President Lee’s state visits to Singapore, Philippines
President Lee Jae Myung from March 1-4 will pay state visits to Singapore and the Philippines, Cheong Wa Dae said on Feb. 27. From March 1-3, President Lee will visit Singapore to attend a summit with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, followed by a meeting with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and a state dinner. President Lee will also attend the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Connect Summit hosted by both countries for talks with future AI leaders.
From March 3-4, President Lee will visit Manila for talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and a state dinner. The first day of the summit, March 3, marks the 77th anniversary of diplomatic ties, adding meaning to this trip. President Lee will also attend a business forum with entrepreneurs from both countries.
MEDIA RELEASE (28th January, 2025) “Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. ‘Aisake Valu Eke announces new Cabinet Ministers” The Prime Minister’s Office has the honour of advising members of the public, that His Majesty, King Tupou VI, upon receiving recommendations from the Prime Minister, the Hon. Dr.’Aisake Valu Eke, has appointed the new Ministers of Government, with effect from today, Tuesday 28th January 2025. The new members of His Majesty’s Cabinet are as follows, along with their respective portfolios:
1. Hon. Dr. ‘Aisake Valu Eke
Prime Minister;
Minister for Finance
Minister for Fisheries
Minister for Prisons
2. Hon. Dr. Taniela Likuohihifo Fusimalohi
Deputy Prime Minister;
Minister for Infrastructure;
and Minister for Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Communications and Climate Change (MEIDECC).
3. His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala
Minister for Foreign Affairs;
Minister for His Majesty’s Armed Forces
4. Hon. Dr. ‘Uhilamoelangi Fasi
Minister for Education & Training
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources
5. Hon. Mateni Tapueluelu -Minister for Revenue and Customs
6. Hon. Kapeli Militoni Lanumata
Minister for Trade and Economic Development.
7. Hon. Mo’ale Finau -Minister for Tourism -Minister for Justice
8. Hon. Paula Piveni Piukala
Minister for Public Enterprises
Minister for Police
Minister for Fire and Emergency Services
9. Hon. Dr. ‘Ana ‘Akau’ola
Minister for Health
10. Hon. Dr Siosiua Moala Halavatau -Minister for Agriculture, Food, Forests
11. Hon. Sinaitakala Tu’itahi -Minister for Internal Affairs
The Hon Prime Minister will present the letters of appointment to all of the Cabinet Ministers on Thursday 30th January 2025.
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE (24th January, 2025) “Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Meets New Prime Minister of Tonga.”
Nuku’alofa- The Prime Minister of Tonga and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Hon. Dr ‘Aisake Valu Eke, met with the PIF Secretary General, Baron Waqa, on 24 February 2025 in Tonga. Secretary General Waqa, accompanied by a delegation from the Forum Secretariat, provided a high-level briefing to the Forum Chair on the region’s key priorities leading up to the 54th PIF Leaders Meeting in September in Solomon Islands.
The Prime Minister considered comprehensive updates on political developments in the region and the key priorities for the PIF in 2025, including: the Review of the Regional Architecture, the Pacific Resilience Facility, the Pacific Roadmap for Economic Development and the preparations for the High-Level Talanoa on Deep Sea Minerals to take place in February 2025 in Suva, Fiji.
“I am committed to continuing Tonga’s leadership role in the region and I look forward to working with colleague Leaders, to advance the regional priorities of the Pacific Islands Forum. Recognising the importance of the work programme before us as the Forum, I am grateful that the Secretariat General was able to facilitate a comprehensive briefing on the expectations of Tonga and the deliverables this year, as the region works towards the Leaders Meeting in Honiara in September this year,” said Forum Chair and Prime Minister Hon. Dr. ‘Aisake Valu Eke.
The briefing also highlighted critical Forum engagements at both regional and international levels, emphasising Tonga’s leadership role as PIF Chair. This includes chairing pivotal ministerial meetings in 2025, including the Special Forum Economic Ministers Meeting, Forum Trade Ministers Meeting, and Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting.
