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Hezbollah tries to claim victory as Lebanon mourns its dead 

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A ceasefire deal to end 13 months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has taken effect. 

Displaced people returning to their homes in the town of Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon. Photograph: Hussein Malla/AP

The US and France said the agreement would “cease the fighting in Lebanon, and secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations operating from Lebanon”. 

This resolution follows intense negotiations led by the United States and France, who have emphasized the importance of stabilizing the region.  

According to their joint statement, the agreement is designed to halt hostilities in Lebanon while providing Israel with enhanced security against threats posed by Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations that operate within Lebanese territory. 

The deal is seen as a significant step toward restoring peace and preventing further escalation in the already volatile area. 

However, Hezbollah claimed that it has achieved a significant victory against Israel, citing tactical successes on the battlefield and bolstered morale among its ranks.  

The group claims that its operations have successfully countered Israeli military actions and assert dominance in specific engagements, framing this as a significant accomplishment in the ongoing conflict. 

Hezbollah had set one task for itself when it launched rockets at Israel on 8 October 2023: force a ceasefire in Gaza. On Wednesday, after more than 13 months of fighting, Hezbollah stopped firing rockets and signed its own ceasefire with Israel – and Israel’s campaign in Gaza raged on. 

When Hezbollah entered the fray last year, alarm bells began to ring across the region. The largest militia in the world boasted of 100,000 battle-hardened fighters, and western thinktanks estimated it had an arsenal of 150,000 rockets pointed at Tel Aviv. 

In his first televised appearance after starting a war with Israel, Nasrallah explained that he had opened a “support front” to put pressure on Israel and draw its resources away from Gaza. He spoke of an equation which was to govern the tit-for-tat fighting that Israel and Hezbollah were engaged in for the better part of a year. A missile for a missile, a fighter for a fighter. 

From the start, the proportions of Nasrallah’s equations seemed tipped against him. Tallies showed that for every rocket Hezbollah lobbed over the border, Israel responded with four strikes. The number of dead Hezbollah fighters climbed into the hundreds, while the number of Israeli soldiers killed remained at a dozen. 

Still, he seemed to be in control. The world watched as Hezbollah slowly unveiled a new arsenal of weaponry it had been building since 2006, including drones that evaded Israel’s famous Iron Dome missile defence system, and an anti-aircraft missile that forced an Israeli jet to retreat. This was only “10%” of Hezbollah’s capabilities, Nasrallah promised. 

Man with convictions against two Kiwi women will likely be deported to Tonga 

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A Tongan man with convictions against two female victims will likely be deported to Tonga after groping them at a bar in Dunedin, New Zealand.  

Samiuela Vatuvei will likely be deported to Tonga after groping two women in an Octagon bar. Photo/Otago Daily Times

Samiuela Pauni Koula Vatuvei, 25, had his application for a discharge without conviction on two charges of indecent assault rejected by Judge Mark Callaghan in the Dunedin District Court yesterday, the Otago Daily Times reported.  

The women were at the Octagon bar on December 10 last year.    

In the first incident, Vatuvei approached from behind and grabbed the woman’s buttock, moving his fingers towards her genitalia. The woman turned and “threw her drink over him”, the report said.  

In the second incident, Vatuvei approached the other woman and “forcefully” ran his hand over her genitalia. 

The woman slapped and berated him as he walked away.  

The defence team pleaded with the judge to have mercy on Vatuvei as an immigration lawyer had advised that if convicted Vatuvei would likely be deported to Tonga. The judge declined it.  

The court was told that Vatuvei had consumed an excessive amount of alcohol, rendering him significantly intoxicated at the time of the incident.

Counsel for Vatuvei said he was a member of the Methodist Church and a fine young man of excellent character.  

The judge ordered Vatuvei to pay each victim $750 as “a token of gesture”.  

Taufahema jailed after killing and attempted robbery in Australia

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Alex Mitchell

A robber responsible for stabbing a man and leaving him to die in his terminally ill mother’s arms is set to spend decades in jail.

Viliami Taufahema was sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday after a jury earlier found him guilty of murdering 29-year-old Luke Lembryk during a botched home invasion in Sydney’s west in 2019.

Two co-offenders – Bilal Rahim and Lisa Anne Price – who were involved in the armed robbery were also jailed, while Joseph Nehme remains waiting for his sentence after also being found guilty of murder and assault with intent to rob.

Luke Lembryk, 29, was allegedly killed by two intruders in a botched home invasion. (9News)

The incident stemmed from a Tinder date between Price and Lembryk four months earlier, when the woman spotted bundles of cash and drugs in his property.

After Price told Nehme about the money and drugs along with how to enter the house, he recruited Rahim to drive Taufahema there and help him attempt the theft.

Stabbed five times after he refused to hand over the money, Lembryck died in the arms of his mother.

