Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
Tongan man charged over wounding guard at Australian detention centre
Kaniva Tonga
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August 7, 2025
A 29-year-old Tongan man has been charged with reckless wounding following an alleged assault on a security officer at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre yesterday. The man, who was awaiting deportation for visa breaches, allegedly attacked...
Tongan national charged with reckless wounding at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre
The National Tribune
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August 7, 2025
A Tongan national has appeared before Bankstown Local Court today (7 August, 2025) charged with recklessly wounding a security officer at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. The man was awaiting deportation for visa breaches when it is alleged...
Pacific Board for Educational Quality 2025: Celebrating Pacific’s decade-long progress and the dawn of AI integration into Pacific education
Pacific Community (SPC)
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Pacific Board for Educational Quality Group Photo The 10th meeting of the Pacific Board for Educational Quality (PBEQ) 2025 not only marked the region’s decade-long commitment towards strengthening the quality of education but also ignited the...
New Anchorage institute uplifts Pacific Islander culture through education, art and community
Alaska Public Media
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August 7, 2025
Pastor Samuel Fiu Unutoa knelt on the ground Monday with his daughter, Annamaria, as she mixed kava root in a bowl of water, performing a traditional Samoan welcoming ritual. “We mash it into a pulp, a fibrous pulp,” he said, “and then we mix it...
‘Respect our Holy Day!’ Tonga fans blast NZRL over Sabbath game scheduling
Kaniva Tonga
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August 6, 2025
Tongan fans are furious after rugby league officials scheduled their national team’s match against New Zealand on Sunday, November 2—a move seen as disregarding Tonga’s sacred Sabbath traditions. The tournament’s second round will see Tonga take...
Trump crackdown hasn’t stopped immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens. Just ask these 34 Utahns.
The Salt Lake Tribune - Utah
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(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Citizens recite the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony in Kearns on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. Kearns • Samuela Liava’a first came to the United States for a rugby tournament in Hawaii. Before he...
New US visa bond rule may impact future Tongan travellers
Talanoa 'O Tonga
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August 6, 2025
A new US visa bond program could affect Tongans if overstay rates or vetting issues arise in future. The United States will begin enforcing a visa bond pilot program from 20 August 2025, requiring B-1/B-2 visa applicants from certain countries to...
Scott Robertson gives blunt verdict on new Chiefs and ex-Tonga flyer’s All Blacks ambitions
Planet Rugby
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August 4, 2025
New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson has revealed that he has no problem with new Chiefs flyer Kyren Taumoefolau’s intentions to play for the All Blacks when he becomes eligible. It was announced on Monday that Taumoefolau will further his...
Whistleblower bill to tackle Tonga’s culture of silence
Talanoa 'O Tonga
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August 3, 2025
The whistleblower protection bill heads to parliament next week, aiming to fight corruption and protect both accusers and accused. Acting Prime Minister Hon. Dr Taniela Fusimālohi announced the proposed legislation during a government press...
Tonga’s meth crisis deepens as New Zealand’s role in Pacific drug trade fuels local market, expert warns
Kaniva Tonga
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August 2, 2025
Tonga is facing a deepening methamphetamine crisis, with experts warning that its growing local drug market is being fueled by transnational trafficking networks linked to New Zealand and Australia. Although Tonga’s Minister of Police, Piveni...
Multicultural Queensland Month spotlight: Police Liaison Officer Fakahau uplifting voices through culture and connection
The National Tribune
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August 3, 2025
This Multicultural Queensland Month, Queensland Police Service (QPS) is celebrating the voices behind the Police Liaison Officer (PLO) uniform. The PLO program helps shape a safer, stronger and more connected community across Queensland by...
Celebrating Connection and Culture: 2025 Cook Islands Language Week unites NZ communities
Pacific Media Network
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Cook Islands Māori Language Week (Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki 'Airani) is taking place from 3 to 9 August in Aotearoa New Zealand. This special week is dedicated to celebrating and promoting the Cook Islands Māori language and culture. This year's...
Cooks, Tonga, strengthen ties
Islands Business
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August 3, 2025
CLIMATE change will remake the Pacific, even though it is not of the Pacific’s making. Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said this was the irony of a phenomenon declared by the region’s leaders to be the greatest existential threat to the lives and...
Tongan sports legend champions project to empower youth and build resilience
Pacific Media Network
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A former Tongan rugby league star is leading the charge to build a $3.5 million emergency evacuation and community hub in Ha'apai, following a royal request and support from the Pacific diaspora. Sione Finefeuiaki, now the founder of Sione’s...
With Five Eyes on China, FBI Bulks Up in New Zealand
Consortium News
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August 7, 2025
Mick Hall covers the upgrade of the U.S. intelligence agency’s Wellington operation to “counter the CCP” as another milestone of U.S. meddling in the Asia-Pacific. Demonstrators in Aukland on Saturday protest against the F.B.I. expanding its...
Cook Islands and Tonga strengthen bilateral ties ahead of celebrations
Cook Island News
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August 2, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Brown yesterday welcomed the Prime Minister of Tonga and current Pacific Islands Forum Chair, Dr. Aisake Eke, to Rarotonga to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Cook Islands self-governance. OPM/25080195 Cook Islands Prime...
Tongan entrepreneur revives tradition, aims to support local women with mat business
Pacific Media Network
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A Tongan businesswoman has embarked on a journey to weave tradition into her mat business, inspired by a conversation with her father. Haitelenisia Whare is the founder of Weaved Mats, a company that imports traditional woven mats from Asia, with...
Lord Tu’ilakepa’s remarks reveal lack of neutrality, gender bias, and disrespect for cultural expression in parliament
Kaniva Tonga
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August 1, 2025
Commentary – The recent exchange in Tonga’s Parliament, in which the Chair of the Whole House Committee, Lord Tu’ilakepa, suggested that Acting Prime Minister Taniela Fusimālohi should “wear women’s clothing” in the House, has sparked serious...
Tonga’s Catholic history, long preserved in French, reaches new heights with new English translation
Kaniva Tonga
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July 29, 2025
Documentation of Catholicism’s arrival in Tonga continues to grow, thanks to the latest contribution from the Church’s own esteemed Tongan scholar, Dr Felise Tāvō. Announcing the new book Marist Priests in Tonga: Stories of Mission online this...
Former LDS missionary accused of sexually abusing minors in Tonga, luring them with video games and RC cars
The Salt Lake Tribune - Utah
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July 29, 2025
(Sarah Silbiger | pool via AP) A sign for the Department of Justice. The agency announced the indictment of a West Valley City man, accused of abusing minors in Tonga during his term as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day...