Pacific Review
A comprehensive roundup of the major stories from the region and the people involved and affected by them.
Episodes
Sea cucumbers, marijuana and golden passports: New season of Politok drops
How can Pacific countries rebuild in the aftermath of devastating cyclones?In Vanuatu’s case, it was turning to the “golden passport” scheme in the wake of Cyclone Pam in 2015 – and it generated more than 35 per cent of the government’s total revenue at its height.Welcome to the new season of Politok, which pulls back the curtain and ask the big questions like:Why are governments
Fiji and Tuvalu host world leaders for climate talks
Global attention turns to the Pacific as Fiji and Tuvalu play host to a major United Nations climate meeting.
Cocaine exhibits at Fiji court replaced with flour
Fiji authorities are under scrutiny after 52 kilograms of cocaine vanished from the exhibit room at the Suva High Court.
Mother-to-baby HIV transmission rises as Fiji's epidemic worsens
A roundup of major stories from across the region and the people involved and affected by them.
Fiji declares HIV national emergency
Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency, with one in 60 adults now living with the disease.
Crocodile attack shocks Papua New Guinea's capital
A wildlife park in Papua New Guinea's capital says it's carrying out an internal review after one of its workers was attacked and killed by a crocodile in front of crowds.
Pacific Islands Forum leaders criticise China over missile test
A roundup of major stories from across the region and the people involved and affected by them.
Bougainville's independence referendum results tabled
After seven long years, Bougainville's independence referendum has been tabled in Papua New Guinea's Parliament.An Australian judge is defiant after Fiji's High Court finds a Commission of Inquiry he ran appeared biased, with its findings ruled null and void.A pumice raft from an undersea volcanic eruption ends up 3,000km away.Melbourne Storm's Fijian player Tui Kamikamica to be
$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.