She later died from cancer.

Justice Sarah McNaughton could not determine which of the two home invaders inflicted the fatal stab wound.

But Taufahema clearly foresaw the prospect of inflicting grievous bodily harm when he broke into the house late at night, she said, making him liable for the murder.

Justice McNaughton noted Lembryk’s final words to a police officer were, “I’m dying, they stabbed me.”

Viliami Taufahema was sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday after a jury earlier found him guilty of murdering 29-year-old Luke Lembryk during a botched home invasion in Sydney's west in 2019.
Lembryck died in the arms of his mother at the Condell Park home. (Nine)

Taufahema was sentenced to 23 years in jail, with a non-parole period of 16 years and six months.

Price, who was found guilty of manslaughter, assault with intent to rob and aggravated breaking and entering, received eight years in prison with a non-parole period of four years and six months.

One of the aggravated breaking and entering charges related to an assault on Lembryk’s mother during the home invasion.

After meeting Lembryk on the Tinder date four months before the attack, Price spotted bundles of cash worth between $10,000 and $20,000 at his home, along with a “golf ball-worth” of cocaine.

She was desperate for money and was about to be evicted from her own house when she passed on the information to Nehme, Justice McNaughton said.

Rahim, who drove Taufahema to the job and acted as a lookout throughout, was sentenced to eight years and six months in jail, with a non-parole period of five years and two months.

Lisa Anne Price was found guilty of manslaughter over Lembryk's death.
Lisa Anne Price was previously found guilty of manslaughter over Lembryk’s death. (Nikki Short)

He was found guilty of manslaughter, assault with intent to rob and aggravated breaking and entering.

Rahim showed an “unconditional and immediate” willingness to be involved when Nehme asked him, likely due to his drug addiction, Justice McNaughton said.

She found Rahim would have foreseen possible resistance once inside the house and knew Nehme was carrying a knife.

Lembryk’s father previously told the court there was no adequate sentence that would right the wrong of his son’s death.

It was particularly heartbreaking that his terminally ill wife spent her final days mourning the 29-year-old, he said.

Nehme’s sentencing submissions will be heard on Monday.

Tonga Police execute search warrant again at Development bank  

By
Kalino Latu
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A new search warrant was executed at Tonga Development Bank (TDB) as the final court decision regarding directives to remove its Chief Executive Officer and Chairman was still in progress.  

Tonga Development Bank.Photo/Kalino Lātū

The TDB issued a statement last week reassuring its customers about the security of their personal information. The statement emphasised that all customers’ records remain secure and have not been compromised.  

The statement comes after the Police “execution of search warrant 58/24” it said.  

“We undertake to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of your personal information and are taking all the necessary steps to uphold these standards.”   

The search warrant also comes after Police searched the bank in May after a complaint regarding an alleged breach of the Banking Act. The National Reserved Bank of Tonga (NRBT) likely made that complaint.  

At the time, TDB said it had received grave concerns from its customers and the public regarding the search warrant executed on its premises.  

The police actions against TDB come after the NRBT sought to override the TDB by issuing directives that, among other things, removed its CEO, Emeline Tuita and board chairman Penisimani Vea. 

Court decision 

In a decision in September, Lord Chief Justice Malcolm Bishop KC said that the NRBT’s actions were designed to ensure that it closely controlled the TDB and had a veto on any of that bank’s activities. 

Mr Malcolm commented after the TDB asked for an interlocutory mandatory injunction restraining the NRBT from enforcing its directives. 

The Lord Chief Justice said: “I am in the doleful position of concluding that whatever order I make some harm will irreparably follow.”  

“If I restore the CEO and the chairman there is inevitably a danger of friction and unfavourable working conditions. 

“Thus, what I have to consider is not the balance of convenience but the balance of inconvenience. What is the least worst solution?  

“I am on the current state of the evidence and material before me not persuaded that the supervisory role of the reserve bank excludes supervision of the economic activities of the Development Bank.  

“I accordingly order that will be the basis that the CEO and chairman continue in place pending the resolution of this matter at trial.  

“I am entirely conscious of the fact that this may make for friction and difficulty but that responsible people, as I accept those in the employ of the Development Bank and the National Reserve Bank are, will be dealt with in a grown-up way.” 

Tonga’s infamous Laulea Beach claims its third victim this year after one person reported drowning 

By
Kalino Latu
-

A search for a missing person who fell into a stretch of water that has a history of drownings on Tongatapu continued this afternoon.  

Social media reports confirmed the incident but provided no other details. 

Police have yet to comment.  

Livestreamed videos shared on Facebook showed an emotional scene characterized by tears and lamentation as those affected grappled with their emotions.  

Laulea Beach is one of the most dangerous places in Tonga to go swimming due to powerful rip currents and waves known to sweep people out to sea.  