“I am heartened by the support and commitment of the Forum Chair. He brings with him deep insights and views on regional priorities, especially as they relate to political and economic development and regional system efficiencies. I look forward to supporting him and Forum Leaders over the coming months,” said Secretary General Baron Waqa.
Tonga will be home to the Pacific-led and Pacific-owned Pacific Resilience Facility, a critical initiative that provides funding for climate change adaptation, disaster preparedness, and community resilience projects across Pacific Island nations.
The Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. ‘Aisake Valu Eke, has announced during the press conference held on Thursday, January 30th, 2025 that His Majesty’s Cabinet has approved a new initiative, and that is to allow essential services in all Government Ministries to remain open during the official lunch hour, and to be effective Monday 3rd of February, 2025.
The purpose of this initiative is to make Government services more accessible to the public. This will be advantageous to people from the Hahake and Hihifo villages who travels to Nuku’alofa, and sometimes have to wait until around the lunch hour is over and Government services open. This will allow the public to know that Government essential services will be available all day during the normal working hours.
Some of the essential services to be included in this initiative is the Treasury Services, Ministry of Finance; One Stop Shop and related services, Ministry of Revenue and Customs; Immigration Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs to name a few. Other services will be announced by each Ministry.
The Hon. Ministers will immediately work with all Chief Executive Offices to assess and identify essential services within their respective Ministries to be made available during the lunch hour. The public will be informed of these services and to start next week on Monday 3rd of February 2025.
The Lulutai Airlines aircraft which exited the taxiway and hit an embankment at Fua’amotu Airport had lost its hydraulic systems after a circuit breaker tripped, the Tonga Civil Aviation Office has found.
On 8 December 2023, a Lulutai Airlines Saab 340B was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Fua’amotu International Airport, Tongatapu, to Lupepau’u Airport, Vava’u.
On descent into Vava’u, the flight crew identified an issue with the aircraft’s main hydraulic system and elected to return to Fua’amotu.
After a safe landing in Fua’amotu, the flight crew planned to stop on the runway in accordance with the abnormal checklist for hydraulic fluid loss.
But with brake pressure remaining, and without a tug readily available, the crew opted to taxi to the terminal.
During the taxi, the aircraft lost wheel braking and direction control due to the depletion of hydraulic pressure, resulting in the aircraft veering off the apron and colliding with a disused refuelling bund, collapsing the right landing gear leg. The three crew and 35 passengers were uninjured.
Le service des Archives de la Nouvelle-Calédonie vous ouvre ses portes pour une exposition inédite intitulée « Archives inaccessibles ? ».
Elle propose d’explorer l’univers des archives afin de comprendre leur rôle essentiel et les raisons qui peuvent limiter leur consultation.
À travers un parcours pédagogique, l’exposition présente :
des pièces d’archives originales ;
des frises chronologiques comparatives ;
des objets symboliques.
Cette exposition documentaire sera inaugurée samedi 28 février à partir de 8 heures et sera visible jusqu’à 16 heures. Des documents exceptionnels, sortis des réserves pour l’occasion, seront présentés uniquement ce jour-là.
L’exposition restera visible jusqu’au 31 juillet 2026, au service des Archives, 3 rue Raoul Félix Thomas à Nouville (derrière le Théâtre de l’Île), du mardi au vendredi de 8 heures à 17 heures et le samedi de 8 heures à midi.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs seizes live lizards of suspected scheduled endangered species (with photo) Through risk assessment, Customs today intercepted an incoming lorry at the control point. After inspection, Customs officers found that the batch of live lizards of suspected scheduled endangered species was concealed in high-heel boots and wrapped in cloth.
The case was handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for follow-up action.
Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586), any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.
Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hkIssued at HKT 19:15
MOFA response to Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi emphasizing importance of cross-strait peace and stability at first press conference since reappointment
February 20, 2026On February 19, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi held his first press conference since his reappointment. During the briefing, Minister Motegi highlighted the utmost importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung appreciates and welcomes the remarks.Since its formation last October, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet has repeatedly urged countries to place emphasis on cross-strait issues at such major international events as the 28th ASEAN-Japan Summit, the 20th East Asia Summit, and the Japan-US summit. During both the Japan-China leaders’ meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the Japan-China defense ministerial meeting last November, as well as China’s military exercises around Taiwan last December, Japan directly expressed deep concern to China over cross-strait and regional security. These pronouncements demonstrate that ensuring peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is integral to the security and prosperity of Japan and the world and in the shared interests of the international community.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) welcomes the continued cooperation among democratic countries to counter the expansion of authoritarianism. MOFA also calls on countries to pay close attention to cross-strait developments and take concrete actions to safeguard security across the Taiwan Strait. Looking ahead, Taiwan will further enhance its self-defense capabilities, build whole-of-society defense resilience, and work closely with friendly countries and allies to ensure the peace, stability, and prosperity of Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region.
The Immigration Department announced today that to further facilitate visitors and enhance clearance efficiency, with effect from tomorrow, the eligibility criteria for the self-service immigration clearance (e-Channel) service for frequent visitors will be relaxed, and the enrolment procedure for the e-Channel service will be simplified.
Under the new arrangement, frequent visitors, including those holding valid travel documents and multiple visit visas, who have visited Hong Kong via Hong Kong International Airport two or more times in the past 24 months and who meet the relevant criteria, may enrol for the e-Channel service free of charge.
This enables them to perform self-service immigration clearance at all control points in Hong Kong using the e-Channel and enjoy a more convenient and efficient travel experience.
Moreover, the enrolment procedure for the e-Channel services has been simplified.
When registering at designated enrolment offices, eligible visitors holding valid electronic travel documents are only required to present their valid travel document used for entry, have their photo taken and sign a consent form. Fingerprint collection is no longer required.
The enrolment procedure for visitors holding non-electronic travel documents remains unchanged.
To perform arrival clearance, a newly enrolled visitor should place their travel document on the document reader of the e-Channel.
Upon entering the e-Channel, visitors using electronic travel documents should look at the camera for facial recognition, while those using non-electronic travel documents should place their enrolled finger flat on the fingerprint scanner for fingerprint verification.
Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan today convened the first meeting of the Department of Justice’s Expert Committee on Professional Services for Going Global to hear expert views on promoting Hong Kong’s legal and other professional services to support Chinese Mainland enterprises in expanding overseas.
Mr Cheung said that the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan give explicit support to Hong Kong in better integrating into and serving the overall national development. Enhancing industries with a competitive edge is one of the initiatives of the 2026-27 Budget.
On strengthening professional collaboration, it stated that the Hong Kong Professional Services GoGlobal Platform, initiated by the DoJ with the support of the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau (CEDB), aims to facilitate co-ordination among the professional services sectors in supporting Mainland enterprises to go global with Hong Kong as their preferred platform.
Mr Cheung added that the expert committee’s first meeting being held on the day following the delivery of the Budget was most timely.
Noting that the expert committee comprises experts from the legal, financial and accounting sectors from the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong as well as outstanding business and corporate representatives, he anticipated that they would offer insightful advice for the work of the GoGlobal Platform.
At the meeting, the expert committee focused on two major areas of work and had an in-depth discussion on ways to enhance the integration of information related to Hong Kong’s professional services to facilitate precise connections between Mainland enterprises and Hong Kong’s professional services; and ways to enhance the understanding of the specific needs of Mainland enterprises expanding overseas as well as to co-ordinate Hong Kong’s professional services to efficiently meet such needs.
Mr Cheung stated that connecting and matching Mainland enterprises with Hong Kong’s professional services is a common goal of the CEDB’s Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global and the GoGlobal Platform.
The GoGlobal Platform will serve as a hub that brings together Hong Kong’s cross-sector professional services as the main force to support enterprises going global. It will promote and support the professional services sectors, empowering them to better respond to the needs for professional services of Mainland enterprises.
As for the GoGlobal Task Force, it will directly engage with Mainland enterprises, serving as the pivotal point of contact for Mainland enterprises using Hong Kong as a launchpad to go global.