Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi

The statement comes a day after the Director General of Health, Leausa Dr Take Naseri, announced a vaccination plan with those over the age of 18 to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Speaking on his weekly radio programme Tuila'epa said everyone must be vaccinated for safety ahead of whenever the borders would reopen allowing travelers into the country.

Tuila'epa said the first shipment of 79,000 doses of the vaccine would arrive this weekend with more to come in the next month.

39 year-old, Taualai Leiloa, had accepted the police summary of facts which shows the offending had occurred between April and August last year.

The attempt also involved three other co-accused, Malele Atofu Paulo or King Faipopo, Lema'i Faioso Sione and Australian citizen, Talalelei Pauga, all deny the same charge.

Mr Pauga is currently in police custody in Brisbane to face an extradition hearing.

Speaking on his weekly television programme, he said the Cabinet discussed the matter last week and the plan was to bring home the sailors next month.

The sailors were due to travel home on 27 November on what was supposed to be the first direct flight from the US to Samoa.

However the flight from Los Angeles was cancelled at the last minute after a sailor who had been a passenger on a 13 November flight from New Zealand tested positive for Covid-19.

The sailor had worked in Italy and it was later established he was an historical case that was no longer infectious.

A group of 20 youths are alleged to have thrown stones at a circus tent after being ejected for being drunk according to a TV1 Samoa report.

The owner of Magic Circus of Samoa Tupa'i Bruno Royale called the police but when they did not show up he decided to seek help from Tuila'epa in hurrying them up.

The prime minister turned up on his own to try and calm the situation, before police arrived shortly afterwards.

Six men have been charged over the incident.

The pair, Malele Atofu Paulo, also known as King Faipopo, and Lema'i Faioso Sione, are also facing a second charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

The two have been ordered to remain in custody until next Monday when they will appear for a plea hearing on the second charge.

The prosecution has opposed bail.

Meanwhile a third suspect, Taualai Leiloa, also known as Taualai Tuila'epa, has appeared separately on the same charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

Earlier this month, police arrested and charged three suspects over the alleged plot to kill Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi.

This week Newsline Samoa reported that police had arrested a fourth suspect.

But Police Commissioner Fuiavailili Egon Keil said this was not true.

Fuiavailili also told KHJ News it was important the public continued to co-operate with police.

Matai in Laulii village, where one of the three defendants is from, alerted police about the plot, he said.

Tuila'epa had the utility company in his sights after a power outage delayed an event last Saturday when he was having lunch with Samoa athletes at the Games venue at Tuanaimato.

Speaking at the event, Tuila'epa sent a message to the Electric Power Company staff that they must prevent any power interruption while the Games, which start this weekend, are on.

The prime minister said the company's technical staff should not sleep until the Games are finished.

The prime minister has confirmed that his constituency of Lepa has unanimously endorsed his candidacy and he accepted.

In his usual humorous response, Tuila'epa says his current heart beat is like the sound of a chainsaw which sometimes he could not hold.

The 69 year old prime minister is one of the longest serving politicians in Samoa as well as in the Pacific region.

Samoa's general election is to be held on 04 March 2016.

The election date was announced by the Prime Minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, with the current parliament set to be dissolved in three months time.

The Acting Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio, says 10,000 new voters and electors have been registered so far but there is still two more months to go before all electoral rolls are closed in November.

He says the law has also been tightened to ensure voting remains confidential.

Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, says he hopes his country's businesses and trade will benefit from the agreement.

He has told a visiting Chinese delegation it will be important to start the agreement with airlines in Shenzhen in order to bring Chinese tourists to Samoa.

The deal is aimed at boosting cultural, tourism, trade and investment links between Shenzhen and Apia.