https://www.scmp.com/rss/520225/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Annemarie Evans Annemarie Evans I was born in Plympton, Devon (southwest England), in 1943. My family moved to London because of my father’s work and then to Glasgow, where I was in a preparatory school, Belmont House School, in Newton Mearns. That’s where I learned to play rugby. I went with the school team to Murrayfield (Stadium in Edinburgh) to watch Scotland play. My father was in the packaging business and he was the managing director of the Scotland part of the organisation. My mother was a physiotherapist. We had a... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3349401/former-hong-kong-rugby-team-captain-reflects-first-sevens-tournament-1976?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3349401/former-hong-kong-rugby-team-captain-reflects-first-sevens-tournament-1976?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:09 +0000 SCMP SCMP This article was first published on March 29, 1976. By Jack Beattie World ‘sevens’ for HK? A seven-a-side rugby union world cup competition – and possibly staged in Hongkong! That’s the exciting prospect that emerged after yesterday’s first International “Sevens” Championships held at the Hongkong Football Club. Last night Rothmans and Cathay Pacific, the joint-sponsors of this unique event, which had 12 countries competing, were playing it a bit coy – but both agreed that a similar promotion... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/3348128/first-hong-kong-sevens-rugby-tourney-held-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/3348128/first-hong-kong-sevens-rugby-tourney-held-1976-scmp-archive?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 02:30:07 +0000 Agencies Agencies As Wednesday turned to Thursday, people around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the ‍new year to come. In Croatia, celebrations got off to an early start. Since 2000, the town of Fuzine has held its countdown at noon, a tradition that has since spread across the country. Crowds cheered and toasted each other with champagne and danced ⁠to music – all in the middle of the day. Some brave souls in Santa hats took a plunge into the icy waters of Lake... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3338350/world-begins-bid-goodbye-2025-fireworks-and-icy-plunges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3338350/world-begins-bid-goodbye-2025-fireworks-and-icy-plunges?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 18:19:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow For the first time in its history, Australia’s flagship military exercise has moved beyond its own shores, drawing in Pacific island nations as Canberra and Washington push to “regionalise” strategic deterrence across the Indo-Pacific. Neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG) is hosting parts of this year’s Talisman Sabre exercise, which began on July 13 and runs until August 4, with activities involving Australian and US troops. “This is an important demonstration of the deepening integration... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319230/talisman-sabre-australia-us-push-pacific-deterrence-amid-chinas-security-overtures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319230/talisman-sabre-australia-us-push-pacific-deterrence-amid-chinas-security-overtures?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:00:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters Tuvalu, a tiny Pacific nation that scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, said it was seeking written assurance from the United States that its citizens would not be barred from entry after being apparently mistakenly included in a list of 36 countries facing visa bans. An internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed the United States, which has already barred entry for citizens from 12 countries, was considering expanding travel restrictions to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3316568/tiny-pacific-nations-fear-us-travel-bans-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3316568/tiny-pacific-nations-fear-us-travel-bans-why?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 02:02:08 +0000 Nicole Cheah Nicole Cheah Pacific island nations are racing to enhance marine conservation, establishing sweeping “no-take” zones and pledging to sustainably manage vast swathes of their territorial waters despite facing limited resources and geopolitical pressure. Among them, Samoa last month unveiled a ban on fishing, mining and other extractive activities over 30 per cent of its ocean territory by 2027. The move will create 36,000 sq km (13,900 square miles) of marine protected areas (MPAs) – more than 12 times the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315979/pacific-island-nations-tap-indigenous-know-how-safeguard-ocean-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315979/pacific-island-nations-tap-indigenous-know-how-safeguard-ocean-health?