Samoa

Almost 200 illegal guns have been handed in by people in Samoa in a gun amnesty which ended yesterday.

A 69-year-old man in Samoa has pleaded not guilty on two counts of murder and one count each of possession of unlawful weapon and armed with a dangerous weapon.

Covid-19 related travel restrictions in Samoa have led to a nine-month backlog of bodies at the mortuary as it awaits the services of a forensic pathologist.

The Samoan government has scheduled four more repatriation flights into Samoa for the second quarter of the year.

Calls by a Samoa Supreme Court Justice to deal with what he describes as a "pandemic" of alcohol abuse are being backed by the country's addiction services agencies. Audio

Tonga is not participating in the latest iteration of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme in New Zealand due to repatriation and quarantine difficulties. Audio

The Samoa women's rugby team admit quarantine restrictions could force some players to make themselves unavailable for their World Cup campaign.

A Samoan Supreme Court Justice has warned the country is facing a 'pandemic' of alcohol abuse causing violence and other social ills.

Samoa will receive its first shipment of Pfizer vaccine by the end of March with the Ministry of Health looking at legal options for people who would not want to be immunised.

A sailor who arrived on a repatriation flight to Samoa last Friday has been placed in isolation after a test showed he had signs of the Covid-19 virus.

The Samoa rugby sevens teams are continuing to prepare as if the Tokyo Olympics will go ahead in six months time.