Regional
HONOLULU — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced last week that the requirement for the Hawai‘i and American Samoa pelagic longline fisheries to electronically report their catch will be effective Sept. 7, 2021. This regulation is intended to reduce human error, improve data...
Apia, SAMOA — The Samoa government is launching a country-wide door-to-door mass vaccination campaign for Covid-19 today.
The initiative was announced in public notices yesterday by the Ministry of Health.
Families with members who have not been immunized are being asked to tie any red colored...
Suva, FIJI — The US President, Joe Biden, is expected to address Pacific Islands Forum Leaders at their virtual meeting Friday.
Biden has been invited by the Prime Minister of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama, who is the incoming chair of the Forum as the regional grouping marks its 50th anniversary.
Issues...
Apia, SAMOA — Samoa's new Minister of Health said a planned travel bubble with New Zealand will not happen until the country's eligible population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Valasi Tafito Selesele told the Samoa Observer that the latest amendments to the State of Emergency Orders was...
Apia, SAMOA — The Human Rights Protection Party's (H.R.P.P.) leaders told a thousand-plus supporters on Monday that their role as an opposition had begun with protests and would not stop until “constitutional” Government was restored to Samoa.
The minority party claims that only the Head of State...
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND — Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has given a formal and unreserved apology on behalf of the government for the Dawn Raids which she said left Pacific communities feeling "targeted and terrorized."
Ardern delivered the speech as part of a three and a half hour ceremony in front...
Apia, SAMOA — The new FAST Cabinet have moved to ease State of Emergency restrictions including the call to begin negotiations with the New Zealand government for the possibility of a travel bubble with Samoa.
“Feutagai ma le Malo o Niu Sila mo le faamautuina o aiaiga talafeagai uma e ao ona...
Apia, SAMOA — Samoa's court houses in Apia closed on Friday (Samoa time) in anticipation of a convoy of protest against the country's judiciary.
Our correspondent in Apia says hearings scheduled for the afternoon were moved to Monday to avoid any disruption.
The protests are in support of the...
San Francisco, CALIFORNIA — When the fall 2021-22 semester begins on Aug. 16, 2021, the Leola M. Havard Early Education School in the Bayview Hunters Point — a California Bay area community — will offer for the first time a new dual language program.
The San Francisco Unified School District is set...
Apia, SAMOA — Samoa's first woman prime minister, Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa, held the first cabinet meeting of the country's new government on Tuesday (Samoa time).
Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga told a cabinet meeting yesterday, Monday, July 26, 2021, of communication earlier in the day with Samoa’s new...

![A NMFS scientist (left) tests an electronic reporting tablet’s connection to a satellite-linked vessel monitoring system. The council hired Vietnamese-speaker Kim-Dung Nguyen (right) to support NMFS’s outreach to Vietnamese-American longline fishermen on the tablets before the mandatory use requirement takes effect Sept. 7, 2021. [photos: NMFS] A NMFS scientist (left) and Kim-Dung Nguyen (right)](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/composit_photo_fisheries.jpg?itok=Yk-gbKcJ)
![A nurse administers a shot during the mass vaccination campaign in Samoa. The "Do It For Samoa" campaign aims to administer the vaccine to all eligible residents in the country. [photo: Samoa Govt / Logan Church] Nurse giving man a vaccination in the Public Health van](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/door_to_door_vax.jpg?itok=ZKK8fgCd)

![Samoa prime minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa chairing her first FAST party cabinet meeting. [photo: Eyespy Radio (Samoa) 87.5] Samoa prime minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/samoa_pm_fiame_in_cabinet_web.jpg?itok=vDT-SHZt)


![Effective Monday 2nd August 2021, changes will include the opening up of trading hours for local business activities. Sunday morning trading of the once popular fish market opens up again from 4am to 9am, including the market at Vaitele, Fugalei, Savalalo and Salelologa in Savaii. [Screenshot from Samoa Global News] Screenshot from Samoa Global News graphic of activities now allowed again](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/graphic_for_opening_up_samoa_restrictions.jpeg?itok=sEDHZQxv)
![A convoy of supporters of Samoa's former Human Rights Protection Party government descend on Apia for a protest against the judiciary. [photo: Samoa Observer] Convoy of cars for demonstration against judiciary.](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/eight_col_convoy_copy.png?itok=TDtIxgEe)
![An instructor sits with her class at the diverse Leola M. Havard Early Education School in Bayview. Leola Havard will be the first SFUSD school to offer a Samoan Dual Language Learner Pre-K. Our city of San Francisco is home to several thousand people who are Samoan or are of Samoan descent. Bayview Hunters Point, Potrero Hill and Sunnydale are where a majority of the city’s Samoan population lives. [photo: sfbayview.com] Students and teacher at Bayview school](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/teacher-and-students-at-leola-m.-havard-early-educationweb.jpg?itok=a7HEz6Pp)
![Samoa's new FAST party cabinet in its first meeting where they confirmed priorities for keeping the government functioning. [photo: Eyespy Radio (Samoa) 87.5] Samoa's new FAST party cabinet](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/samoa_fast_cabinet_web.jpg?itok=ZErCDHUa)