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 01:30:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters Less than half of working-age women are employed across Pacific island nations due to outdated laws and other barriers, the World Bank said in a new report on Tuesday. The World Bank economic update for the Pacific, which said closing the gender gap could boost economic growth, also forecast regional growth slowing to 2.6 per cent this year, down from 5.5 per cent in 2023. With 57 per cent or around 500,000 women not in work across the Pacific, the report said boosting female participation to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314696/most-pacific-island-women-dont-work-world-bank-wants-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314696/most-pacific-island-women-dont-work-world-bank-wants-change?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jun 2025 04:03:08 +0000 The press release vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Days after the Philippines announced its intent to urge three small nations – Tonga, Bhutan and Nepal – to ratify a global treaty banning nuclear tests, the statement was quietly scrubbed from the government’s website. The sudden reversal left experts wondering: was it a sign of diplomatic overreach, or a calculated retreat? The retracted statement described a meeting on March 18 between Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Robert Floyd, executive... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3303859/philippines-pulls-back-nuclear-pact-push-hinting-limits-its-diplomatic-reach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3303859/philippines-pulls-back-nuclear-pact-push-hinting-limits-its-diplomatic-reach?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Mar 2025 01:30:11 +0000 Tonga’s Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni abruptly resigned on Monday, stepping down in the wake of a power struggle with the Pacific nation’s royal family. Sovaleni has butted heads with Tonga’s influential King Tupou VI, fuelling speculation of a deepening rift between the royals and his government. In cryptic remarks delivered before announcing his shock resignation, Sovaleni suggested the country’s nobility was “fearful” of losing its sway. “I thought this land had been given freedom, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3289915/tongas-prime-minister-abruptly-quits-amid-pacific-power-struggle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3289915/tongas-prime-minister-abruptly-quits-amid-pacific-power-struggle?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2024 01:07:00 +0000 Antony Blinken on Wednesday became the United States’ first secretary of state to visit Tonga, dedicating a new US embassy and warning South Pacific nations about the perils of “predatory” Chinese investment. As part of a drive to build Washington’s influence across the region and to counter Beijing’s growing clout, Blinken touched down in the capital Nuku’alofa on a diplomatic charm offensive. “We’re a Pacific nation”, and “we very much see the future in the Indo-Pacific region”, Blinken told... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3228942/us-china-relations-blinken-tonga-calls-out-predatory-chinas-problematic-behaviour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3228942/us-china-relations-blinken-tonga-calls-out-predatory-chinas-problematic-behaviour?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jul 2023 04:33:09 +0000 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the Asia-Pacific again this week for the third time in two months, as Washington seeks to further pressure New Zealand into toeing its China line and prove to Pacific island nations that it’s a “willing partner”. Tonga will be Blinken’s first stop on Wednesday to open a new US embassy in capital Nuku’alofa, followed by New Zealand on Thursday for bilateral meetings and a United States-Netherlands Fifa Women’s World Cup football match, before he... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3228819/us-china-ties-loom-large-blinken-readies-rapid-asia-pacific-return-tour-tonga-new-zealand-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3228819/us-china-ties-loom-large-blinken-readies-rapid-asia-pacific-return-tour-tonga-new-zealand-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jul 2023 10:00:12 +0000 One year on from the massive eruption of an underwater volcano in the South Pacific, the island nation of Tonga is still dealing with the damage to its coastal waters. When Hunga-Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai went off, it sent a shock wave around the world, produced a plume of water and ash that soared higher into the atmosphere than any other on record, and triggered tsunami waves that ricocheted across the region – slamming into the archipelago which lies southeast of Fiji. Coral reefs were turned to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3206867/one-year-after-volcanic-blast-many-tongas-reefs-lie-silent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3206867/one-year-after-volcanic-blast-many-tongas-reefs-lie-silent?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jan 2023 02:00:27 +0000 A new “baby” island has been spotted in the middle of the ocean hours after an underwater volcano erupted. The Home Reef volcano – found in the Central Tonga Islands – erupted this month and within hours, the Earth’s newest land mass had formed. Lava from the volcano was cooled by the ocean water, forming the island, which grew in size over several days as the lava continued to flow. On September 14, scientists at Tonga Geological Services announced the island covered around 4,000 square... