Tonga's King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau'u with Governor Margaret Beazley and Mr Wilson. Photo: Australia High Commission in Tonga Facebook
Australia/Tongan - royal visit
Tonga's King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau'u have been in Australia for their first official visit.
PMN reported the king and queen were given a tour of Ngunnawal, the traditional homeland of the Australian capital, Canberra; and met with foreign minister Penny Wong.
Also on the agenda were the signing of the Kaume'a Ofi, a statement of intent committing Australia and Tonga to strengthen their partnership, and a memorandum of understanding on cyber cooperation.
The royal couple were also set to honour Tongan Australians who helped during the 2022 Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai disaster.
The official royal visit ended on Wednesday.
West Papua - peace talks
Indonesia says West Papua is an 'internal matter' and will not be discussed at Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) peace talks.
The Fiji Sun reported Indonesia's ambassador Duptio Simamora asked MSG members to not 'interfere' and 'respect their sovereignty and territorial integrity'.
The comments come just weeks after Pacific leaders made more promises to address Indonesia's West Papua issues.
Leaders reaffirmed the Pacific Islands Forum's ongoing recognition of Indonesia's sovereignty over West Papua (Papua) in the final communiqué of the Leaders' Meeting, at the same time as "recalling" Indonesia's 2018 invitation for a mission led by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Leaders have tasked the PIF Secretariat to work constructively with Indonesia on a proposed visit by forum leaders' envoys in 2026, in consultation with the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat.
Fiji - drugs
Fiji police have seized large bags from a boat, containing parcels of dried leaves believed to be marijuana.
The Operations Sasamaki team deployed to Kadavu intercepted the fibreglass boat on Monday night in open waters.
Five men were arrested.
Meanwhile, two other people appeared in court on Monday, in separate cases of methamphetamine possession.
Both are charged with unlawful possession of illicit drugs.
Australia - refugees
Australian refugee advocates say global implementation of restricted asylum rights would be catastrophic.
An Asylum Seeker Resource Centre statement says reports of an effort to roll back protections offered under the global refugee protection system are alarming.
The group understands the proposal is to make asylum a temporary, rather than permanent status.
They say temporary protection visas have been implemented in the past leading to severe harm to asylum seekers' mental health.
Guam - visa
A Guam senator says the fee increase to the US H1B visa would add strain Guam's healthcare system and construction industry, which rely on overseas sources.
It's now US$100,000 to apply for a new H1B visa - up from $1000
Pacific Island Times reported Senator Jesse Lujan writing to the director of the Domestic Policy Council, saying this barrier could reduce the hiring of new physicians, pharmacists and specialists who are already in short supply.
Lujan has requested the White House to exempt Guam from the new fee policy, citing the island's "unique challenges as a geographically isolated US territory".
Pacific - tourism
Pacific Islands tourism hit a record high in July with Vanuatu leading the surge, recording a 130 percent increase in Australian visitors compared to last year.
Australasian Leisure reported this as Vanuatu's biggest July ever, surpassing pre-covid figures.
Samoa also saw a 52 percent rise in July visitors reflecting a broader trend of Australians exploring Pacific destinations.
Fiji remains the top Pacific destination for Australian tourists, but data shows an increasing interest in lesser-known islands.
