Author: TMC Palau

Teachers participating in a 2026 professional development workshop walk through NOAA Ocean Exploration’s “Wet Maps” lesson plan, modeling how explorers use sonar to create 2D and 3D models of seafloor features. Image courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration. Download largest version (jpg, 939 KB). From March 31 to April 1, the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), in collaboration with educators from NOAA Ocean Exploration and Palau’s Ministry of Education, successfully conducted a two-day professional development workshop for 27 school teachers from across Palau. Although the focus was on middle and high school teachers, the workshop attracted a much wider range…

[Source:Fiji Rugby/Facebook] The FIJI Water Flying Fijians have a chance to start their Nations Championship campaign on a high tomorrow against Wales in Cardiff. After naming one of the strongest national sides yesterday, coach Senirsui Seruvakula says they’ve been down this road before, and there’s nothing new. Our squad may have spent less than a week together, but they’re professionals, according to Seruvakula, and are aware of what’s at stake. It’s good to have that challenge because it’s not the first time the Flying Fijians are playing away from home. These players are professionals; they play in Europe and some…

Fiji, Samoa and Tonga have named their respective match-day 23 to compete in the two new World Rugby competitions over the weekend.The Flying Fijians will square off against Wales in their opening Nations Championship match. It is going to be the team’s first game in the competition, which sees Fiji and Japan included, alongside the Six Nations teams – England, Italy, France, Scotland and Wales – and Southern hemisphere giants Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.It is the first Tier One competition outside of the Rugby World Cup for the Fijians as wellMeanwhile, Manu Samoa takes on Hong Kong China,…

This article builds on a previous Devpolicy Blog piece written by Edwin Venu Pedro and Jess Marinaccio, government employees engaged in Tuvalu’s Digital Nation project. They highlighted growing frustration with media portrayals of the Digital Nation as “a cry for help” and reframed the project as one promoting hope. We offer a complementary, outside-in perspective. While critiquing international media, we recognise that the Government of Tuvalu has, at times, played into media framings of the “sinking nation”. Nonetheless, the way in which the Digital Nation is being implemented signals a government recalibrating towards hopeful governance. Consistent with hope theory, the…

Applications for the permanent residency visa opened on Wednesday.Vanuatu had previously been excluded from the “incredibly popular” permanent residency visa, which is available only to Pacific Island nationals.A Vanuatu special envoy, Glen Craig, hit out at the decision, saying the timing was hard to ignore.”It is difficult to read the removal as anything other than leverage: a signal that access to opportunity for ni-Vanuatu depends on agreement to terms set elsewhere,” he wrote.RNZ Pacific asked Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) whether Vanuatu had been deliberately excluded from the visa.DFAT replied that Australia remained committed to finalising the…

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have already tied the knot, according to the New York Post. [Photo Credit: AAP News] Pop music megastar Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce are married, the New York Post’s Page ‌Six report, citing multiple unnamed sources amid preparations for an expected celebration at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The couple, both 36, exchanged vows in front of a “tiny group of loved ones,” the outlet said. The New York Post ‌did not say when or where the nuptials took place, though it noted Swift’s private jet recently spent time in Nashville,…

[File Photo] A home semifinal for the McDonald’s Fijian Drua Women could provide a major boost for the growth of women’s rugby in Fiji and across the Pacific. Rugby Australia General Manager of Women’s Rugby Jilly Collins says hosting a Super Rugby Women’s semifinal in Fiji would be a significant moment for the local community, giving fans the chance to watch elite women’s rugby on home soil. Collins says bringing top-level competition to Fiji would help raise the profile of both women’s rugby and the Drua women’s team, while creating visible role models for the next generation of players. She…

The stories of Pacific women who helped shape Porirua have been brought into the spotlight in a new exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pacific Allied (Women’s) Council Inspires Faith In Ideals Concerning All. Incorporated (P.A.C.I.F.I.C.A. Inc.)Marama Malama: Te Manava Moana Women at Pataka Art and Museum honours generations of women whose leadership, advocacy and service have impacted Pacific communities across New Zealand.Photographed by Nu’ugalo Jacinta Mauga, the exhibition features portraits of local Pasifika community leaders, alongside stories recounting the legacies they have each built for future generations.The showcase is timed with Matariki – guided by the remembrance star Pohutukawa:…

A professor says a new drug creates possibilities for anti-inflammatory therapies. [Photo Credit: PR IMAGE PHOTO] Researchers have unlocked a breakthrough that could transform motor neurone disease from an acute terminal illness into a manageable chronic condition. Awareness of the crippling disease has grown in Australia due to AFL legend Neale Daniher’s trailblazing FightMND foundation and the tragic recent diagnosis of 30-year-old NRL star Jai Arrow. Their devastating battles have united the public and sporting codes, driving unprecedented awareness and research funding to fight the disease. Now, a new drug known as R8Y is on track for testing in patients…

During the 2025 Beyond the Blue: Palau Mapping series of expeditions, NOAA Ocean Exploration is working closely with the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) — the organization tasked with the administration of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS), as well as the coordination of related research, outreach, and education activities. In addition to increasing mapping coverage of unexplored areas of the sanctuary, this summer’s expeditions presented a unique and meaningful opportunity to build local capacity in deep-sea science and exploration. Partnering to train Palauan students and early career researchers, NOAA Ocean Exploration and PICRC are working together to prepare…