Author: TMC Palau

[Photo: File] The politicisation of Fiji’s public service has damaged institutions, affected civil servants and weakened public trust, the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission has heard. Centre for Gender and Social Justice at Pasifika Communities University researcher Emele Duituturaga highlighted this during discussions on the Public Services Sectoral Impact Assessment Report. Duituturaga says political upheavals disrupted public services and had a lasting impact on the people who served within them, including her own removal from office during the 2006 coup. She says political interference can damage careers, disrupt service delivery and create fear among public servants.Article continues after advertisement “Our…

[Photo: Supplied] Meta’s latest crackdown on fake accounts, sextortion and online exploitation has been welcomed by Fiji’s Online Safety Commission. The Commission describes the move as a significant step towards protecting children and vulnerable users online. The social media giant has introduced stronger measures across its platforms, including removing fake accounts, restricting suspicious activity and investing in AI technology aimed at preventing offenders from reaching potential victims. The move comes amid growing global concerns over sextortion, one of the fastest-growing forms of online exploitation, where offenders use fake identities to build trust before coercing victims into sharing intimate images or…

[Source: OFC Media] The Baby Bula Boys have booked their place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup next year after defeating the Solomon Islands in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in the semi-final of the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship 2026 at the PNG Football Stadium. The match ended goalless after 90 minutes, with both sides creating chances but failing to convert. Fijian goalkeeper Kirikiti Biu stood tall under pressure, making two crucial saves in the shoot-out before striker Isoa Baselala converted the decisive penalty to secure a 4-2 victory. It is Fiji’s third consecutive qualification for the U-17 World Cup and…

New CaledoniaThree loyalist French Pacific MPs are calling for the French government to respond to pro-independence comments made by Azerbaijan’s president.In a speech last week, President Ilham Aliyev called for what he described as the freedom of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and other French territories.The president said in the 21st century, it was not possible to maintain territories located 10,000 kilometres away as colonies.Aliyev, who has had a testy relationship with France, said the people of those territories do not want that situation, and want to live their own lives.New Caledonian MP Nicolas Metzdorf, and French Polynesian MPs Moerani Frébault…

[Source: Fiji Rugby/ Facebook] The semi-final matchups have been confirmed in the Royal Tea Ranadi Cup and Vodafone Vanua Championship following an exciting day of quarter-final action. In the Royal Tea Ranadi Cup, Cakaudrove will face Navosa, while Yasawa takes on the Northern Bulls for a place in the final. The Vodafone Vanua Championship Under-20 semi-finals will see Macuata meet Coastland, while  Cakaudrove and Northland go head-to-head. In the Vodafone Vanua Championship senior division, Vatukoula will face Ra after both sides survived tough quarter-final encounters, while Cakaudrove continues its impressive run against Northland.Article continues after advertisement The winners of this…

A tiny island nation in Micronesia is excited to be getting Aussies’ attention, but it doesn’t want to be the next Bali.This year, Australia became Palau’s fastest-growing major tourism market.The destination sits southwest of Guam and north of Indonesia – it’s located about 890km east of the Philippines and 400km north of Papua New Guinea.The first ever non-stop flight between our two countries took off two years ago, and while the visitor numbers are still small, they are increasing quickly.Just over 2000 Australians visited Palau in the first five months of the year, which was an increase of 87 per…

The company has lodged a formal complaint with the Fiji Police Force. [Photo: Jason Auto & More] A local vehicle dealership is calling for an investigation after four imported vehicles were found with deliberate scratches and damage upon arrival at the Suva Wharf. Jason Auto & More Managing Director Jason Chandra says the damage was discovered during clearance checks, despite the vehicles passing independent inspections by the Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Centre before shipment. The company has lodged a formal complaint with the Fiji Police Force and is requesting a criminal investigation into how the damage occurred. It has also…

West Papuan militants have claimed responsibility for the deaths of three indigenous Papuans, who they claim were supplying intelligence to Indonesia.In a statement, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) said the three were executed in Yahukimo as traitors to Papua’s independence movement.It claims to have evidence that the three Papuans had caused the deaths of several TPNPB troops.Along with the three Papuans, the TPNPB also killed an Indonesian Brimob police officer.The TPNPB said the executions were a warning to all Papuans not to engage with the Indonesian military, and that they will execute anybody that does.The TPNPB executed an…

Guam and Washington National Guard troops flew a C-130 onto a remote, World War II-era airstrip on Angaur Island in Palau last month, testing whether the runway could serve as a backup option if the main airport in Koror ever became unavailable.The landing capped Exercise Alupang Agile Combat Employment, or Alupang ACE, a joint mission carried out under the umbrella of Valiant Shield 2026, the biennial, multinational military exercise that ran from June 22 to July 1 across Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Japan and the waters around the Mariana Islands Range Complex.For the Guam Guard, the drill was more…

[Photo Credit: Reuters] OpenAI said ‌that an autonomous agent powered by its advanced AI models went rogue during a security test and triggered a hack that compromised the infrastructure of AI startup Hugging Face last week. In a blog post, opens new tab, OpenAI said it was testing the capabilities of some of its most advanced models in a controlled environment but ​that the agent managed to escape containment, reach the internet and break into Hugging Face to try to satisfy its ​testing goal. OpenAI said the breakout was “an unprecedented cyber incident, involving state-of-the-art cyber capabilities” and that the…