Palau's President denies reports that fishing rights have been awarded to a US conservation group in return for backing plans to reduce the country's marine reserve.

On this week's program: In PNG a young boy has drowned during coastal flooding that's devastated islands in the country's far northeast; a lack of rain in parts of the Cook Islands is prompting calls for people to conserve water with reservoirs running low; frustration in Timor-Leste at extremely slow internet; and the battle for Pasifika rugby players to win the right to play for their countries of heritage captured in a new documentary.

On this week's program: Port Moresby businesses and residents pick up the pieces after the January 10 riots; the CEO of retailer Brian Bell says the company is fortunate despite the loss of its massive warehouse in Port Moresby; surprise at Nauru's decision to cut diplomatic ties with long time ally Taiwan; and two years on from the massive Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai volcanic eruption in Tonga, some residents are still living in tents and some islands may have to be abandoned altogether.

It's been a dark week in Papua New Guinea after violent rioting in Port Moresby spread to other parts of the country. A state of emergency is now in force after 15 people were killed and shops and businesses looted in the capital and in the industrial hub of Lae. The Prime Minister has suspended the Police Commissioner and other senior bureaucrats in the wake of riots, which were sparked by a protest by police and other public servants over a reduction in their pay.

Prominent Pacific politician Hilda Heine is back as the leader of the Marshall Islands after winning a dramatic presidential vote.

It was a big year for news with the Pacific Games, security treaties with world powers and Vanuatu's three prime ministers among key Pacific news events in 2023.

Pacific seasonal workers in Far North Queensland are asking their families to be patient... as major flooding impacts their ability to send money home. 

Bougainville's attorney-general has labelled the Australian government cowardly over its stance on the island's desire for independence from Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea has signed a  security deal with Australia after months of delay with a focus on ramping up PNG's police force.

Fiji's government wants public consultation before putting in place regulations to deal with the growing problem of internet pornography.

There was a sea of colour and plenty of dancing when the 17th Pacific Games opened in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara.

Australia's governor general will be there along with thousands of regional athletes for the Pacific Games in Solomon Islands. 

Pacific leaders have gathered in Rarotonga for the Forum Leaders meeting with Australia's Anthony Albanese flying in from China. Despite his long-haul journey, there are plenty of regional leaders who aren't flying in for this year's meeting.

Pacific island nations have long been used by criminal organisations as a transhipment point to smuggle illicit drugs. But in Samoa, an increase in arrests involving methamphetamines suggests the country has also become a market for them as well. Police and other groups say its having a devastating social impact, particularly among young people

An out-of-season category-five cyclone has alarmed forecasters as it destroyed schools, homes and crops in Vanuatu. 

Guns are rare in Tonga but thousands of weapons have been seized from illegal arms shipments as a worried public looks for protection.

Two hundred Fijians who were on a pilgrimage in Israel have returned home on a chartered flight. They were among the hundreds of Pacific Islanders who were in Israel during an attack by Hamas. 

A rise in piracy attacks on traders transporting betel nut to Papua New Guinea's mainland has been raised by authorities on Manus Island. 

Solomon Islands Prime Minister has blasted the US for disrespecting Pacific leaders after he skipped Joe Biden's summit. Manasseh Sogavare said he didn't want to go to Washington DC to be "lectured" like school children.

Niue has launched a new scheme to save its ocean by opening it up to sponsors who can help fund its upkeep.

A wave of tribal violence has left about 70 people dead with thousands displaced in Papua New Guinea's highlands region.

Vanuatu's new prime minister says a security treaty with Australia is unlikely to be ratified by parliament. 

Samoa's Prime Minister has raised concerns about too many Pacific Islanders leaving to work in Australia and New Zealand, leading to local skills shortages.

Japan has started the slow release of treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean despite concerns raised by some Pacific countries.

An Australian man could soon be extradited to Samoa over a plot to kill the country's former prime minister after his alleged accomplices were jailed in Apia.

Advocates warn the increase of US military personnel on Guam is increasing the risk of homelessness amongst the local population. 

Questions have been raised about the impartiality and credibility of one of Solomon Islands longest running newspapers after it was revealed the paper received funding from the Chinese government in return for favourable coverage.

A labour-hire company accused of exploiting and abusing Pacific seasonal workers has exited Australia's PALM

More than 3000 former soldiers are suing the Fijian military for alleged unpaid allowances while on peacekeeping missions in war zones across the world.

Authorities in Papua New Guinea say a group of scientists failed to obtain the necessary permit before collecting fragments from the seafloor they believe could be the first interstellar object known to have entered the Earth's atmosphere.

As more Pacific Islanders sign up to work in Australia experts are warning of the impact on those left behind. While many overseas workers send money back to their families, some women are being abandoned by their spouses. In Fiji, a support centre for women has noticed an influx of mothers needing help as a result.

In Papua New Guinea women are demanding authorities do more to catch a criminal gang that's kidnapped women and girls, sexually abused them and held them for ransom. It's believed to be the same gang responsible for kidnapping an Australian professor and three PNG women earlier this year. 

Mass kidnapping in Papua New Guinea raises questions.

