Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Fiji - arrests
Three men have been arrested in Fiji during a drug bust as part of police efforts to crack down on criminal activity in the lead up to Christmas.
Fiji Police carried out a raid in Nadonumai, Lami - just a few minutes outside of the capital Suva - and found marijuana, gadgets, and equipment allegedly stolen and used for packing the drugs.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations Livai Driu told The Fiji Times they are focused on disrupting criminal networks before the holiday period.
Driu is calling on Fijians to report suspicious behaviour to police.
Cook Islands - representation
The Cook Islands Foreign Secretary Tepaeru Herrmann is looking into establishing Cook Islands representation in French Polynesia.
Herrmann told RNZ Pacific she is exploring the appointment of an honorary consul for now.
The ties between the two Pacific countries have strengthened over the years, with a direct Cook Islands Tahiti route already inked, and a new codeshare partnership between Air Rarotonga and Air Tahiti Nui marking another milestone in strengthening flight links between Rarotonga and Tahiti.
Two rounds of technical negotiations have been inked for the start of next year with Paris.
Samoa - hospital
Electric Power Corporation chief executive Faumui Iese Toimoana has refuted claims by the Ministry of Health that a power surge damaged the main X-ray machine at the National Hospital.
The Samoa Observer newspaper reported Faumui disputed the allegations made by the Director General of Health Aiono Dr Alec Ekeroma.
Faumui said electrical surges are common occurrences and the switchboard at the hospital must be well-protected with surge diverters.
He also addressed public concerns over power outages in recent weeks.
New Zealand - hīkoi
The Pacific Conference of Churches has weighed in on the hīkoi mō te Tiriti.
A letter from general secretary Reverend James Bhagwan said the PCC call on the New Zealand government to listen deeply to the cry of the tangata whenua and ensure that their actions preserve the mana of the nation.
The Executive Committee also resolved to call on its 35 member churches and 11 national councils of churches across the 19 Pacific Island countries and territories to mark the Sunday before 6th February as Te Tiriti Sunday.
This would include prayers for the Māori people of Aotearoa and an opportunity to highlight Te Tiriti o Waitangi and issues facing Māori, as well as the Pasifika communities of Aotearoa, in member churches.
Fiji - boxing
The Commission of Inquiry tasked with investigating the circumstances that led to the death of Fijian featherweight boxer Ubayd Haider is still being finalised.
Local media report that two members of the Boxing Commission of Fiji have opted out of the inquiry team.
Fiji's Minister of Youth and Sports Jese Saukuru said they have two new members, while a third is being finalised.
Meanwhile, Haider's family are calling for justice, as they await the investigation and its report.
Haider died last weekend after he had collapsed outside the boxing ring in Nadi on 26 October, following a TKO loss to China's Australia-based fighter Runqi Zhou.
