Samoa

Fuatai Simone said her products have been selling quite fast from overseas-based teams that have arrived for the Pacific Games.

 “I’m happy with people coming to buy from my stall. I usually come early in the morning to set up my stall and start selling. And with the Games about to start, athletes come to buy lavalavas, dress and necklaces. This makes me proud,” she said.

The students braved intermittent rain to perform anthems and traditional dances from French Polynesia, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia as the flags of those countries were raised on the lawns of Falefono.

Sene Palepua, the vice principal of Maile Primary School that represented Palau at the ceremony, said her 445 students rose to the challenge of learning Palau’s national anthem, despite its unfamiliar words and sounds.

Torch Relay Coordinator, Tafaese Spencer Tautu from the Ministry of Education Sports (MESC), believes there is great significance in the torch as Samoa prepares to host the Games.

“There is power in the torch that can mend bridges and bring different villages to ignite under the slogan of the Games and that is ‘one in spirit,’ he said. “I never imagined this would be the response of the people. This is the first time the Head of State has received the torch baton twice, first at his home at Falelatai and, again, yesterday at his residence in Vailele.”

There are different local caterers assigned to every venue’s dining halls, including on Savai’i, where Boxing will take place, with test runs of all their menus in preparation when the Games open on Sunday 7 July.

“There are caterers specifically for athletes and Technical Officialsand others for volunteersandVIPs,” said Analosa Manuele, Catering Coordinator of the Pacific Games Office.

“For the Pacific Games, we are working together with the caterers to make sure that the meals provided are hot, fresh, nutritious and safe for consumption.

  This follows the first case against an initial 20 faife'au being thrown out on Thursday for a lack of evidence.

Lawyers for the Ministry for Revenue had prosecuted that case and prime minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi described them as "lawyers for the lagoon."

Tuila'epa said "lawyers for the deep waters" are required for the prosecution of the second group of church ministers.

The trial is sheduled for next month.

 Apia's waterfront and downtown area have had a $US4 million makeover which was jointly funded by the New Zealand government and the Global Climate Fund.

The project has taken 12 months to complete and the New Zealand High Commission's Luatua Pati said Apia's waterfront is a truly special place which embraces Samoa's "history, heritage, arts and culture".

A 6-person team of U.S. Navy medical personnel will be working alongside Samoa’s nurses and doctors at the National Hospital the first two weeks of July to augment local capacity.

This medical exchange involves the donation of over $130,000 tala worth of medical equipment.

The equipment include hospital beds with mattresses, defibrillators, dressing trolleys, patient trolleys, patient monitors, A&D nebulizers, suction pumps, ultrasound therapy devices, infrared lamp, TENS machines, portable oxygen machines and paramedic emergency response kits.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment responsible for the registration of lands says the changes to the Principal Act aimed to improve organisation, safeguard the due diligence process and provide clarification on address changes over time.

It took Parliament one year to consider the amendments, which had raised concerns by several MPs when they were tabled in December 2017.

The Ministry said the amendments aim to stop the alienation of customary lands.

According to Samoan media, lead counsel for the ministers, Alex Su'a, told the court it is the contention of the church that ministers are not taxpayers and therefore should not be paying taxes.

Each minister faces two charges of failure to withhold taxes and failure to file tax returns.

The Commissioner of Inland Revenue, Matafeo Avalisa Viali-Fautuaali'i, was the first witness called by the prosecution.

Over 300 students from Maluafou, Leulumoega and Papauta colleges have pulled out of an entertainment contingent featuring over 2000 students in total.

The organisation's General Secretary Rev. Vavatau Taufao said the reason is that the church doesn't want to violate the day of worship, Sunday.

He said in an interview with Loabay LGN Online that the Church's Board of Education only learned last week when the Games Programmer was released that the opening would be held on Sunday.