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Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — There is relief in Tonga after gale force winds and heavy rains caused severe flooding in the capital Nuku'alofa at the weekend.
People were forced to evacuate their homes due to the heavy down pour.
Tonga Met Service said that while flood waters have subsided, the...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoan authorities have wrapped up a nationwide gun amnesty with mixed success, as part of tightened security ahead of the arrival of world leaders including King Charles.
Samoa is the first Pacific Island nation to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — King Charles III’s first royal visit to Australia begins — his first as monarch, and only the second head of state to step foot on Australian soil.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are undertaking a royal visit to Australia and a state visit to Samoa from October 18-26,...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa’s Government is trying to reduce a feral pig population which is affecting agriculture and food security.
A recent study tour by a Samoan delegation to Queensland has provided valuable insights into managing the growing problem.
The delegation, which included...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Samoa's Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa says a question mark hangs over whether work related to the Manawanui disaster will pause during King Charles' visit for the Commonwealth leaders' meeting.
About 60 New Zealand Defense Force personnel and specialists are...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Fiji's RFNS Puamau is being decommissioned after it ran aground on a reef earlier this year in Fulaga, located in Fiji's Southern Lau Group.
Australia gifted the Guardian-class patrol boat to Fiji in May this year only to run aground in June.
It suffered extensive...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The CNMI Department of Corrections (DOC) wants to house inmates from other jurisdictions as its current number of prison beds far exceeds its present prison population.
Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres said the DOC currently has approximately 180 inmates.
He said...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Cook Islands has enacted seabed minerals harvesting regulations despite concerns about the lack of 'meaningful consultation' and the premature nature of the legislation, given that the exploration phase is still ongoing.
The Seabed Minerals (Minerals Harvesting and Other...
Taranaki, NEW ZEALAND — A company that wants to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki in New Zealand has welcomed its inclusion on the government's fast-track projects list.
Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) says if its project goes ahead in the South Taranaki Bight it will create hundreds of jobs...
Tokyo, JAPAN — Japan's incoming prime minister Shigeru Ishiba reportedly wants a more "equal" alliance with the United States.
Ishiba, who takes office this week is seeking the presence of Japanese forces on Guam, according to a Pacific Island Times report.
The news website reported Ishida "saying...

![Gale force winds and heavy rains caused severe flooding in the capital Nuku'alofa at the weekend, October 19, 2024 [Photo: Screengrab / Facebook / Manoa Media] flooding in the capital Nuku'alofa](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/nukualofa_flooding.jpeg?itok=dVLVFz98)

![King Charles III and Queen Camilla are making their first trip to Australia since the coronation and will also be making a state visit to Samoa on October 18-26, as part of the CHOGM 2024. [photo: Handout/ Buckingham Palace] King Charles III and Queen Camilla](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/charles_and_camilla.jpeg?itok=3B0tVif5)


![The RFNS Puamau was midway through a two-week patrol tasking exercise when it struck the Fulaga Reef earlier this year. [Facebook / The Pacific Newsroom] The RFNS Puamau](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/fiji_navy_a_jpg.jpg?itok=Nosg0U90)
![CNMI Department of Corrections can accommodate an additional 320 inmates from other jurisdictions at its 500-bed facility, while charging them US$120 a day. [photo: RNZ Pacific / Mark Rabago] CNMI Department of Corrections](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/cnmi_corrections_.jpeg?itok=kB8w8CJ8)

![A protest against seabed mining in Taranaki headed to Parliament on September 19, 2016. [photo: RNZ / Robin Martin] A protest against seabed mining](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/seabed_mining_opponents.jpg?itok=zDlqy-LJ)
![The US Marine Force Base Camp Blaz in Guam. Now Japan's incoming prime minister says it is high time Tokyo and Washington level their lopsided agreement and is calling for Japanese forces on Guam. [photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon] US Marine Force Base Camp Blaz in Guam](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/camp_blaz.jpg?itok=e5m5YFnd)