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New Zealand is celebrating Tonga Language Week from September 4-10 focusing on observing how Tongan culture has shaped the country. The theme this year is ‘Fakakoloa ‘a Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e Loto’i Tonga’ – Enriching Aotearoa with the Tongan Spirit.

Tongatapu’s two-day Royal Agricultural, Fisheries and Tonga Made Show 2016 was finally opened on Friday 26 August by Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala, after being delayed twice due to bad weather. Photos by Linny Folau and Caroline Manu-Moli.

A group of 13 young students and three leaders from Fukuoka, Japan, visited Tonga as Junior Ambassadors in a program that builds friendship with Tongan children through exchange visits.

HM King Tupou VI in Privy Council has upheld a Land Court’s judgment made last year declaring Tupou Tongaliuaki Filo’aulo Aleamotu’a (25) as the lawful successor of the hereditary title Fielakepa, after dismissing an appeal made by his uncle Rt Hon Lord Fielakepa to the Privy Council of Tonga on January 15 this year.

A foul-mouthed rant on social media by Tongan Olympic Team member Amini Fonua over the last week has spun out of control with the athlete at Rio baring his buttocks for a shared photograph.

A popular New York based news media company 'The Daily Beast' has apologized for publishing an article accused of promoting an anti-gay sentiment. The article which was published on The Daily Beast website last week has been removed after receiving a public backlash. In the article, the straight writer Nico Hines used a gay dating site (Grindr) to hook up with three men staying in the Olympic village. The men were not named but according to Hines one of the men came from a “notoriously homophobic country”.

The bodies of four Tongan seasonal workers who were killed in a horrific car crash near Tauranga in New Zealand earlier this month arrived at Fua'amotu International Airport this morning, Friday August 12.

Brazilians have fallen in love with Pita Taufatofua ever since he made his entrance bare chested and glistening with oil at the Rio Olympics opening ceremony as Tonga’s flag bearer last Friday night (Brazilian time). His fans are so smitten with the good looking 32 year old that a facebook page set up in Rio inviting Brazilians to travel to Tonga after the Olympics in support of Pita has gained over 22k followers, the majority women.

A 46-year-old Tongan pastor in New Zealand was ordered by a Christchurch court to pay a total of $1018 in reparations to a Christchurch man for a road rage incident that occurred in January this year.