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3193801/tonga-underwater-volcano-erupts-forming-new-baby-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3193801/tonga-underwater-volcano-erupts-forming-new-baby-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Sep 2022 06:07:03 +0000 Hong Kong ended their 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens campaign on a high with a 17-0 victory against Tonga at Cape Town Stadium. The result secured 19th place for Paul John’s side, who finished the weekend in South Africa with two wins and two defeats. Knocked out of main contention on Friday after losing to Uruguay, Hong Kong bounced back by brushing aside Zimbabwe 28-0 – only to struggle in a tight 14-5 loss to Uganda in the Bowl semi-finals. Head coach John revealed several members of his squad... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/3192124/rugby-world-cup-sevens-2022-hong-kong-end-final-flourish-against-tonga?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/3192124/rugby-world-cup-sevens-2022-hong-kong-end-final-flourish-against-tonga?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Sep 2022 08:31:37 +0000 Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force said on Tuesday that it had conducted its first joint drill with the Tongan navy, as concerns grow over China’s increasing military clout in the South Pacific. The MSDF said its destroyer the Kirisame engaged in communication training and positioning exercises on Saturday and Monday in waters near the Tongan capital of Nuku’alofa, along with Tongan patrol ship the Ngahau Siliva, in a bid to improve the MSDF’s tactical skills and enhance understanding with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3189917/japan-tonga-navy-hold-first-joint-drill-amid-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3189917/japan-tonga-navy-hold-first-joint-drill-amid-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:48:49 +0000 Families embraced and cried tears of joy as they reunited at Tonga’s airport – the inaugural arrivals to the Pacific nation after it lifted Covid-19 restrictions for the first time since the pandemic struck. After Tonga shut its borders in March 2020, the government tightly controlled a select list of people who were approved to fly into the kingdom – leaving more than 3,000 Tongans stuck overseas. But with restrictions lifted, Monday’s first batch of tourists and returning Tongans – greeted... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3187379/tonga-reopens-borders-after-2-year-covid-19-closure-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3187379/tonga-reopens-borders-after-2-year-covid-19-closure-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Aug 2022 05:45:18 +0000 Matt Worley’s chin was still throbbing from a crunching Tongan hit when he scored the two stunning tries that convinced Hong Kong their Rugby World Cup dream is still alive. The blond-haired flyer’s double in the final three minutes of Saturday’s game added huge merit to Hong Kong’s 44-22 loss to hot favourites Tonga at Sunshine Coast Stadium, north of Brisbane. Direct entry from this Asia-Pacific qualifier is gone but Hong Kong can take fresh confidence into the final RWC qualifying tournament... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/3186347/tonga-hand-hong-kong-crushing-44-22-loss-secure-their-place-2023-rugby?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/3186347/tonga-hand-hong-kong-crushing-44-22-loss-secure-their-place-2023-rugby?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Jul 2022 09:50:02 +0000 The 19th team in the 20-team Rugby World Cup in France next year is set to be determined Saturday on what is expected to be a mud-splattered pitch in a 10,000-seat stadium north of Brisbane. Tonga or Hong Kong will advance after the Asia-Pacific qualifying match on Queensland state’s Sunshine Coast. The consolation prize for the losing team will be a spot in a last-chance qualifying tournament in November. Tonga will be heavily favoured in Saturday’s match at the diminutive and cosy Sunshine... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3186249/muddy-pitch-small-venue-play-host-hong-kong-face?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3186249/muddy-pitch-small-venue-play-host-hong-kong-face?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jul 2022 11:00:18 +0000 Hong Kong coach Lewis Evans said he had to make several “incredibly tough decisions” in selecting his team for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup qualifier against Tonga. The Welshman has made six changes to the starting 15 that won the Asia Rugby Championship two weeks ago, with injuries and the physical nature of the clash both playing their part in a 23-man squad that includes six forwards on the bench for the game on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. There are changes at scrum-half and fly-half, with Jack... