Author: TMC Palau

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio wished Palau a happy Independence Day on October 1st, 2025, the 31st anniversary of the country’s establishment as an independent nation. “On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of Palau as you celebrate 31 years of independence,” Rubio said. “The United States and Palau have worked together to ensure prosperity, peace, and security in the Indo-Pacific. Our decades-long partnership has been instrumental in managing regional and maritime security, while advancing economic development. Together, we have built a foundation of mutual respect and cooperation that will continue to grow…

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has reaffirmed Fiji’s close partnership with Australia during high-level bilateral talks with Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs and Defence Industry Pat Conroy in Suva. The discussions focused on strengthening the Vuvale Partnership, including ongoing work on the Vuvale Union aimed at boosting economic cooperation, security ties and people-to-people connections under Fiji’s Ocean of Peace vision. Rabuka also acknowledged Australia’s timely budget support of AUD30 million to help Fiji manage the current energy crisis. The leaders also discussed growing regional security concerns, particularly the increasing threat posed by transnational drug…

A senior Palauan politician accused of being corrupt and accepting bribes from Chinese interests has rejected the claims made by the U-S government.Hokkons Baule has been issued a travel ban by the U-S State Department for “significant corruption.”But Mr Baule who is Palau’s Senate President says he did not take bribes from Chinese businesses and wants to know where the U-S got their information from.  Source link

As a stream of bubbles rose up to the surface, Palau’s president, Surangel Whipps Jr., delivered his remarks. This was no ordinary press conference; this was the world’s first live, underwater interview, transmitted through Li-Fi light technology to a boat at the surface.  Tourists continue to explore the island-archipelago’s lush landscape and history. But underwater, Palau’s pristine coral reef systems are being strained by warming waters, wreaking havoc on once-vibrant ecosystems. This contrast highlights Palau’s current dilemma.  Below water, warming oceans eat away at the very coral reefs that sustain Palau’s identity and economy; above water, policy decisions in Washington…

[Photo: FILE] Fiji’s National Archives is moving ahead with digitising national records, but officials say progress is being slowed by major gaps in digital infrastructure and staffing. More than 60,000 immigration passes have already been digitised, marking early progress in preserving historical documents. However, millions of additional records remain in physical storage spanning approximately six kilometres of archived material. Government Archivist Ratu Timoci Balenaivalu says a ¤ key challenge is the lack of a functional digital database.Article continues after advertisement “We will need more support on human resources, because data entry is the main work that needs to be, you…

This is an edited version of a speech delivered at the launch of the third phase of the partnership between the Australian National University (ANU) Crawford School of Public Policy and the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) School of Business and Public Policy on 8 April 2026 at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby. High Commissioner and colleagues from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Vice-Chancellor and colleagues and students from UPNG, ANU colleagues, Australia-PNG Economic Partnership staff, government officials, and friends. Thank you everyone for coming here today to join in the launch of the…

The last time provincial elections were held in the French Pacific territory was in 2019. Photo: Delphine Mayeur / AFP New Caledonia’s crucial provincial elections will be held on Sunday 28 June, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced. Lecornu’s announcement was widely relayed by New Caledonian politicians who have just participated in a video conference meeting early on Thursday, Nouméa time. The announcement also came with a condition: that the current restrictions on voter eligibility will be relaxed and that people born in New Caledonia and their spouses should now be allowed to cast their votes. Even though the…

Koror, Palau: A national project to strengthen management efforts for the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS) has successfully concluded after four years and $1.8 million in support of fisheries management, enforcement & surveillance, and research and outreach efforts. Funded by the Global Environment Facility with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the project enabled the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment (MAFE), and the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) to advance its mutual efforts in achieving strategic objectives for the PNMS. Notably, these efforts addressed unique challenges in managing a large-scale marine protected…

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has taken a major step towards improving transparency and media engagement by hosting it’s first-ever Media Workshop on Court Reporting and the Criminal Justice Process. Held at Novotel Suva Lami Bay yesterday, the workshop brought together journalists and media representatives from major outlets including Fiji Sun, Fiji Times, FBC, CFL, Mai TV, and Fiji One. The session was designed to strengthen understanding of how the criminal justice system works, particularly as court cases continue to receive increasing public and media attention. Participants were given insights into how prosecutors review cases, the decision-making…

Every May, a dozen University of Redlands students with a passion for marine conservation pack their scuba and snorkeling gear and make the 7,000-mile journey to Palau, an ecological wonderland in Micronesia. Led by Professor Lei Lani Stelle and her husband, wildlife photographer Shane Keena, this May Term course is a Redlands staple, developed in the early 2000s by the late Professor and Hedco Chair in Environmental Studies Monty Hempel. His vision was for students to see sustainability in action, and intentionally opened the course to all majors. “He really wanted it to be something students could experience regardless of…