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PACIFIC NEWS BRIEFS
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Krizhna Bayudan’s family lost their home in last August’s Lahaina fire. Their rent assistance from insurance is running out, and she’s not sure what’s next.
Now, Bayudan is in D.C. leading a Maui coalition of disaster-affected communities to demand Community Development...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The New Zealand Defense Force will aid the Science and Research Organization of Samoa (SROS) to commence a further round of seawater sampling and monitoring in the precautionary area created following the grounding and sinking of HMNZS Manawanui.
NZDF said they were...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A rare spade-toothed whale is being dissected in New Zealand in a world-first examination of a complete specimen.
The whale, a five-meter long male, washed ashore in Otago in July, sparking interest among scientists and local Māori.
Spade-toothed whales, named for their...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On Saturday, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te landed in Hawaii, bowed his head, and was garlanded with flowers.
It was his first stop in what will be an almost week-long sweep through the region, which will also take the president to the handful of Pacific nations that...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Speaker of the Samoa House, Papalii Lio Masipau, and Minister of Justice, Matamua Seumanu Vasati Sili Pulifana, were detained at Auckland International Airport on Thursday, along with two other passengers, after allegedly bypassing security screening in Apia.
The...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A new study on plastic consumption warns that business as usual will result in nearly double the amount of plastic pollution.
World leaders, including the Pacific, are currently meeting in South Korea to try agree on a new international treaty to fight plastic pollution...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The New Zealand-based salvage companies engaged by the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) are preparing to remove and dispose of the fuel and pollutants from the sunken HMNZ Manawanui.
The NZDF said work continues at the highest level to ensure biosecurity requirements and...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa declared additional holiday days for government workers to thank them for their efforts in hosting over 4000 delegates at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) last month.
While essential services remain...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Federal and state agencies teamed up with the Marine Mammal Center to rescue a young Hawaiian monk seal on Maui earlier this month.
Officials say RS52, a juvenile male born on Lanai, was spotted losing significant weight in late September. Over the next few weeks, he...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — King Charles III will be offered the title of high chief in Samoa during a three-day visit, which started on Wednesday and be shown the impact of rising sea levels due to climate change.
Lenatai Victor Tamapua, a Samoan chief and member of parliament, said he planned to...

![Fifteen months after the Lahaina fires, working-class residents need more funding to build back. [photo: Yiming Fu] RECENT VIEW OF MAIN STREET LAHAINA](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/lahaina-construction.jpg?itok=pYFTXRtT)
![New Zealand Defense Force will help SROS to take samples of the contaminated sea. [photo: Junior S. Ami] New Zealand Defense Force MEMBERS](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/nz_takes_samples.jpeg?itok=N9WM0yYb)
![Jim Fyfe and Tūmai Cassidy walk alongside a rare spade-toothed whale, being moved by Trevor King after the five-meter long male, washed ashore in Otago in July, sparking interest among scientists and local Māori. [photo: New Zealand DOC] spade-toothed whale](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/worlds_rarest_whale.jpg?itok=fN2MxlHz)
![Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived Saturday in the United States for the start of a week-long tour in the Pacific that he said would usher in a new era of democracy, but has sparked fury in Beijing. [photo: AFP / Ronen Zilberman] Taiwan President Lai Ching-te](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/taiwan_president_lai_ching-te_copy.jpg?itok=dJYsDXlJ)
![Speaker of the House, Papalii Lio Masipau, and Minister of Justice, Matamua Seumanu Vasati Sili Pulifana were detained in Auckland international Airport on Thursday. [photo: Samoa Observer] Speaker of the House, Papalii Lio Masipau, and Minister of Justice, Matamua Seumanu Vasati Sili Pulifana](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/samoa_speaker_govt_minister_.jpeg?itok=EyDrDqC7)
![Pollution on the uninhabited Henderson Island in the South Pacific. The world is on track to nearly double the amount of plastic pollution or mismanaged plastic waste entering our environment, according to a new study. [photo: Jennifer Lavers ] Pollution on the uninhabited Henderson Island](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/plastic_polution.jpg?itok=THZBfbsq)
![The NZDF continues "almost daily monitoring and surveillance" of the sunken Manawanui and wreck site. [courtesy photo] monitoring sunken vessel](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/nzsf_defense_force_copy.jpg?itok=tUTLS6bC)

![Federal and Hawaii state agencies teamed up with the Marine Mammal Center to rescue a young Hawaiian monk seal on Maui earlier this month. [screen shot from HNN video] young Hawaiian monk seal](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/monk_seal_rescued.png?itok=dI_IcuxH)
![King Charles and Queen Camilla are on a three-day visit to Samoa as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. They are expected to leave Samoa on Saturday morning. [photo: AFP] King Charles and Queen Camilla](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/charles_camilla.jpeg?itok=YCfv2YUb)