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3186139/rugby-world-cup-hong-kong-coach-lewis-evans-rings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3186139/rugby-world-cup-hong-kong-coach-lewis-evans-rings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jul 2022 01:00:13 +0000 Tonga will be without star internationals Israel Folau, Malakai Fekitoa and Charles Piutau for their World Cup playoff against Hong Kong on the Sunshine Coast in Australia on Saturday. Outside back Folau, capped 73 times for Australia before his Wallabies contract was terminated in 2019, suffered a serious hamstring injury early in his Tonga debut in the 36-0 loss to hosts Fiji in the Pacific Nations Cup. Coach Toutai Kefu said the dual code international could be sidelined for up to another 12... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3186031/rugby-world-cup-injuries-leave-tonga-without-big?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3186031/rugby-world-cup-injuries-leave-tonga-without-big?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jul 2022 04:08:15 +0000 Hong Kong have arrived in Australia ahead of their 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifier against Tonga, and head coach Lewis Evans says his side will be better prepared than they were for their nail-biting win over South Korea last weekend. A Gregor McNeish penalty with the last kick gave Hong Kong a narrow 23-21 win in the Asia Rugby Championship final, earning them the right to face the Pacific Islanders on July 23. Despite leading 15-0 at half-time, Hong Kong were pegged back after the break and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hong-kong-rugby-union/article/3185183/rugby-world-cup-hong-kong-under-no-illusions-task?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hong-kong-rugby-union/article/3185183/rugby-world-cup-hong-kong-under-no-illusions-task?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Jul 2022 01:30:35 +0000 If Hong Kong successfully defend their Asia Rugby Championship next month, a World Cup qualifier then awaits against a Tongan side likely to include former Wallaby Israel Folau and ex-All Blacks Charles Piutau and Malakai Fekitoa. Folau, who scored 37 tries in 73 tests for Australia before his social media posts suggesting “hell” awaited gay people got him fired by club and country in 2019, has been named in Tonga’s squad for next month’s Pacific Nations Cup, which will feature hosts Fiji, Samoa... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hong-kong-rugby-union/article/3179992/hong-kong-reward-winning-asia-rugby-championship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hong-kong-rugby-union/article/3179992/hong-kong-reward-winning-asia-rugby-championship?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Jun 2022 09:30:15 +0000 Tonga and China held a signing ceremony on Friday for construction equipment that will be used to build infrastructure in the tsunami-hit Pacific island, a day before the top US diplomat arrives in the region to discuss development aid. Tonga is in lockdown as it experiences it first Covid-19 outbreak, which has grown to 66 cases. Two Chinese navy ships carrying tsunami aid will reach Tonga next week. A handover ceremony for more than 110 pieces of machinery, including bulldozers, trucks and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3166652/china-and-tsunami-hit-tonga-hold-aid-ceremony-day-blinken?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3166652/china-and-tsunami-hit-tonga-hold-aid-ceremony-day-blinken?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Feb 2022 05:23:36 +0000 Engineers for SpaceX, owned by the world’s richest man Elon Musk, are reportedly in Fiji with plans to help restore internet to the Kingdom of Tonga. The devastating eruption in mid-January damaged an undersea telecommunications cable, which experts have said could take a month to repair. National Party MP Dr Shane Reti wrote to Musk, who also produces electric cars under the Tesla brand, asking for help to provide his Starlink satellite technology to the Pacific country. The technology uses... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3166029/elon-musks-spacex-help-tonga-fix-internet-starlink-satellite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3166029/elon-musks-spacex-help-tonga-fix-internet-starlink-satellite?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Feb 2022 13:34:27 +0000 Australian defence chiefs on Wednesday said a warship delivering aid to Tonga was not the source of an outbreak that has plunged the previously coronavirus-free Pacific kingdom into lockdown. Residents of the remote island nation, struggling to recover from a deadly volcanic eruption that triggered huge tsunami waves, were ordered to stay at home on Wednesday after two port workers tested positive in routine testing in the capital Nuku’alofa. They were the first community cases recorded in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3165540/coronavirus-tonga-enters-lockdown-first-local-cases-detected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3165540/coronavirus-tonga-enters-lockdown-first-local-cases-detected?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Feb 2022 01:02:03 +0000 China’s relief mission to Tonga after last month’s devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami has highlighted the People’s Liberation Army’s ability to conduct long-range operations, according to observers. The relief force involved navy and air force units from the PLA’s Southern Theatre Command and included two Y-20 transport planes and two warships – the Type 071 amphibious landing ship Wuzhishan, and Type 901 fast combat support ship Chaganhu. China pledges aid to Tonga in wake of devastating... