BBC Focus Magazine

[ChrisH]

The South Pacific island of Samoa is to jump forwards by 1 whole day tonight, effectively missing out 30th Dec.
It’s happening because the nation is shifting across the International Date Line so it is in line with key trading partners such as Australia, China and New Zealand, which are currently nearly a full weekday ahead of it.

The move will bring an end to the 119-year-old decision that the country should stay a day behind: Samoa is currently 21 hours behind Sydney, but from December 31, it will be three hours ahead of it and 13 hours ahead of Greenwich.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/entire-country ... a-day.html

Would it not have been simpler to wait until February and skip the leap day instead?

[M Paul Lloyd]

Ah, I bet this is just so they can celebrate New Year a bit longer.

[ChrisH]

I'm not sure but I think they will now be the first nation to celebrate the new year instead of the last.