A strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit near Tonga, a country in Polynesia made up of 171 islands with a population of a little more than 100,000 people.

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck in the hours of the Monday morning centred 79 kilometres south-southeast of Pangai in the Ha'apai group of islands.

The New England Patriots went defense-heavy with their early free agency signings, including two players who were added along the interior line. Milton Williams was the headline-grabber among them, but Khyiris Tonga also should not fly under the radar: signing a one-year, $2.1 million deal, he projects to find a role up front.