Fiji's prime minister says he is against China gaining a military base in the Pacific, but he remains unconvinced that's Beijing's aim.

Papua New Guinea has declared a national HIV crisis, with the number of new cases increasing almost 50 per cent in the last decade.

New Zealand's government says it has suspended aid to the Cook Islands after the Pacific nation signed an agreement with China. 

Samson Michael has been collecting reptiles for most of his life. In his Tennessee home, an entire room is dedicated to them - a private menagerie filled with snakes, lizards and skinks.

Among them are monkey-tailed skinks from Solomon Islands.

But how did these animals, found in the forest of remote Pacific islands, end up in a glass tank in America's south? 

Solomon Islands is the Pacific region’s largest legal commercial exporter of wildlife for the exotic pet trade - a little-known but thriving industry that supports a vast network of trappers, village buyers and exporters across the country.

Join journalist Prianka Srinivasan as she investigates the controversial supply chain that takes animals from a jungle in Santa Isabel to end up in an American lounge room.

Presenter: Prianka Srinivasan

*Reporting was supported by the Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism through the Walkley Public Fund.

Australian police say Papua New Guinea students were lured with fake scholarships and forced to work on Queensland farms. 

Vanuatu's government is considering revoking a passport it granted to Andrew Tate, the high-profile misogynist influencer.

The people of Samoa are heading for an early election, after Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa called for the dissolution of parliament.

An alcohol 'poisoning' victim in Fiji has spoken out after her near-death experience and is demanding answers from the Fiji government and the hotel.

The World Health Organization has declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea after two children were detected with the virus.

Catholics in the Pacific have welcomed the election of Pope Leo XIV with two cardinals from the region taking part, for the first time, in voting.