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Tonga

In Tonga, what the king says goes — but this week, its government said 'no'

In Tonga the royal family is almost universally revered, yet this week's drama has left many Tongans questioning their king's logic — and left many questions unanswered.
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Tongan king Tupou VI wearing regal dress and his crown walks towards the camera during his coronation

Remains of Tongan ancestors returned after 150 years

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ABC News Current
Duration: 4 minutes 32 seconds

Remains of two males laid to rest in royal funeral service in Tonga 150 years after deaths

The remains of two Tongan males stored in the Australian Museum's collection in Sydney have been repatriated to their present-day descendants and laid to rest in a royal funeral service attended by hundreds.
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Tongan King and Queen are shown at the funeral procession.

Tonga's 'Aquaman' was swept away from his island home. Now he can't go back

Lisala Folau, known as Tonga's "Aquaman", survived 27 hours in open ocean after being swept from his island home. Two years on from that day, his island is abandoned.   
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The now abandoned Atata Island. 

'We are a little confused': Pacific representatives 'not in the room' as COP28 deal approved

After COP28's central document was approved, Samoa's lead delegate delivered a critical assessment of the Dubai climate summit agreement's flaws — and pointed out the Pacific Islands delegates were not even in the room when the deal was done.
Anne Rasmussen speaks from her position amongst seated delegates.

Australia 'aware' of policy initiative as Beijing brings seven Pacific delegates to China for police talks

Three Pacific ministers attend a high-level meeting on police cooperation between China and Pacific Island nations as Beijing continues its push to cement deeper security ties with the region.
A group of women in colourful traditional Chinese ball gowns kneel in front of a row of pacific and chinese men in suits.

Australia signs sweeping security pact with PNG as China continues push for policing influence in Pacific

Prime ministers Anthony Albanese and James Marape meet in Canberra to deepen security ties with a pact that has a status like a treaty, while Beijing continues its push to expand policing ties with Pacific Island countries and regional defence chiefs discuss a joint military response group.
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Australian PM Anthony Albanese and James Marape, PNG PM shake hands like lifelong friends

From the makeshift recording studio of his wardrobe, Fiula dreams of conquering the world

Inspired by fellow Indigenous artist The Kid LAROI, Fiula Havili records his music from his bedroom. He says he's inspired by everything around him, from the land to his experience as a teenager in the outback.
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A young man in a white shirt stands in front of a wall with graffiti tags on it.

Australia to deploy roving teams of cyber experts across Pacific as online threats grow

Australian officials are increasingly worried about the Pacific's vulnerability to cyber attacks, with the government spending $26 million to set up "rapid assistance" teams made up of experts from the private sector and specialists from intelligence agencies like the Australian Signals Directorate.
A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture

This is the boat where Albanese and Pacific leaders will meet this week — but some leaders won't be sailing

Pacific leaders including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will descend on the beautiful island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands this week for the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting. And the two "big Cs" will be on the agenda.
A traditional polynesian boat

'I believe it': The 'lost tribes' of Israel theory runs deep in the Pacific, as modern conflict sparks division

Six Pacific Island countries have voted with Israel to oppose the UN resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. For many nations in the region, the connection to Israel runs deep.   
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A Fijian man dressed in Israeli attire

Researchers say the Pacific has 'woken up' to Chinese investment: Where does that leave Australia?

A leading think tank is warning the Australian government to be careful not to overload Pacific countries with debt in China's absence. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping talks to Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands in a 2019 meeting.

Kiwis beat Samoa to set up Pacific Championships decider against Australia

Australia will meet New Zealand for Pacific Nations rugby league championship honours after the Kiwis crush Samoa to book their place in the final.
A New Zealand rugby player is surrounded by his teammates as he celebrates a try in front of the grandstand.

Marian Kupu shares the Pacific region's top stories

Tonga's illegal gun trade is fuelling criminal behaviour. Fijian Prime Minister calls for peace in the Pacific as he visits Canberra and the Pacific games kick off in Solomon Islands.
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ABC News Current
Duration: 4 minutes 38 seconds

Labor expands Pacific immigration with new visa legislation

The Pacific Engagement Visa will give to opportunity to 3,000 people from the region each year to permanently settle in Australia. 
Solomon Island local. 

'I take my guns to church': The Tongans taking the US approach to self-defence

Guns are not a common sight in Tonga — but that is changing. An increase in crime and drug use in the small island nation is causing many to arm themselves, both legally and illegally.
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A man holding a rifle

Is it disrespectful to sell kava in supermarkets?

A critic says the commercialisation of the drug is potentially dangerous and culturally insensitive, but others say the "great alternative to alcohol" has never been hard to source in the west.
A close up shot of a young woman with dyed red braids wearing a blue sweater and staring off into the distance.

Tonga has tens of thousands of abandoned cars. Now there's a plan to crush them and ship them home

The Kingdom of Tonga looks like paradise, but its lush coconut palms nurse a hidden problem. Now, the country is preparing to deal with this car-sized problem, before it's too late.
Abandoned cars on the main island of Tongatapu in the Kingdom of Tonga

The Aussie dollar is a painful dollar — Nai and her children feel it everyday

A near-record number of Pacific Islanders are in Australia working on farms and abattoirs. The workforce has kept Australia's agricultural economy afloat and transformed the lives of thousands — but it comes at a cost.
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The Aussie dollar is a painful dollar for Nai and her children.

International team of scientists research impact of 2022 volcanic eruption in Tonga

Debris was pushed at a speed of 122 kilometres an hour, re-shaping the seafloor and damaging Tonga's telecommunication cables. Emily Lane from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research explains the explosive blast.
ABC News Current
Duration: 6 minutes 43 seconds

We knew the Tongan volcanic eruption was massive. Now we know what happened on the sea floor

In January 2022, a mega explosion from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano generated a coast-battering tsunami and vivid sunsets. Now we know the extent of the eruption's devastation below the waves.
A satellite image showing Australia, New Zealand and an enormous mushroom cloud from a volcanic eruption in the Pacific ocean

Puffer jackets in the Pacific Islands — what is going on with the weather?

Europe and parts of north and south America are in the middle of a vicious heatwave, and the world recorded its hottest July on record — but in the Pacific, puffer jackets are becoming the norm as Tonga shivered through its second-coldest temperature on record.
A woman in a heavy coat and a beanie crosses her hands with index fingers pointed as she sits next to a grinning man in a jacket

analysis:Australia defeats Tonga by 47 goals to claim top spot in their Netball World Cup group

Despite a nervous start, the Diamonds brought Tala's 21-game winning streak to an end in the first meeting between the sides at the World Cup, writes Brittany Carter.
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A woman looks to pass a netball.

analysis:Why PNG's diary of political visitors is full and Solomon Islands thinks someone might give them an army

The United States is continuing to ramp up its campaign for influence in the Pacific to match China's intensifying efforts but with ever more outside players clamouring for a spot in the region, the margin for error grows narrower, writes Stephen Dziedzic.
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PNG PM James Marape stands beside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after a formal meeting.

Defence minister happy for Australia to support Solomon Islands defence force

Richard Marles says the government is "very keen" to help Solomon Islands establish a defence force, with experts saying Canberra wants to stop any military cooperation between Beijing and Honiara.
Richard Marles with short grey hair wearing grey suit holds a plaque with Manasseh Sogavare in a black suit