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3165499/what-tonga-aid-mission-tells-us-about-chinas-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3165499/what-tonga-aid-mission-tells-us-about-chinas-military?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Feb 2022 12:00:19 +0000 Two Chinese military aircraft carrying emergency supplies arrived in Tonga on Thursday morning, a foreign ministry spokesman said, after a volcanic eruption and tsunami devastated the Pacific nation. China has also sent naval vessels with supplies for disaster relief and post-disaster reconstruction, according to an earlier briefing by defence spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian. He said the supplies being delivered included food, drinking water, water purifiers, tents, prefab houses, tractors and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3164988/chinese-military-planes-deliver-emergency-supplies-tsunami-hit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3164988/chinese-military-planes-deliver-emergency-supplies-tsunami-hit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jan 2022 12:46:40 +0000 Hundreds of traditional fisherman living just outside the Peruvian capital fear their livelihoods are ruined following an oil spill caused by a volcanic eruption thousands of miles away. Authorities called the spill, caused by an eruption on the other side of the Pacific near Tonga, the worst ecological disaster in Lima in recent times. Traditional fisherman in Ventanilla, a district to the north of Lima’s port in Callao, on Wednesday protested outside the gates of the Pampilla Refinery owned by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164827/traditional-fishermen-despair-over-peru-oil-spill-caused?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164827/traditional-fishermen-despair-over-peru-oil-spill-caused?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 13:34:41 +0000 The recent eruption of the underwater volcano near Tonga was several hundred times stronger than the explosive force of the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima, US space agency Nasa said. “This is a preliminary estimate, but we think the amount of energy released by the eruption was equivalent to somewhere between 4 to 18 megatons of TNT,” Nasa scientist Jim Garvin said in a statement. “That number is based on how much was removed, how resistant the rock was, and how high the eruption cloud was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164688/tonga-volcano-eruption-was-far-more-powerful-hiroshima-atomic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164688/tonga-volcano-eruption-was-far-more-powerful-hiroshima-atomic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jan 2022 10:56:36 +0000 South Korea’s daily count of new coronavirus cases topped 8,000 for the first time on Tuesday, as the highly infectious Omicron variant, which became dominant last week, spreads rapidly despite the recent extension of strict social-distancing rules to slow infection. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency reported 8,571 cases for Monday, exceeding the previous high posted in mid-December of 7,848. Daily tallies had almost halved to around 4,000 this month but began rebounding last week... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3164602/coronavirus-omicron-sends-south-koreas-daily-cases-new-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3164602/coronavirus-omicron-sends-south-koreas-daily-cases-new-high?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jan 2022 01:26:34 +0000 Peru declared an environmental emergency to battle an oil spill caused by freak waves from a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific. The stunningly powerful eruption last Saturday of an undersea volcano near Tonga unleashed tsunami waves around the Pacific and as far away as the United States. In Peru, the oil spill near Lima has fouled beaches, killed birds and harmed the fishing and tourism industries. With its 90-day decree, the government on Saturday said it plans “sustainable management” of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3164402/peru-declares-environmental-emergency-coastal-area-hit-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3164402/peru-declares-environmental-emergency-coastal-area-hit-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jan 2022 20:48:36 +0000 When Tonga’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano violently erupted, sending shock waves and tsunami across the Pacific, the blast in the small island nation was so deafening that fleeing families could only wave at their loved ones to run. “The first explosion … our ears were ringing and we couldn’t even hear each other, so all we do is pointing to our families to get up, get ready to run,” local journalist Marian Kupu said in one of the first eyewitness accounts to emerge from the South Pacific... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164051/tongan-recounts-deafening-volcanic-blast-thousands-fled?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164051/tongan-recounts-deafening-volcanic-blast-thousands-fled?