Regional
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Lisa grew up in a small rural village in Tonga.
Her family are farmers and the 23-year-old lived a simple life.
But she always dreamed of something bigger.
So when a Tongan woman living in China contacted her through a family member with an offer of a better life, she...
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming this week’s House passage of a government funding extension bill that would keep the federal government open after the end of the fiscal year September 30.
The extension would fund the government across the board until December 4,...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Opposition is growing in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to a United States congressional proposal that would end automatic citizenship for many children born in American territories from 2027.
CNMI delegate to the US Congres Kimberlyn King-Hinds...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Far North Mayor Moko Tepania has a blunt message for shop owners selling pipes for smoking meth — stop it now.
While methamphetamine is a banned class A drug with stiff penalties for dealing and possession, meth pipes are sold openly in vape stores, $2 shops and dairies...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Prime Minister La'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt is in New Zealand this week to meet seasonal workers and their families.
He and Labor Minister Fata Ryan Schuster met Samoan Recognized Seasonal Employer workers near Napier on Sunday.
While in Napier, La'auli heard from...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Pacific leaders and environmental advocates have condemned a United States government proposal to advance plans for an offshore mineral lease sale in federal waters off American Samoa.
They say the move - despite about 70,000 public comments submitted during the process...
Washington, D.C — Trump administration has announced a proposed deep sea mining lease sale in federal waters near American Samoa, marking the world’s first attempt to commercially mine the deep sea. The move is a major step toward opening U.S. waters to commercial deep sea mining and comes despite...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Videos are circulating on Facebook where local people are recording themselves admitting the legitimacy of the cryptocurrency scam and encouraging friends and family to sign up.
As the internet has progressed over time, the various methods of fraud have grown and evolved...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Chinese Embassy in Kiribati has accused some countries of "double standards" in their criticism of China's testing of a nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific last week.
The test drew criticism from political leaders from across the region, who raised concerns...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On June 11, Donald Trump signed a new proclamation reopening nearly 1.3 million square kilometers of Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. Three marine national monuments – areas previously set aside for protection at Papahānaumokuākea near Hawaii, the Mariana Trench near...

![Lisa, which is not her real name, returned home to Tonga last week after nine months in China. [Photo: ABC News / Marian Kupu] LISA FROM TONGA](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/lisa_from_tonga.jpg?itok=vl6hrCcl)


![Glass meth pipes like this, sometimes with an attachment so they can double as cannabis pipes, are sold at vape store, $2 shops and dairies around New Zealand. [RNZ / Peter de Graaf] ICE PIPE](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/ice_pipe.jpg?itok=oZeyD_Qa)
![Prime Minister La'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt embraces New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Apia in March. [Photo Facebook / Government of Samoa] Samoa PM and New Zealand PM](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/samoa_pm.jpeg?itok=wvHtFV4c)
![The US government has proposed for deep-sea mining leases in federal waters off American Samoa. [Photo: US DOI / BOEM] DEEP SEA MINING LEASE AREA](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/american_samoa_lease_area.jpeg?itok=CbiEbagr)

![Report Internet crime to the FBI at: ic3.gov [courtesy graphic] FBI Internet Crime Center logo](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/fbi_internet_crime_center.jpg?itok=xlIHW08z)
![A Chinese strategic nuclear submarine has successfully launched a warhead-carrying missile. [Photo credit: CCTV] warhead-carrying missile](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/chinese_launch.jpg?itok=MH8FQjup)
![Hawai‘i Longline Association Executive Director Eric Kingma, Roger Dang of Fresh Island Fish Co., Sean Martin of POP Marine and Fishing, back left, and others joined President Donald Trump at the White House on June 11 when he signed a proclamation to start the process of opening up most of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. [Screenshot/White House/2026] White House meeting](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/wespac-white-house_0.jpeg?itok=O6MKx5WR)