Samoa

Pacific sprint queen Toea Wisil and Samoan swimmer Brandon Schuster have been named the Oceania region's best female and best male athletes.

The mother of a psychiatric patient who died in a Samoan prison is shocked the Auckland District Health Board hasn't adopted a coronial recommendation to improve its services.

Only 62 percent of school children in American Samoa have completed the two doses of the Mumps, Measles and Rubella vaccination, prompting health officials to take action.

Samoa's High Court has yet to decide on a government application for a closed bail hearing for two men charged with conspiring to assassinate the prime minister.

Samoa's Health Ministry says if New Zealand's measles outbreak is not brought under control soon, the emerging epidemic in Samoa will only get worse.

Following the declaration of a measles epidemic in Samoa, the health ministry says emergency procedures are underway as the government anticipates cases will escalate. Audio

A Methodist church minister in Samoa is in police custody after he confessed to church leaders that he had raped a 16-year-old girl.

One of China's vice-premiers will visit Samoa next week to attend a regional development forum.

Samoa's government has confirmed a measles epidemic.

Samoa's Government is pushing ahead with construction of a $US5 million airport at Ti'avea, although it will only be used for emergency landings.

Police in Samoa have confirmed that four people have been arrested in relation to the death of the Chinese businessman killed at Vaitele over the weekend.

New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says he has sympathy for Hans Dalton's whānau but can't do anything for them.

The mother of a one-year-old has told media in Samoa that her son who was highly suspected of having measles has died.