4pm Pacific Regional News for 9 December 2013

An expert in politics says the clock starts ticking for Fiji's elections in the new yearAmerican Samoa police move closer to arming officers; The Solomon Islands' second largest hospital faces closure; Bougainville's finance minister says re-launching mining in the province will foster other sectors of the economy; A Vanuatu Member of Parliament is calling for an audit of the country's aviation sector.