Samoa

Dr. Mulitalo leads a team of six research officers at the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa, providing support to parliamentarians as part of her job under the Samoa Parliamentary Support Project (SPSP), a collaborative effort by UNDP, AusAid and partners.

"We have directed SLC to allocated more than a quarter million, about more than 293 thousand tala to help with the people’s rebuilding efforts, just to help them get back on their feet," said Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.

The assistance that was approved by the Prime minister and his Cabinet will see the handover of one thousand tala to each of the stall owners.

Loop Samoa understands though, it is not only the Government’s assistance but as well as two other charity foundations established for this cause.

More than 15 former prisoners from ages 40 to 75 have offered to help the Prisons Authority stop prisoners escaping, as well as to handle human rights complaints from inmates.

A founding member of the Gauigana'a society and former prisoner, Tofilau Faamanu Ivara, says between 60 and 70 percent of the inmates currently in jail are re-offenders.

The Savalalo market, which has been a strong contributor to Samoa's tourism industry, was engulfed in flames on January the 18th.

The Samoa Hotel Association, alongside the accounting firm Betham & Company, says the fundraising effort will run for a month, and the money collected will be distributed out to vendor victims of the fire.

That is expected to change in the future through a new programme CorderDojo, introduced by Digicel.

‘’Digicel is excited to bring the CoderDojo initiative to Samoa,’’ said Rory Condon, Digicel Samoa CEO.

The academy will be stationed in Tafaigata.

The 24-year-old takes on American Southpaw Jason Bergman in Apia tonight hoping to extend his professional record to 18 and 0.

The Rumble in Paradise will be Parker's sixth fight in 10 months and he admits he's looking forward to a holiday once he's dealt with the business in the ring.

Samoan culture or Fa'a Samoa is celebrated in the week-long event which features traditional dance, singing, fashion and variety shows and traditional fun and games.

Held in front of the government building, the event attracts contestants and their supporters from across Samoa, curious tourists and families looking for fun, snacks and entertainment.

An elated Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi made the comment during the big island oriented weigh-in this morning.

The non-profit group Ethical Traveler has named Samoa in its annual list of the ten most ethical destinations in the developing world.

The CEO of the Samoa Tourist Authority, Papalili Sonja Hunter, says this is the third time Samoa has made the list and organisations such as the UN and the World Bank weighed in.