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jan 2022 05:51:35 +0000 The flag-bearer who represented Tonga at the 2016 Summer Olympics, 2018 Winter Olympics, and 2020 Summer Olympics has raised more than US$340,000 in relief funds for the country to recover from a recent tsunami and volcanic eruption. The small island nation of Tonga lost most of its communication with the rest of the world on January 15, 2022, after a devastating tsunami hit its islands following an enormous volcanic eruption. Olympian Pita Taufatofua, who rose to international prominence for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164009/tsunami-hit-tongas-oiled-olympic-flag-bearer-pita-taufatofua?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3164009/tsunami-hit-tongas-oiled-olympic-flag-bearer-pita-taufatofua?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2022 22:00:16 +0000 China has pledged to deliver relief supplies to Tonga as soon as air traffic resumes following the devastating volcano eruption. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the Pacific nation had requested drinking water, food, personal protective equipment and disaster relief equipment, “which will arrive as soon as the local airport resumes operation and flight conditions allow”. Zhao said the Chinese embassy in Tonga would continue to pay close attention to the situation of Chinese citizens... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3163917/china-pledges-aid-tonga-wake-devastating-volcano?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3163917/china-pledges-aid-tonga-wake-devastating-volcano?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2022 06:53:36 +0000 Two New Zealand navy vessels carrying water and other supplies will arrive in Tonga on Friday, the first international aid to reach the Pacific island nation reeling from a volcanic eruption and tsunami. Hundreds of homes in Tonga’s smaller outer islands have been destroyed, and at least three people were killed after Saturday’s huge eruption triggered tsunami waves, which rolled over the islands causing what the government has called “an unprecedented disaster”. With communications badly... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163910/new-zealand-ships-take-relief-supplies-tsunami-hit-tonga?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163910/new-zealand-ships-take-relief-supplies-tsunami-hit-tonga?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2022 05:28:42 +0000 The huge volcanic eruption in the Pacific island nation of Tonga on the weekend may not have been big enough to affect global climate but volcanic eruptions are an underestimated natural cause of climate variability, scientists said. The massive underwater eruption on Saturday is believed to be the biggest in the world in three decades, cutting communication with the nation and sending large waves across the Pacific. Wei Ke, an associate professor on atmospheric science at the Chinese Academy of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3163862/will-tonga-volcano-eruption-have-ripple-effects-global-climate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3163862/will-tonga-volcano-eruption-have-ripple-effects-global-climate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jan 2022 19:00:10 +0000 Tonga’s small outer islands suffered extensive damage from a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, with an entire village destroyed and many buildings missing, a Tongan diplomat said on Tuesday, raising fears of more deaths and injuries. “People panic, people run and get injuries. Possibly there will be more deaths and we just pray that is not the case,” Tonga’s deputy head of mission in Australia, Curtis Tu’ihalangingie, said. Tu’ihalangingie said images taken by New Zealand Defence Force... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163758/tonga-tsunami-ash-covered-airport-hampers-relief-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163758/tonga-tsunami-ash-covered-airport-hampers-relief-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jan 2022 01:39:26 +0000 The Kingdom of Tonga doesn’t often attract global attention, but a violent eruption of an underwater volcano on January 15 has spread shock waves, quite literally, around half the world. The volcano is usually not much to look at. It consists of two small uninhabited islands, Hunga-Tonga and Hunga-Ha’apai, poking about 100m above sea level, 65km north of Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa. But hiding below the waves is a massive volcano, around 1800m high and 20km wide. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apaii... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3163749/why-tongas-volcanic-eruption-was-so-violent-and-what-expect-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3163749/why-tongas-volcanic-eruption-was-so-violent-and-what-expect-next?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jan 2022 22:00:22 +0000 The body of a British woman who went missing after a tsunami swept Tonga has been found, her brother said on Monday. Brighton-born Angela Glover was washed away by a wave when she and her husband, James, who own the Happy Sailor Tattoo in Nuku’alofa, had gone to rescue their dogs. James managed to hold onto a tree, but Glover and their dogs were swept away, New Zealand state broadcaster TVNZ reported. Glover was the founder of the Tongan Animal Welfare Society, and had a “a deep love of dogs”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163738/missing-british-womans-family-devastated-body-found-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163738/missing-british-womans-family-devastated-body-found-after?