Some residents voiced their frustrations, asking how such an event could have occurred given the spot’s notoriety, which was widely publicised on social media.    

Critics have urged swimmers to prioritize safety and heed warning signs to prevent further tragic accidents at the spot. 

In May 2024 Puli ki Puloti Jr Afu dies at Laulea before his body was found.  

In January 2024, Selomiti Tufui, a young policewoman, died at the beach.  

In 2018 Viliami Vaka’uta, 24, was presumed dead after he attempted to save her wife in the water. 

In 2017 Soane Tangipa ʻAtaʻata died after he went swimming at the beach. 

In 2015  ‘Inoke Mapaleve Mo’unga, 32,  of Kolonga drowned at the beach after  visiting there with his wife and friends. 

In 2012   Catholic priest, Father Mikaele Mateo , 37, died at Laulea Beach while helping to rescue his five young nephews who were swept out to open sea by the strong currents. 

Joseph parker set to challenge Daniel Dubois for the IBF crown – report

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZSport and is republished with permission

Eight years after winning the WBO heavyweight boxing title, New Zealand’s Joseph Parker could be set to get a crack at the IBF crown.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - MARCH 08: Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker exchange punches during the WBO Interim World Heavyweight title fight between Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker on the Knockout Chaos boxing card at the Kingdom Arena on March 08, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Joseph Parker fought China’s Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia in March. Photo: Getty Images / Richard Pelham

US boxing journalist Dan Rafael has reported Parker will challenge England’s Daniel Dubois for the IBF title in Saudi Arabia on 22 February.

Dubois beat compatriot Anthony Joshua in September to claim the vacant IBF title.

Joshua was expected to seek a rematch but has stepped aside, paving the way for Parker to challenge for one of the four world titles not held by Ukrainian champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Parker’s last fight was in Riyadh in March when he beat China’s Zhilei Zhang to claim the interim WBO heavyweight title.

Parker won the WBO in December 2016 when he narrowly outscored Mexican Andy Ruiz in Auckland. He defended the title twice in 2017 but lost it to Joshua in 2018 in Cardiff, with Joshua’s unanimous point victory unifying the heavyweight category at the time.

One dead, 13 people rushed to hospitals after bus crash closes State Highway 1 near Tirau

By
Kaniva Staff
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By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

A person is dead after a serious crash involving a bus and a car north of Tirau on State Highway 1.

The scene of a crash on SH1, north of Tīrau.

The scene of a crash on SH1, north of Tīrau. Photo: RNZ / Natalie Akoorie

Hato Hone St John says it sent 13 vehicles to respond to the accident and transported 13 patients, two in critical condition and four in serious condition, to Waikato, Rotorua, Tauranga and Auckland Hospitals by road and air.

The highway is closed for over 10 kilometres, between Tirau and Piarere Roundabout.

In a statement earlier, police said the two-vehicle crash happened near Paparamu Road in Piarere after 2pm on Wednesday.

“Initial indications are that there are serious injuries.

“Motorists are advised to avoid the area and expect delays.”

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

Alleged motive behind killing in Auckland relayed to suspect in ‘Tongan’, High Court told

By
Kaniva Staff
-

An apparent conversation in Tongan between a cousin and a man facing a murder charge in Auckland’s suburb of Mt Roskill has been suggested as containing the motive for the killing.

A CCTV still from Richardson’s Bar and Restaurant in Mt Roskill, Auckland, shows Christopher Salt (left) and Tofimua Matagi playing darts together shortly before Salt fatally assaulted him. The footage has been played for jurors at Salt’s murder trial in the High Court at Auckland.

Christopher Tean Salt, 36, appeared earlier this month in Auckland High Court to defend his charge of the alleged murder of 25-year-old Tofimua Oneonepata Matagi.  

It has been alleged Salt had delivered a punch to Matagi’s head inside a Mt Roskill bar before kicking his face and stomping on his head four times.  

He told a jury his intent that night was initially to serve as a peacemaker. 

Prosecutors called the explanation ridiculous – a clear contradiction, they said, to the high-quality, graphic CCTV footage of the attack that has been played for jurors repeatedly since Salt’s trial began last week, the New Zealand Herald reported.  

The footage showed Matagi never moved again of his own accord after the final head stomp, which was recorded at 10.56pm.  

It said: “While rifling through Matagi’s clothes, Salt removed his wallet, placing it in Matagi’s baseball cap along with his passport and phone before walking out of the room with the items.  

“He returned about four minutes later, going through Matagi’s pockets a second time before picking up the man’s darts scattered on the floor next to him and throwing them at the board one last time”. 

An ambulance wouldn’t be called for almost an hour and 40 minutes, after Matagi’s friends eventually found him and yelled to the barman for help. 

“Everything happened so fast, I just wanted to disarm him,” Salt told jurors, acknowledging that he found no gun. 

