Tag: HMAS Adelaide

Tonga virus cases surge in wake of eruption

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) – The Omicron variant coronavirus entered Tonga for the first time in the wake of last month’s volcanic eruption, officials confirmed Thursday, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the kingdom almost doubled to 64. Health Minister Saia Piukala said 31 new cases had been detected in the previous 24 hours, a record for the island nation which was virus-free until last month’s blast. Piukala said samples sent to Australia confirmed the […]

Eruption-hit Tonga closes borders as Covid detected

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) – Volcano-devastated Tonga will close its borders Wednesday after Covid-19 was detected in the previously virus-free Pacific kingdom as it struggles to recover from last month’s deadly disaster, officials said. Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said two men tested positive this week in the capital Nuku’alofa and were in isolation. He said the men had been working in the city’s port, where humanitarian aid has been pouring in from around the globe since the […]

Covid outbreak on ship threatens Tonga aid efforts

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) – A Covid-19 outbreak on an Australian warship threatened to disrupt Tonga eruption aid efforts Tuesday, as survivors of the deadly volcanic blast described how they fled with only the clothes on their backs. The January 15 eruption generated huge tsunami waves and blanketed the Pacific kingdom in toxic ash when it obliterated an uninhabited island with explosive forces more powerful than a nuclear bomb. Australia has led international relief efforts, rushing […]

President Duterte tours one of two Australian warships on 5-day goodwill visit in PHL

By Jerold Tagbo Eagle News Service President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday made a tour of one of two Australian warships that are on a five-day goodwill visit in the country. Duterte boarded the Her Majesty’s Australian Ship Adelaide around 4:45 p.m., and was given the tour by Joint Task Group, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017 Captain Jonathan Earley. Apart from HMAS Adelaide, which has already been used in disaster relief operations, HMAS Darwin is in the country for […]