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jan 2022 15:04:44 +0000 The eruption of an underwater volcano off Tonga on Saturday that caused tsunami waves of up to around 1 metre to hit parts of Japan’s coast stumped weather experts, as volcanic eruptions are said to rarely cause a rise in tide levels. Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, an underwater volcano located about 8km (5 miles) from Japan, erupted at around 1.10pm on Saturday Japan time, resulting in a plume of smoke reaching a height of 16km and blanketing the area in a thick film of volcanic dust, according to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3163723/japan-weather-experts-baffled-tsunami-caused-tonga-volcano?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3163723/japan-weather-experts-baffled-tsunami-caused-tonga-volcano?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jan 2022 13:45:17 +0000 Australia and New Zealand on Monday sent surveillance flights to assess damage in Tonga, isolated from the rest of the world after the eruption of an underwater volcano that triggered a tsunami and blanketed the Pacific island with ash. Australia’s Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja said initial reports suggested no mass casualties from Saturday’s eruption and tsunami, but that Australian police had visited beaches and reported significant damage with “houses thrown around”. “We know there is... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163613/tonga-tsunami-australia-new-zealand-send-flights-see-damage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163613/tonga-tsunami-australia-new-zealand-send-flights-see-damage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jan 2022 01:54:17 +0000 Two women drowned on a beach in northern Peru due to “anomalous waves” registered after the volcanic eruption in Tonga, more than 10,000 kilometres away, local emergency services said on Sunday. The two women drowned on Saturday in the Lambayeque region. Peru’s government on Saturday closed 22 Pacific ports in the country’s north and centre due to the waves. Tonga uncontactable after suffering ‘significant’ volcano damage The National Emergency Operations Centre said the unusually strong waves... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3163606/two-women-drown-peru-due-tonga-volcanic-eruption-10000km-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3163606/two-women-drown-peru-due-tonga-volcanic-eruption-10000km-away?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jan 2022 17:52:56 +0000 Tsunami-hit Tonga remained largely uncontactable on Sunday with telephone and internet links severed, leaving relatives in faraway New Zealand praying for their families on the Pacific islands as casualty reports had yet to come through. An underwater volcano off Tonga erupted on Saturday, triggering warnings of 1.2-metre tsunami waves and evacuation orders on the shores of Tonga as well as several South Pacific islands, where footage on social media showed waves crashing into coastal... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163560/massive-tonga-volcano-eruption-was-felt-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3163560/massive-tonga-volcano-eruption-was-felt-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jan 2022 02:04:22 +0000 Japan’s Pacific coast was hit early Sunday by a tsunami following a massive underwater volcanic eruption in the South Pacific island country of Tonga the previous day, prompting the weather agency to issue a tsunami warning and advisories while urging residents to move to high ground. The Japan Meteorological Agency said a three-metre tsunami may hit some of Japan’s southwestern islands including Amami Island, and a 1.2-metre tsunami was observed in the city of Amami soon before Saturday... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3163551/japans-pacific-coast-hit-tsunami-following-tonga-volcano?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3163551/japans-pacific-coast-hit-tsunami-following-tonga-volcano?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jan 2022 17:54:45 +0000 Frightened Tongans fled to higher ground on Saturday after a massive volcanic eruption, heard in neighbouring countries, triggered the area’s second tsunami in as many days with social media footage showing waves crashing into homes. “A 1.2 metre tsunami wave has been observed at Nuku’alofa,” Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology tweeted. The maximum tsunami wave recorded following an explosion on Friday was 30 centimetres. Tsunami videos out of Tonga 🇹🇴 this afternoon following the Volcano... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3163524/tsunami-warnings-triggered-across-pacific-after-underwater-volcanic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3163524/tsunami-warnings-triggered-across-pacific-after-underwater-volcanic?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jan 2022 09:23:57 +0000