The United States military has been given "unimpeded access" to key PNG defence facilities, including the joint PNG-Australia Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island, as part of a sweeping Defence Cooperation Agreement.  And a migration agent is "pleading" with the Department of Home Affairs to refund the cost of her New Zealand clients' permanent resident visas.

The whistleblower who sparked PNG's biggest corruption case speaks out following Paul Paraka's conviction saying he has no regrets despite having to leave the country for his family's safety. And Vanuatu to use blockchain technology to send cash transfers to victims of disaster.

The former head of PNG's now defunct anti-corruption taskforce says the successful prosecution of high profile lawyer Paul Paraka for stealing vast amounts of state money vindicates the work of his team. And concerns that people in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are increasingly falling prey to loan sharks with exorbitant interest rates. 

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, has moved to assure his people that a new security pact with the United States will not undermine their country's sovereignty or security.

Timor-Leste will mark its 21st independence day on Saturday followed by a national election on Sunday where two former allies will be jostling for the prime minister's position. 

Papua New Guinea's Foreign Minister relinquishes role after public outcry and protest over "primitive animals" comment to the ABC. 

Complaints that authorities have gone too far after New Caledonia beach closed for one year following a  string of shark attacks in the French territory. 

Vanuatu's Prime Minister has demanded an apology from the UK over a newspaper article criticising the country's golden passport scheme.

An explosion of pests is hampering recovery in communities affected by two category-four cyclones in Vanuatu.

Papua New Guinea's largest bank is demanding customers re-pay money owed after a technical glitch allowed people to overdraw their accounts.

The UN International Seabed Authority will begin accepting applications to mine the ocean in July, but some Pacific nations are calling for a moratorium on the practice.

Warning for Tonga's community in Australia over a financial service banned in New Zealand as campaigners warn of a potential pyramid scam.

Thousands have fallen victim to a Papua New Guinea online scam promising payment in return for written movie reviews. Also, Solomon Islands anti-corruption commission under fire.

A Pacific rugby league team based out of the Queensland city of Cairns is the front runner for the NRL’s next team but there are questions over a bid by Papua New Guinea.

Fiji's former prime minister Frank Bainimarama has been arrested and charged with interfering in a police investigation, just three months after losing the national elections.

A university professor who was held hostage in Papua New Guinea’s highlands region has returned to Australia a week after he was taken captive by armed criminals.

Fiji's former prime minister Frank Bainimarama has been thrown out of Fiji's parliament and suspended for three years after delivering a divisive speech. And concern over a shark "culling campaign" after an Australian man dies in New Caledonia.

Pacific countries have welcomed new legislation to create a visa lottery scheme allowing 3000 Pacific Islanders to settle in Australia permanently. And, Vanuatu moves to legalise the production and export of medical cannabis and industrial hemp.

A popular anti-China leader in Solomon Islands has been ousted in a no-confidence vote. And Amnesty International is calling for clemency for political opponents of the previous Fiji government.

Kiribati announces its return to the Pacific Islands Forum following Fiji apology and talks

Vanuatu's prime minister has said the country is trying to fix corruption within its labour scheme, which saw dozens of seasonal workers sent to Australia on forged documents. And could one of the biggest rifts in Pacific regional politics soon be heading towards repair?

Fiji's Prime Minister says relations with the military are good, after commander questioned government decisions. PNG morgue runs out space, urging families to collect bodies.

Anthony Albanese addresses PNG parliament, the first foreign leader to do so in PNG’s history during his two day visit to the country.

Pacific countries are excited to welcome back Chinese tourists, though it does pose some health concerns. And mass burials held in Papua New Guinea as its hospital morgue overfills with unclaimed bodies.

We take a look back at the stories that defined the region in 2022., from Tonga's devastating earthquake and tsunami, to Solomon Islands' controversial security deal with China – and plenty in between.

Fijians are still waiting for answers as political parties compete to form a coalition to capture the majority of seats in parliament, as Frank Bainimarama looks to extend his 16-rule as prime minister.

Fiji opposition parties are calling for a recount after a technical glitch disrupts provisional vote counting.

Delivering ballots to Fiji’s remote communities means travelling by horseback or boat to ensure citizens across the country can vote in the national election. 

Fiji's coup leaders, military commanders and political veterans are jumping on TikTok to woo young voters as the country heads towards polling day.

Nurses in Pacific countries are leaving their work in droves, to take up jobs overseas

Tuvalu wants be the first country in the world to be a fully digital nation, if wealthy nations can’t curb carbon emissions and sea levels continue to rise.  Also, a new deadly homemade weapon is causing havoc in Papua New Guinea and claiming lives.

Author Dr Phil Kafcaloudes and former presenter Namila Benson join Richard Glover on ABC Sydney Drive to discuss Phil's new book Australia Calling: The ABC Radio Australia Story.

Pacific countries are pushing for a loss and damage fund at the COP 27 UN climate talks in Egypt, as Australia lobbies for support to host the 2026 event.

Australia has defended its donation of assault rifles to the Solomon Islands police as critics say competition with China is pushing Canberra to rush the decision.

A roundup of major stories from across the region and the people involved and affected by them.