Samoa

The young swimmers will be competing in a 22.3km Open Water Swim from Upolu Island to Savaii Island in Samoa. 

They will be competing against teams from NZ and Samoa, and the event will also have International solo swimmers.

The event is said to be the longest Ocean Swim in the Southern Hemisphere and they are the youngest team ever to compete in such an event. 

They are also the first youngest Tongan swimmers to ever swim this distance as a team. 

The campaign, which is being run across four countries in the Pacific (Nauru, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu), is kicking off this week in Samoa. It will run until the end of 2017, with the initial focus being on TB to coincide with World TB Day on 24 March.

“Public health must be creative. We know one of the best ways to reach people is through their cellphones,” said Leausa Toleafoa Dr. Take Naseri, Director General of the Ministry of Health.

Samoa’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Aliioaiga Feturi Elisaia  shared how Samoa has adopted to inclusive development in his presentation at the Commission on the Status of Women 61st Session in New York.

“As part of our on-going localisation effort, let me share how we have “Samoanised” the Beijing Platform since we met last March,” said Elisaia.

Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi was speaking at the ground breaking ceremony for a multi-million dollar hydro project in Fuluasou on Friday.

That project would see a plant with a preliminary capacity of 0.68 megawatts built on Upolu, which was hoped to save the country about 3.6 million litres of diesel a year.

RNZ reports with 60 percent of its energy coming from diesel generators, Tuila'epa said Samoa needs to reduce its dependence on imported fuel.

Fiji Warriors and Junior Japan both recorded bonus-point wins as the World Rugby Pacific Challenge 2017 came to a high-scoring conclusion at the ANZ Stadium in Suva.

Junior Japan doubled their tally of wins from the 2016 tournament with a 42-33 victory over Tonga A, before Fiji Warriors overcame Samoa A 48-25 to finish with a perfect record in the tournament.

Fuala Makisi became the second Japanese number eight after Tevita Tatafu in round one to score a hat-trick, while Fiji’s impressive Lepani Raiyala doubled his overall tally for the tournament with another brace.

A ceremony today turned the first sod for the construction of the Fuluasou hydropower plant which has a preliminary capacity of 0.68 megawatts.

RNZ reports one of the project's targets is to save about 3.6 million litres of diesel per year, with clean power replacing diesel generated power.

Samoa Prime Minister Tu'ilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi said lowering Samoa's reliance on fossil fuels will help free up resources for other priority needs while improving national energy security and sustainability.

The tournament is now in its third year but for the first time will have representation from four Pacific powers as all four nations continue their preparation for the World Rugby U20s Championship to be held in Georgia in May-June.

Despite an unheralded victory by Australia over New Zealand last year, New Zealand has won every version of the tournament since 2015.

“ADB’s financing has helped Samoa to achieve development results for the focal sectors it is engaged in,” said Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi.“The new ADB Extended Mission will allow us to collectively better respond to the development needs of the people of Samoa.”

“My discussions with Prime Minister Tuilaepa and the Government of Samoa will cover a range of matters including renewable energy, New Zealand’s support to Samoa’s tourism sector and New Zealand’s Pacific Sporting Partnerships Programme,” Mr McCully says.

“New Zealand and Samoa have a special relationship, anchored by the Treaty of Friendship and underpinned by our strong economic, political and cultural links.”

Under the current law only foreign passport holders are allowed in casinos.

However the Samoa Observer reported there had been calls from several Members of Parliament for the government to consider changing the law to allow Samoan passport holders to enter casinos.

But prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi flatly rejected the requests saying locals should stick to bingo.

He said the main reason gambling was allowed and supported by former Members of Parliament when it was first discussed was because Samoan passport holders were banned.