On the program: Holiday bookings for Fiji surge after the country announces plans to reopen its international borders. Pacific Islands delegates struggle to get to Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit. A lack of cancer drugs costs lives in Solomon Islands. And would a new malaria vaccine be viable in PNG?

Pacific Review

Australia's offshore processing to come to an end in PNG after 8 years of the contraversial program. And, a young Australian soldier on patrol in Timor Leste helped deliver a baby boy, and more than 20 years on the soldier and the boy have been reunited through the power of social media.

Chinese aid to the Pacific in decline. Papua New Guinea’s health system buckles under a growing outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant. Kiribati’s president expresses disappointment at Australia’s plan to acquire nuclear submarines.

Samoa aims to vaccinate its eligible population from COVID-19 during a nationwide two day lockdown, and the Pacific region has some of the highest rates of NCDs in the world, but a new report from Pacific Island Food Revolution says the show is changing habits.

Australia's sudden shift to nuclear powered submarines causes some consternation in the Pacific. Frustration for the young Fijian basketball star with eyes on the NBA, but currently locked down in Sydney.

The controversial no jab, no job policy faces a court challenge in Fiji, while in PNG protesting workers have taken matters into their own hands. And the countdown begins for PNG's cricketers ahead of their debut in the men's T20 World Cup Finals series.

Vanuatu revokes the citizenship of a Syrian national amid concerns criminals are buying passports. A young Papua New Guinean woman returns home after successful treatment in Australia for a rare bone disease.

Solomon Islands introduces a no jab-no job policy for public servants, and could a street kid from Port Moresby represent his country in break dancing at the next Olympic Games?

Fijians with Australian ties make the hard choice to leave their COVID-19 stricken country. Momentum grows for a renewed push to do away with Papua New Guinea's colonial dual salary system. And we find out what it takes to be a traditional shark caller in PNG's New Ireland province.

Light in the darkness for COVID-19 blighted Fiji, as their rugby sevens team strikes Olympic gold again. The budget and easing COVID-19 restrictions first on the to do list, as Samoa's first female prime minister takes office at last. And OFC set to out to make it possible for a team from the Pacific to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

A hospital doctor bravely speaks out about Fiji's collapsing health service as the COVID-19 outbreak rages on. Could Australia's Telstra step in to buy Digicel to keep the Pacific's largest mobile provider out of Chinese hands? And five years after a $7 note was issued in Fiji to mark their Olympic gold in rugby sevens, how much is it worth now?

In this edition:   Australia sends more help to Fiji as it grapples with growing COVID-19 crisis; And we hear about concerns in Vanuatu that the tradition of bride price is being abused by some, as many have lost their main source of income because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this edition: Despite Fiji’s growing cases of COVID-19 a small community in the Pacific Nation have banded together to protect its residents from the coronavirus. Beijing has accused Australia of "interfering with and undermining" its COVID-19 vaccine program with Pacific Island countries. Local liaison officers play an important and unique role in the Torres Strait where logistical challenges mean it can take days to respond to an incident. You’ll meet a Solomon Islands soccer star whose goal has caught the attention of the international football community. And, there's no doubt COVID-19 has thrown the Olympic training plans of athletes around the world into chaos – but now two Papua New Guinean weightlifters are in Australia training ahead of the games.

In this edition: Still no lockdown in Fiji, even though by WHO measures the COVID-19 outbreak is out of control. Nauru punches above its weight as it pushes for regulations on deep sea mining to be fast tracked. Could the International Criminal Court soon be the place to go for Pacific island countries seeking recompense for the crime of ecocide? And a proposed rule change could open the door for many Pasifika rugby players to switch allegiance to their country of heritage - but will the sport's power brokers vote for it?

In this edition: The COVID-19 cases in Fiji are on a sharp rise as expecting mothers worry about the safety of themselves and their unborn children.   The Papua New Guinean Government is being urged to introduce new laws as it tries to stem violent attacks against people accused of sorcery.   As the Australian state of New South Wales prepares to start a pilot of bringing back international students - there are concerns Pacific Islanders will miss out. Every year, Pacific islanders send hundreds of millions of dollars back home in remittances - but large amounts of that is chewed up in fees. And, you’ll meet a teacher who trekked for days to deliver his students exam papers in Papua New Guinea.

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

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Pacific Review

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