PACIFIC NEWS BRIEFS
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa’s Government is trying to reduce a feral pig population which is affecting agriculture and food security.
A recent study tour by a Samoan delegation to Queensland has provided valuable insights into managing the growing problem.
The delegation, which included...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa's Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa says a question mark hangs over whether work related to the Manawanui disaster will pause during King Charles' visit for the Commonwealth leaders' meeting.
About 60 New Zealand Defense Force personnel and specialists are...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Fiji's RFNS Puamau is being decommissioned after it ran aground on a reef earlier this year in Fulaga, located in Fiji's Southern Lau Group.
Australia gifted the Guardian-class patrol boat to Fiji in May this year only to run aground in June.
It suffered extensive...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The CNMI Department of Corrections (DOC) wants to house inmates from other jurisdictions as its current number of prison beds far exceeds its present prison population.
Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres said the DOC currently has approximately 180 inmates.
He said...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Cook Islands has enacted seabed minerals harvesting regulations despite concerns about the lack of 'meaningful consultation' and the premature nature of the legislation, given that the exploration phase is still ongoing.
The Seabed Minerals (Minerals Harvesting and Other...
Taranaki, NEW ZEALAND — A company that wants to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki in New Zealand has welcomed its inclusion on the government's fast-track projects list.
Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) says if its project goes ahead in the South Taranaki Bight it will create hundreds of jobs...
Tokyo, JAPAN — Japan's incoming prime minister Shigeru Ishiba reportedly wants a more "equal" alliance with the United States.
Ishiba, who takes office this week is seeking the presence of Japanese forces on Guam, according to a Pacific Island Times report.
The news website reported Ishida "saying...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Manu Samoa head coach has been charged with "multiple serious offences" including "sexual conduct with a person under 16", according to local media reports.
Mase Mahonri Schwalger, who was appointed by Lakapi Samoa to lead the national rugby team in March, was...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Pacific nations are preparing for a pivotal week of negotiations in London on how to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in the global shipping industry.
Countries will gather later this month to lay out specific plans to slash shipping emissions by at least 40...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A rare bird in Papua New Guinea that was last officially documented 55 years ago has finally been captured again on camera.
The New Britain Goshawk was snapped in the Nakanai Ranges by Fiji-based photographer Tom Vierus.
"I was on a scoping trip with WWF in Pomio [...



![The RFNS Puamau was midway through a two-week patrol tasking exercise when it struck the Fulaga Reef earlier this year. [Facebook / The Pacific Newsroom] The RFNS Puamau](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/fiji_navy_a_jpg.jpg?itok=Nosg0U90)
![CNMI Department of Corrections can accommodate an additional 320 inmates from other jurisdictions at its 500-bed facility, while charging them US$120 a day. [photo: RNZ Pacific / Mark Rabago] CNMI Department of Corrections](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/cnmi_corrections_.jpeg?itok=kB8w8CJ8)

![A protest against seabed mining in Taranaki headed to Parliament on September 19, 2016. [photo: RNZ / Robin Martin] A protest against seabed mining](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/seabed_mining_opponents.jpg?itok=zDlqy-LJ)
![The US Marine Force Base Camp Blaz in Guam. Now Japan's incoming prime minister says it is high time Tokyo and Washington level their lopsided agreement and is calling for Japanese forces on Guam. [photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon] US Marine Force Base Camp Blaz in Guam](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/camp_blaz.jpg?itok=e5m5YFnd)
![Samoa Police charged Mase "with multiple serious offenses, including unlawful sexual connection, attempted sexual violation, sexual conduct with a person under 16, indecent assault, and common assault." [photo: Lakapi Samoa] Mase Mahonri Schwalger](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/mase_schwalger_copy.jpg?itok=APkwVmNa)
![Pacific Island nations with the backing of some Caribbean states, are arguing for a mandatory levy on all ships starting at US$150 per ton of emissions in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions. [photo: AP] container ship in Panama](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/container_ship_in_panama.jpeg?itok=We7y4WxI)
![This image of the New Britain Goshawk — undocumented since 1969 — was taken in the Nakanai Ranges by Fiji-based photographer Tom Vierus. [Photo: WWF/Tom Vierus] New Britain Goshawk](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/new_britain_goshawk.jpeg?itok=npPadVIn)