Samoa Health & Travel: Fiji is fast becoming a regional medical tourism stop, with PSH Hospitals in Nadi taking patients from Samoa and other Pacific islands for advanced cardiac care, including open-heart procedures and catheter lab services. Samoa Culture & Skills: A traditional stitch-plank va’a folau has returned to Samoa after more than a century, blessed at the National University of Samoa Maritime Training School and built from a tree planted nearly 25 years ago. Regional Security: Australia unveiled a A$600m plan to disrupt cocaine smuggling across the “Pacific drugs highway,” targeting semi-submersibles and recent island seizures. Samoa Tech & Society: Maulolo Mulitalo Tavita Amosa questioned NUS over its silence on renaming the Teuila Festival to the Measina Festival, arguing the university should weigh in on cultural and language impacts. Samoa Environment: Farmers in Aleisa report banana Panama disease (Fusarium wilt) spreading, raising fears for a staple crop and household income. Samoa Climate Science: New monitoring in Savaia’s marine protected area tracks seawater carbon chemistry, flagging low alkalinity and possible acidification risks for reefs and fisheries. Samoa Mental Health Research: A Pacific-led study is exploring how sleep and circadian rhythms could help tackle anxiety and depression in Pacific youth, including work prompted by Samoa’s Ministry of Health.