PACIFIC NEWS BRIEFS
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The annual U.S. Open of Surfing is underway in Huntington Beach, California, and Team Hawaii is dominating the field.
Five local surfers have moved out of the round of 16, securing their spots in the quarterfinals.
John Michael Van Hohenstein and Kaniela Stewart are...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Pacific trade ministers have welcomed the draft Kava Declaration, marking a significant step toward safeguarding kava's cultural and economic importance across the region.
At a gathering in Suva, Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica, and his counterparts...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The dengue fever outbreak in Samoa has claimed the life of a second child.
The Sāmoa Observer reports Faith Melchior, 8, died in hospital on Monday night.
She is the second child to die from dengue in Samoa this year — 12-year-old Misiafa Lene died in April.
Fiji, Cook...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The 27th Micronesian Islands Forum (MIF) has adopted a resolution supporting the development of a regional medical complex on Guam.
"For years, patients from across Micronesia have come to Guam to access healthcare services, so we already have a clear picture of where...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — As Thursday marked 40 years since the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, anti-nuclear advocates warn the Pacific region is facing expanding nuclearism through developments like the AUKUS pact.
On 10 July 1985, French agents bombed the Greenpeace protest ship while it was...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Episode 28 of the of the ongoing Halemaumau eruption began at around 4:10 a.m. Wednesday.
Lava fountains started by spewing upward of 150 feet into the air, but the fountaining height increased by dawn, with USGS scientists saying the fountain nearly reached 1,200 feet...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The documentary Before the Moon Falls has received a Special Mention for Best Feature (International) at the Doc Edge Awards 2025. Just as its subject, celebrated Samoan writer Sia Figiel, awaits trial for the alleged murder of her friend and fellow poet, Professor...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Tinian residents of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) have voiced urgent concerns over potential environmental and cultural damage from a major United States (US) military training plan during a series of tense public meetings last week.
At a packed...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A UNICEF survey shows that 91 per cent of children in Samoa have experienced violent discipline.
The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey showed a staggering number of Pacific children, some as young as five, experience abuse, neglect, and mental health challenges both in...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — An award-winning short film, which honors the resilience of Māori youth, has been named a finalist at the New Zealand International Film Festival.
Written and directed by Aroha Awarau (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Porou, Niue, Samoa), Puti has already screened at the Beverly Hills...