“I kicked him and I stomped him because I didn’t want him to shoot me,” Salt repeatedly claimed from the witness box in the High Court at Auckland over the past two days. “I was worried about the gun – nothing else.” 

Salt testified he had actually suggested a game of pool because his cousin, also in the smoking area, had told him in Tongan that he was about to give Matagi a beating. He said he didn’t know what had angered his cousin, who has since died so couldn’t give evidence of his own, but he thought it best to defuse the situation. 

Matangi was new to Auckland, having previously lived in Australia and Niue, when he went to Richardson’s Bar and Restaurant for the first time with two workmates on the night of August 31 last year.  

He met Salt, a self-described regular at the bar, in the smoking area before footage showed the two going to the otherwise empty game room. 

Social media reacts to MV Princess Ashika’s Captain second ferry case imprisonment sentence 

By
Kalino Latu
-

After the Captain of the ill-fated vessel MV Princess Ashika, Viliami Makahokovalu Tuputupu, was jailed last week for knowingly taking excess passengers on MV Otuanga’ofa while his Certificate of Competency had expired, social media users took to the web to weigh in. 

Viliami Makahokovalu Tuputupu. Photo/Provided

Some Facebook users mistakenly attributed the penalty to Tuputupu’s Princess Ashika court case in 2011.  

“Is that Ashika case still on trial,” a commenter asked in Tongan. 

“Why haven’t the top leaders of the former government been brought to justice?” another commenter asked. They believe former Prime Minister Feleti Sevele should face charges for his alleged involvement in approving the purchase of the “unseaworthy” ferry.  

One commenter voiced his opinion that it is unlawful to impose penalties on an individual for the same offense multiple times, thinking that Tuputupu had been charged again for his role on MV Ashika.

The commenters were referring to when Tuputupu went on trial in 2009 for the sinking of MV Ashika, which claimed 74 lives that same year.

In that case, Tuputupu gave evidence in court and said he knew the MV Princess Ashika was unseaworthy but sailed anyway. He said he relied on information given to him by the Marine and Ports Division, alleging that the vessel was not safe to operate, but he never believed it would sink on August 5. 

Tuputupu, was handed a four-year jail term in 2011 after being convicted of manslaughter by negligence and of sending an unseaworthy ship to sea, but served only six months. 

A Royal Commission inquiry into the sinking found the ferry was declared unseaworthy in 1985 and was never supposed to sail in deep water. 

Nevertheless, the government-owned operator, the Shipping Corporation of Polynesia (SCP), bought the vessel from a Fijian firm in 2009. 

Recent sentencing 

Tuputupu was sentenced on November 18, 2024, and returned to Hu’atolitoli prison after he was found guilty of violating maritime regulations by setting sail with excessive passengers on board, significantly exceeding the vessel’s capacity. 

He was convicted of two charges related to his role on the government’s MV Otuanga’ofa vessel. 

One was regarding permission he gave as Master of the MV Otuanga’ofa to travel with 420 passengers instead of its limit of 400.  

The other was after he operated the MV Otuanga’ofa without a proper certificate.  

Tonga’s PM Hu‘akavameiliku faces another no-confidence vote 

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tongan Prime Minister Hu‘akavameiliku is currently facing a new no-confidence vote following recent political tensions and concerns raised by the king.  

Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku. Photo/Screenshot (Radio FM87.5)

The Speaker of Parliament, Lord Fakafanua, announced the no-confidence vote motion this morning.  

It comes after Hu’akavameiliku survived a Motion for a Vote of No Confidence ballot against him in September 2023.  

“The office of the lord speaker receives notice of intention to move a motion for a vote of no confidence in the prime minister”, a statement said.  

“The Office of the Lord Speaker of the Legislative Assembly received on Saturday 23rd November 2024 a Notice of Intention to Move a Motion for a Vote of No Confidence in the Prime Minister, Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni.  

“The Notice was submitted by the Representative of the People of Tongatapu 5, Hon. Dr ‘Aisake Eke, together with the Motion for a Vote of No Confidence in the Prime Minister, which has been signed in support by 10 Members of Parliament including Dr Eke”. 

The Office of the Legislative Assembly are carrying out tasks in respect of the motion as is required by clause 50B of the Constitution as well as the Rules of Procedures of the House.”  

Although Hu’akavameiliku survived last year’s vote of no confidence, many issues from the more than 40 motions were believed to have not been resolved. 

As we reported earlier this year King Tupou VI recently withdrew his confidence and consent against him.

We also reported last week that the king allegedly expressed concerns against the Minister of Lands’ handling of land issues.

Last year’s vote of no confidence against Hu’akavameiliku was also submitted by Dr Eke.  

There are 26 seats in Tonga’s Legislative Assembly, comprising nine noble’s representatives, and 17 people’s representatives have 17. 

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