PARKER’S MANDATORY TITLE DEFENSE WILL BE  IN AUCKLAND

Apia, SAMOA — Samoa’s son, WBO Champion Joseph Parker will once again defend his title in New Zealand. According to off island media outlets, Duco Events, Parker’s co-promoter, won a purse bid for Parker’s mandatory title defense against England’s Hughie Fury on Friday on April 1, 2017 in Auckland. According to reports, Duco Events, which co-promotes Parker with Top Rank, won the auction with an offer of $3.01million to gain promotional rights to the bout.

Duco Events has the right to pick the date and location of the fight as well as control all the other logistics of the event. Reports say that Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, who hoped to take the fight to England, was the only other bidder who offered $2.8 million and the minimum bid was $1million. Parker will be entitled to 60 percent of the winning bid ($1.80million) and fury will receive the remaining 40 percent $1.2million.

CYBER SECURITY LAUNCHED IN SAMOA

Apia, SAMOA — Minister of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT), Afamasaga Fonoti Lepuia’i Rico Tupai says cyber attacks can negatively impact the prosperity of the economy, and prove to be a hindrance to the success of our private sector. The launch of the National Cyber Security Strategy is a concrete move towards a safer Samoa, Afamasaga stated. “This is an initiative to ensure  information is safely guarded and that the public’s privacy and security is a top priority of the Samoa Government.” He was accompanied by MCIT Associate Minister, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi.

According to Afamasaga, “Our borders are protected and monitored from illegal importation of guns and other dangerous weapons, but we are not immune to cyber attacks which can be perpetrated from anywhere in the world, by anyone at anytime.”

Afamasaga further stated that the launch of the Tui Samoa Cable is targeted for later this year, and when it’s switched on, it can greatly improve our efficiency and increase our capacity to better and effectively perform online transactions and communications.

“But while we work hard to build a productive and competitive economy, our efforts are equally matched by criminals with hostile motivations. Cyber attacks require a comprehensive and coordinated response between Government, private sector and individuals,” he concluded.

SAMOA WILL HOSTS ITS FIRST INVESTEC SUPER RUGBY CHMAPIONSHIP

Apia, SAMOA — In celebration of Samoa’s 55th year of independence they are making Samoan sporting history when they host its first Investec Super Rugby Championship match on June 2. The match between the Auckland Blues vs Queensland Reds will be played under lights at the Apia Park Stadium in the nation’s capital, according to Samoa Tourism Authority statement.

“The Samoan Government is backing the fixture and has indicated that it hopes to secure more Super Rugby matches in Samoa in the future. In 2015, Samoa hosted the All Blacks when it played Manu Samoa. The historic event was hugely successful and showcased Samoa’s ability to host international events at the highest level. Samoa has placed great effort in building sports tourism, notably with sporting facilities, which have been designed to attract international sporting events. Many of these were either built or improved upon for the 2007 South Pacific Games.”

The Blues region is home to about 150,000 proud Samoans, with fifteen players in the team claiming Samoan heritage including its coach, Tana Umaga. According to STA  across the Tasman, records indicate a strong Samoan connection in Brisbane with many Samoans calling the city home and the Samoan language being listed as one of the most widely spoken around the Brisbane area. 

CEO Samoa Tourism Authority Sonja Hunter says that this momentous event cements Samoa’s growing reputation as a sporting hub in the South Pacific.“Hosting this first ever Super Rugby match is a huge thing for our island nation. A sporting event of this calibre opens up tremendous opportunities for Samoa and the rest of the region, and we are ready to welcome all the new visitors that events such as this will bring to our shores. We are ready for you,” says Sonja. The Blues vs Reds match will be played at Apia Park Stadium on June 2, 2017.

FINAL CONSULTATION OF MEDIA CODE OF ETHICS

Apia, SAMOA — Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS) is holding a two day workshop at Millenia Hotel for the final consultations on the Media Code of Ethics, which they hope to adopt before the end of this month. According to JAWS the Code has been developed over time with the assistance of Consultant Geoff Heriot from Australia and the financial assistance of the Pacific Media Project PACMAS (Pacific Media Assistance Scheme).

The  workshop is open to media owners, news editors, sub editors, senior reporters and interested partners in the news and advertising sectors of the media industry. On the first day (yesterday) the workshop focused specifically at the News and Editorial section of the Code of Ethics. The second day is looking at the Advertising and Media Management section of the Code of Ethics. JAWS will also have a final workshop on Friday for members of the Media Council.