Pacific Review
A comprehensive roundup of the major stories from the region and the people involved and affected by them.
Episodes
$165m crypto Ponzi suspect arrested in Fiji
FBI and Fiji authorities have arrested and deported an American citizen wanted for masterminding a $165 million crypto Ponzi scheme.
Vanuatu president defends pardon for sex offenders
Vanuatu's president is refusing to bow to a public backlash over a pardon for two child sex offenders.
Helicopter rescue for NZ climbers in the Solomons
Two New Zealand climbers were rescued by helicopter after they were stranded for six days on Solomon Islands' highest mountain.
Australia outpaces China as lead lender for Pacific infrastructure
Australia overtakes China as the Pacific's biggest lender, according to new Lowy Institute data.
Tongan women caught in arranged marriage syndicate in China
Several Tongan women detail how they were lured into arranged marriages in China.
Hundreds arrested as Timor-Leste cracks down on scam centres
More than 300 foreign workers have been arrested as Timor-Leste cracks down on suspected scam centres in the capital, Dili.
Pacific security in the spotlight after China fires test missile
Pacific leaders have condemned China's test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, just hours after Australia signed a new security treaty with Fiji.
'Godzilla' El Nino weather system starts to bite across the region
El Nino weather system already being felt across the Pacific with predictions worse is to come.
Debate in PNG over Australians appointed as senior police officers
The appointment of two Australians to senior positions in the PNG police force sparks discussion over how to improve law and order.
'Maybe they'll come looking for their drugs': locals worried after cocaine washes up on remote Fijian islands
Locals are worried after parcels of what's believed to be cocaine wash up on remote islands in Fiji.
Floating volcanic rock chokes islands in PNG
Coastal communities in Papua New Guinea stranded by pumice rock from an undersea volcano.
Tiny Guam's geostrategic importance makes it a big target for cyber attacks
Guam might be a speck in the vast Pacific Ocean but it's geostratigic location and large US military presence has made it an attractive target for hackers.
Samoa freezes bank accounts linked to Coconut Cartel hit
Samoan authorities have frozen the bank accounts of a number of people it says are connected to the assassination of an Australian gang leader in Vietnam.
UN resolution a victory for Pacific climate campaigners
The United Nations General Assembly backs a landmark climate ruling from the International Court of Justice.
Longtime opposition leader is new Solomons' PM
Solomon Islands MPs have ended weeks of political impasse by voting in the country's opposition leader, Matthew Wale, as Prime Minister.
Solomon's PM ousted in no confidence vote
The Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele is ousted in a no-confidence vote just seven weeks after a mass ministerial walkout.
PNG's NRL team makes its first signing
Papua New Guinea's new NRL team signs up a rugby league superstar ahead of its 2028 entry into the competition.
Cartels, gangs and the Pacific drug trade
From narco‑submarines to tonnes of meth seized at sea — the Pacific is emerging as a major transit route for drugs bound for Australia.
Fijian authorities want Australian suspect over record drug haul
Police in Fiji want an Australian man put on trial over what they allege was the importation of more than four tonnes of methamphetamine — the country’s largest drug seizure
Cyclone Maila batters remote communities in PNG and Solomon Islands
Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila batters remote communities in PNG and Solomon Islands for days as it moves slowly around the Solomon Sea.
Fuel prices surge across the Pacific
Pacific countries are starting to feel the impact of the war in the Middle East with surging fuel prices in some places.
Australian billionaire at the centre of Fiji's waste to energy project
An Australian billionaire is at the centre of a controversial plan to ship waste to Fiji where it will be used for generating electricity.
Cracks appear on Pacific nuclear dome
A cement dome used for storing waste leftover from US nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific appears to be cracking and has sparked safety concerns.
Kava's popularity driving up lifestyle diseases among Fiji women
Women in Fiji are getting into kava, but health officials warn the shift in consumption is driving up lifestyle diseases.
Pacific Islanders caught up in Iran conflict
The US-Israel strikes on Iran have affected Pacific Islanders in the Middle East.
