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Samoa - drugs
Authorities have seized nearly 2kg of methamphetamine at the border.
The drugs were hidden in four bags of rice and picked up by Customs officers on Thursday 4 September.
The chief executive of Sāmoa's Customs agency said the 1.8kg drug haul was part of a personal package from the US.
Fonoti Tala'itupu Lia-Taefu said this is the third seizure of illicit drugs this year.
She said Customs is committed to combatting drug trafficking and transnational crime.
A 46-year-old man has been identifed as the alleged importer.
Police are now in charge of the investigation.
Vanuatu - whooping cough
Vanuatu remains on alert for whooping cough, with unvaccinated children under five most at risk.
Three children have died so far from the outbreak, all fromTafea province.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Health says between 6 July and 4 September, 136 cases were reported - most of which were from Tafea province's Tanna Island.
The spokesperson said all confirmed cases involve unvaccinated children under five.
Parents are urged to get their children vaccinated.
Cook Islands - crime
The Cook Islands Police Service says rising crime and traffic incidents are linked to increased tourism.
Police media advisor Trevor Pitt told Cook Islands News they have launched a five-year strategy to deal with the impact.
He said tourists have faced charges in court for driving and drug offenses, and police have also responded to visitors lost or injured on mountain hikes, and burglaries on tourism properties.
Pitt said this year's peak tourism season was busier than usual, with a 25 per cent rise in visitor arrivals compared to 2023.
Guam - technology
Global advances in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity have prompted Guam's government to reassess outdated tech jobs.
Guam Pacific Daily News reported the Office of Technology has identified numerous positions that will be abolished and replaced with up-to-date jobs.
Some positions marked as obsolete date back to the 1980s.
Acting chief technology officer Bea Santos said they are "modernizing job descriptions, removing obsolete language and updating specifications".
In the light of tech advancements globally, she said new roles will be created to handle cybersecurity, web development, and other technological tasks.
The new jobs will monitor government data, locate system security weaknesses, and ensure security systems are adequate and up-to-date.
She said these new positions will protect Guam's digital future.
Pacific - fisheries
The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency says it's received the first renogotiated annual payment of US$60 million, under the US-Pacific Tuna treaty.
The annual payment is for 2024 and had been held up the US congress budget processes.
The payment is part of the Treaty on Fisheries which gives US fishing vessels access to the waters of 16 Pacific nations.
These nations control about 50 percent of the world's supply of skipjack tuna, which is the most common canned tuna.
The payment is part of an economic agreement under the tuna treaty between the US and the Forum Fisheries Agency that was finalised last year.
It states the payments are supposed to be made annually by the US, for the years 2023 to 2033.
Fiji - Israel embassy
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has announced Fiji will open its Embassy in Jerusalem later this month.
The Fiji Times reported the Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka will be in Israel for the occasion.
Currently, six countries have embassies in Jerusalem - the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea and Paraguay.
