Paediatric care gap: A Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital registrar says children needing complex surgery can wait years for visiting specialists, pushing some families to travel overseas; a Royal Australasian College of Surgeons team recently assessed 50+ children and carried out 26 operations, with hopes partnerships can build a local paediatric surgery service. US vaccine controversy tied to Samoa: New documents reported by the AP and The Guardian say US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote to Samoa’s prime minister in 2019 about studying MMR vaccines, contradicting his claim to Congress that his Samoa trip had “nothing to do with vaccines,” prompting calls for a criminal investigation. Education links to Japan: Five Samoans received JICA SDG Global Leader scholarships to study in Japan, with recipients from meteorology, public management, business and policy fields pledging to give back on return. Tourism business: Sydney’s Lucid Agency won new Japan tourism accounts for Setouchi and Sapporo in Australia. Culture and festivals: Samoa unveiled the Measina Cultural & Arts Festival 2026 logo, with the PM saying it’s about protecting Samoa’s identity and inviting visitors to stay and share the stories. Sports & youth: SOCA highlights a 13-year-old Va’a World Sprints debutant reaching semifinals, while a Samoan footballer urges young players to keep going and get on the field.