Author: TMC Palau

A composite created on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 featuring Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and a phone featuring AI applications. [Photo Credit: AAP Image/Susie Dodds] The impact of artificial intelligence on society will be compared to the change brought by civil aviation 100 years ago as the prime minister unveils a new framework to deal with the fast-moving technology. An Office of AI will be formed in the department of prime minister and cabinet, Anthony Albanese will announce in an address at the University of Sydney on Wednesday. The new office will help co-ordinate the design of new Australian Standards and…

A composite created on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 featuring Labor MP Ed Husic superimposed over an image of a pro-Palestine protest. [Photo Credit: AAP Image/Susie Dodds] Labor risks losing voter support in a similar way to the Democrats in the US if it continues to respond to questions around Palestinian rights with “fear and loathing”, a former cabinet minister says. Western Sydney MP Ed Husic, the most outspoken Labor member on the war in Gaza, also wants a dedicated federal police team to monitor dual Australian-Israeli citizens who travel to the Middle East to fight for the Israel Defence Forces.…

Last week was a big week in the Pacific, with the race between order and disorder, between cooperation and competition, brutally laid out. Fiji and Australia came together to set out their plan for promoting peace, security and greater economic cooperation and integration. China decided to ignore all Pacific entreaties about creating an Ocean of Peace and test a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. And we can be sure it won’t be the last such Chinese provocation. The Chinese test is a symptom of the larger polycrisis before the Pacific, where several great challenges run together. The…

[Photo: FILE] The sugar industry is struggling to stay afloat as rising production costs continue to eat into its viability. Sugar Minister Tomasi Tunabuna says the sector is spending more to produce sugar while gaining less in return. “If it’s costing more, that means you’re spending more to get less. That’s uneconomical. When the cost of production is high, it will be inefficient. Simple as that.” The comments come after Finance Permanent Secretary Shiri Goundar warned that sugar is no longer sustainable in its current form.Article continues after advertisement Opposition MP Parveen Bala said the answer was to make the…

SYDNEY, July 1 — The United States has started deporting migrants to a sparsely populated archipelago in the tropical Pacific, the island nation of Palau told AFP today.Washington has accelerated efforts to expel undocumented migrants and asylum seekers under US President Donald Trump, proposing to resettle them in unlikely nations such as Uganda, El Salvador and Rwanda.One of the smallest countries in the world by population, Palau has agreed to take up to 75 deportees under a contentious deal it struck in December.“We welcomed our first individual at the airport in late May, brought him to his temporary residence and…

[Photo: FILE] Foreign investors now hold a larger financial position in Fiji than Fiji holds overseas. The Fiji Bureau of Statistics stated that Fiji recorded a net international investment position of negative $16.3 billion as at March 31 this year. The figure increased by $647.5 million compared to the same period last year, when the position stood at negative $15.7 billion. The report shows Fiji’s international liabilities, which represent money owed by Fiji residents to foreign investors and institutions, reached $23.7 billion.Article continues after advertisement This was an increase of 0.9 per cent from the previous quarter, driven mainly by…

[Photo: FILE] The country needs reforms that will enable graduates to build meaningful careers in Fiji instead of seeking opportunities overseas, says Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma. Speaking during the 2026/2027 National Budget debate in Parliament, Sharma said weaknesses in the education system continue to affect students from the classroom through to employment. He highlighted delays in teacher salary payments, late back-to-school assistance and concerns surrounding the Tertiary Education Loans Services, saying these issues highlight the need for stronger support across the education sector. Sharma also raised concerns over the growing loss of skilled workers, claiming that around 100,000 skilled and…

President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu during the Bose Ni Yasana o Lau [Photo: FILE] Lau’s vast land resources have not translated into the economic progress many expected. Officiating as chief guest this morning, President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu is urging the province to rethink how it uses its biggest asset to create wealth and opportunities. Opening the Bose Ni Yasana o Lau in Suva, Lalabalavu said owning land was not enough if communities were unable to use it to create wealth. He highlighted Māori communities in New Zealand, saying they have turned limited land ownership into successful economic ventures through the sale…

BARRIGADA, Guam – Guardsmen from the Guam National Guard and the Washington National Guard recently conducted Exercise Alupang ACE in support of Exercise Valiant Shield 2026 in Palau as part of Guam’s partnership with that country through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. The exercise demonstrated expeditionary sustainment capabilities and revalidated a secondary landing zone by landing a C-130 on Angaur Island, enhancing regional readiness, interoperability and operational agility. During the exercise, Soldiers and Airmen set up an expeditionary communications suite and a medical aid station to further bolster these sustainment capabilities. Conducted under…

[Photo: FILE] Teacher salary delays, questionable appointments and poor staff allocation are among the issues the Education Ministry is now working to address. Education Minister Aseri Radrodro says some teachers have been in schools teaching students but have not received their salaries and acting allowances on time. He explained that the delays have been caused by problems in the Ministry’s human resource and finance processes. “The strong education system depends on a strong teaching workforce, and this Budget continues to recognise the important contributions teachers make to the future of our nation.”Article continues after advertisement Radrodro told Parliament that the…