Samoa's international airline is assistance from the government through a waiver of landing fees at Faleolo Airport.

Samoan Language was a category featured for the first time in the annual speech competition at Vaiala Beach School.

“By attending the meeting in Samoa, delegates will exercise and experience the reality of a small island developing States, its vulnerabilities as well as its resilience,” the Conference’s Secretary-General, Wu Hongbo, told journalists in New York.

Representatives of attending Member States are meeting at the UN Headquarters this week for the preparatory meeting ahead of the Third UN Conference on Small Island Developing States, to be held in the Samoan capital, Apia, starting 1 September.

The Conference will be a “unique opportunity for world leaders to focus the world’s attention on a group of countries that remain a special case for sustainable development,” Hongbo said, adding that what happens to small islands has a global impact and is central to the post-2015 agenda.

In an age when the piercing light of scientific endeavour shines brightly on the world's mysteries and magic, Samoa's national bird remains an enigma.

Reflecting the desperate plight of the manumea, today more of its flock lie stuffed in museum collections around the world than foraging in the forests of its homeland.

Recent surveys put the manumea population at 200, but former Waikato woman Rebecca Stirnemann says the actual number could be much less.

Stirnemann is among a small band of scientists and volunteers striving to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

But time is running out.

PAGOPAGO, American Samoa ----Trade and investment talks between Samoa and American Samoa this week will be a prelude to the two-Samoa talks in May.

American Samoa's Director of Commerce Keniseli Lafaele says the two days of talks in Tafuna focus on the economy.

Issues to be discussed include economic integration, opportunity for investments in both countries, and ways to ease doing buisiness..

Samoa's deputy prime minister Fonotoe Lauofo Pierre is leading Samoa's delegation which will include Samoa's ministry of commerce, labour, and industry and ministry of foreign affairs and trade CEOs and their key staff.