa.
It is understood that the theft occurred at a local lawyer’s residence. Fainga’a is married and has four children.
Justice Petunia Tupou said the goods involved included jewellery that had irreplaceable value.
She also noted that Fainga’a initially denied involvement and only pleaded guilty after being told her fingerprint was found at the scene.
Justice Tupou also mentioned her previous convictions.
The new sentence imposed was a two-and-a-half-year imprisonment.
The suspension for a previous crime she committed was 22 months.
Justice Tupou said that the activation of the suspension “in full resulting in a total term of 52 months’ imprisonment”.
The Supreme Court judge suspended the last 12 months for two years on the following conditions:
a. She must not commit any offence punishable by imprisonment.
b. She must report to the probation office within 48 hours of your release from custody.
c. She must complete a life skills awareness course at the direction of the Probation Officer.
This sentence is to be backdated to 15 October 2024, when the Fainga’a was first remanded for this matter.
New Zealand’s Five Eyes partners continue talks about sharing the details of their citizens’ criminal offending. Photo: RNZ
The Migration 5 countries – New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the US and Britain – already work together on border policies, migrant data-sharing and technology.
The Criminal Database Checking group is due to meet online again at the end of this month.
Data released under the Official Information Act showed it had eight online meetings last year, and its first face-to-face meeting in March, in Wellington.
New Zealand currently chairs Migration 5.
The group shares details of migrants’ travel records and visas, but at present, not their own citizens’ data.
A recent document request in the UK confirms the group was already sharing data on citizens of other M5 countries when they apply for visas.
“The bilateral arrangements for fingerprint checking with all M5 partners enable the sharing of information about all third country nationals. Therefore, if a fingerprint match is found to a national of Australia, Canada or New Zealand the biometric transaction history and biographic immigration history of that individual will be shared with the US.”
It means a New Zealander for example travelling to Canada can have information provided by Australia, the US and Britain to Canada.
New Zealand does not ask who each country on-shares the information with, nor do the agreements with M5 partners require them to say.
The UK said Migration 5 had no current plans to create a “Single Window” system enabling member countries to directly access each other’s immigration data.
