Samoa

Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa told delegates a number of unprecedented natural disasters had occurred over the past year.

"We will continue to face these ever worsening disasters if we continue to deny addressing their root causes," she said.

"Scientists have warned of more frequent and many more extreme weather events resulting in more lives lost and costlier and less resilient infrastructure."

Overseas employers will also need to pay an annual registration fee of $1,000 tālā, just over 350 US dollars.

The new policy has been approved by Cabinet and includes recruitment of workers to be handled directly by the District Council Committees.

In a joint statement with the World Health Organisation and Japan International Cooperation Agency, Aiono Dr Alec Ekeroma said people can get infected without them knowing it.

The statement said Samoa has been conducting mass drug administration for several years to eliminate this disease, but the last blood surveys in 2017 and 2018 showed the infection was widespread.

The mass drug administration started September 16th and will end September 24.

American Samoa has been running a mass drug programme for several weeks, which ends on September 22.

This follows Air New Zealand cancelling two widebody flights earlier this month.

The Samoa Observer reports Samoa Airways interim chief executive Fauo'o Fatu Tielu confirmed the purchases last week from China and they are also expecting some from Spain.

He said the equipment will upgrade ground services because the equipment at Faleolo is run down, and that was why it broke down recently.

The airline says it was made aware on Friday night the equipment required to load and unload passenger bags and cargo on to the widebody aircraft (787 or 777) was not up to standard.

Air New Zealand Head of Pacific Islands, Brent Roxburgh said over the last 12 months the airline has worked extensively with our ground handler partner in Samoa to ensure it’s up to their safety standards.

“As the safety of our people is our top priority, the airline made the call to pause widebody services until the equipment has been fixed,” said Roxburgh.

The UN Committee have affirmed for the first time that climate change is affecting children's rights to life, survival and development.

'General Comment No. 26' specifies that countries are responsible not only for protecting children's rights from immediate harm, but also for foreseeable violations of their rights in the future.

It found the climate emergency, collapse of biodiversity and pervasive pollution - "is an urgent and systemic threat to children's rights globally".

The number of Pacific Island nationals heading to Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme has grown rapidly since COVID travel restrictions were eased, with the program now drawing in more than 35,000 workers on both short and longer term contracts.

The federal government has hailed the scheme as a major success, saying it has helped to fill workforce shortages in Australia while allowing Pacific Islanders to develop their skills and send valuable remittances back home.

A statement issued by the government said “The project was largely funded with a grant of USD176,878 (approximately SAT468,000) through Japan’s Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP).”

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Samoa, SENTA Keisuke handed over the new community safe house earlier today (29 August) to the Community Village Council in the presence of the community members and distinguished guests.

The musicians in Years 11-13 comprise the college’s School Jazz Waka and school choir Ngā Reo o Kaitāia, which both recently secured second place at highly-regarded competitions in Auckland and Rotorua.

They are, Kees Cherrington (trumpet), Grant Hemana (bass), Robin Hemana (drums), Remy Herbert (percussion), Iosefa Itieli (vocalist), Noah McBirney-Warnes (trombone), Eric Reid-Pihema (guitar), Hientai Punshon (percussion), Abigail Shackelton (tenor sax), LeeZion Tepania (piano), Elizabeth Thompson (alto sax) and Nathaniel Vemoa (trumpet).

The cup, also the Taekwondo New Zealand Championships, is being used as a buildup for the Pacific Games.

The first gold medal for Samoa was won by the young Luisa Fulivai who competed in the Junior grade 1-2, red belt category.

The 17-strong team also picked up silver and bronze placings.