Regional
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Highlighting a commitment to regional digital sovereignty, the Office of the Governor and the American Samoa Telecommunications Authority (ASTCA) have concluded a three-day diplomatic mission to Samoa.
The delegation held intensive meetings with various Government...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Samoa cabinet has approved a 40-sene increase to Samoa’s minimum wage, with hourly pay set to rise to $5.24 from $4.84, taking effect in July 2026, Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at his weekly press conference,...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The return of a centuries-old Māori warrior's cloak to Aotearoa New Zealand has brought surprise, intrigue, and an ancestral connection for the traditional Māori weaving experts studying it.
The cloak, a pauku, is one of only seven warrior cloaks known to exist around...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A major review of 50 years of data warning that deep-sea mining could cause long-lasting damage to Pacific marine ecosystems has reinforced the Cook Islands' cautious approach to seabed minerals exploration, according to Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) commissioner...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Technology is enabling drug networks to adapt and refine tactics to evade detection in the Pacific, including Samoa, resulting in a trafficking system that is distributed and resilient.
Associate Professor and head of the Pacific Regional Security Hub, Macmillan Brown...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A United States government report has revealed a slow breakdown in funding mechanisms for the Freely Associated States (FAS).
The renewed Compact of Free Association (COFA) agreements signed in 2023 with Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and the Republic...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The leaders of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam are seeking a moratorium on deep-sea mining in the Marianas.
CNMI governor David Apatang and Guam governor Lou Leon Guerrero also want to see refroms at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Three Pacific scientists are speaking on sea level rise in the region as part of an International Science Council side event at the UN this week.
Awnesh Singh is from the Centre for Sustainable Futures at the University of the South Pacific; Christina Newport from the...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A Children’s Jazz Circle was held for the 15th International Jazz Day at Feleti Barstow Public Library on April 30, 2026. Dan Aga was the moderator, offering a hands-on talk with music — about jazz from New Orleans and the blues.
People of all ages — from young children...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic has opened at Samoa's Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital in Apia.
The clinic was officially opened by Minister of Health Vaaaoao Salumalo Alofipo and China's Ambassador to Samoa, Fei Mingxing.
Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors, Dr Xu...

![A 3-day diplomatic mission to Samoa by the Office of the Governor and ASTCA was to formalize a shared digital future for the region. One of the various Samoa Government Ministries was the Police CCTV headquarters. [photo: ASG] Diplomatic mission in Samoa](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/samoa_police_cctv_headquartes.jpg?itok=GwuXumS2)
![Speaking at his weekly press conference, Laaulialemalietoa said the increase would continue over the following two years, reaching $5.65 in July 2027 and $6.05 by July 2028. [Facebook photo] Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/samoa_pm_laauli_leuatea_schmidt_.jpg?itok=A0YAFBkV)
![Auckland Museum's tohunga expert weavers' advisory group, Taumata Māreikura, is analyzing the cloak. [Photo: Supplied / Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum] Auckland Museum's tohunga expert weavers' advisory group and cloak](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/maori_warrior_cloak.jpeg?itok=gdtGelxD)
![Cook Islands activists peacefully confront the Nautilus at Rarotonga port, holding banners reading 'Don't Mine The Moana' as it returns from a 21-day deep sea exploration expedition visiting sites in the mineral exploration areas licensed by the Cook Islands authorities in October last year. [Photo: Supplied / Greenpeace] Cook Islands activists peacefully confront the Nautilus](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/dont_mine_moana.jpeg?itok=OTAaIxC4)

![The renewed Compact of Free Association agreements were signed in 2023. [Photo: AFP / Mandel Ngan] US STATE DEPT LOGO](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/dept._of_state_logo.jpeg?itok=_86QOBRN)
![CNMI's David Apatang and Guam's Lou Leon Guerrero Photo: [Facebook / CNMI Office of the Governor & Lt. Governor / RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon]](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/pacific_leaders_copy.jpg?itok=zdW1wX4I)
![Scientist Awnesh Singh says having Pacific voices at international forums helps ensure that global conversations and decisions are informed by the realities on the ground. [Photo: AFP / Theo Rouby] SEA LEVEL RISE](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/sea_level_rise.jpg?itok=tOjZjo__)
![The local celebration featured different venues across American Samoa featuring live music, celebrating Jazz in all its forms, and included the Children’s Jazz Circle held at the Feleti Barstow Public Library. [courtesy photo] Children’s Jazz Circle](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/1777.png?itok=Ju-H9_Hw)
![Dr Xu Dan and Dr Kong Jing are the Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors who will be working at the clinic, the Samoa government said. [Photo: Facebook/ Government of Samoa] Dr Xu Dan and Dr Kong Jing are the Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/traditional_chinese_medicine.jpeg?itok=gHuccy95)