Author: TMC Palau
Fiji completes the top six list with its vibrant soft coral reefs and warm tropical waters. Often called the “Soft Coral Capital of the World,” Fiji offers colorful reefs filled with anthias, angelfish, ribbon eels, and reef sharks.Dive sites such as Rainbow Reef and Beqa Lagoon are especially popular. Beqa Lagoon is known for shark dives featuring tiger sharks, bull sharks, lemon sharks, and reef sharks. Fiji also offers a mix of diving, cultural experiences, hiking, and island activities for travelers. Source link
[Source: Reuters] Florence is planning a major expansion of restrictions on new short-term tourist rentals. Extending a ban beyond its UNESCO-listed historic centre, in a new attempt to ease housing pressure in one of Italy’s most visited cities. The measure, which Mayor Sara Funaro has called a national first, is due to be presented to a city council committee on Wednesday, with the aim of securing approval in early June. It will prevent the creation of new short-term tourist lets across about 16 square kilometres (6 square miles) of the city for two years, nearly tripling the total number of…
Madrid pulls away in the second quarterScariolo’s team entered the second period with more aggression. Three-pointers from Procida and Lyles turned the score around and helped secure a 0-10 run (18-25). Barcelona tried to respond through Punter, but the madridistas’ 75% perimeter shooting accuracy opened up a decisive gap. Hezonja scored two consecutive three-pointers and Campazzo brought fluidity to our attack. With the team’s defensive work, Madrid went to the locker rooms with an 18-point lead (33-51, min. 20). Maledon and Garuba complete a great collective performanceThe pace of the game slowed slightly after the restart. Barcelona tried to chip…
[Source: Reuters] Thousands of local residents shut down Austria’s Brenner motorway, a vital north-south corridor through the Alps between Germany and Italy, in protest at trucks and tourists perennially clogging up their roads. The protest was led by Karl Muehlsteiger, mayor of Gries am Brenner, one of the towns in the shadow of the artery that snakes through the narrow, steep-sided Wipp Valley on giant concrete stilts. The issue of excess traffic and pollution in the valley, which leads to the Brenner Pass, has for decades been a source of tension between Austria and Germany. Local authorities in the Austrian…
Issued by: on KOROR, Republic of Palau – U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Josh Lasky, commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia, meets with Palau President Surangel Whipps, Jr. and National Security Coordinator Jennifer Anson in Koror State in the Republic of Palau, May 18, 2026. During the meeting, the leaders discussed ongoing efforts of the U.S. to maintain the defense and security of Palau under Title 3 of the Compact of Free Association, and opportunities for partnership in the future. Lasky serves as the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Senior Military Officer for the Republic of…
[Photo: FILE] The government has not been able to confirm how many rural families have been lifted out of poverty since taking office. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in his written response to Parliament stated that no updated national poverty figures are currently available to measure the impact. Responding to Opposition MP Vijay Nath, Rabuka said any attempt to provide a precise number would be premature, as Fiji is still relying on the 2019–2020 Household Income and Expenditure Survey. He told Parliament it would be methodologically unsound to quantify rural poverty reduction without verified data from the ongoing survey cycle.Article continues…
Far from the usual Pacific cruise routes, Rock Islands Palau near Koror turns a simple boat ride into a maze of jade-green limestone, secret lagoons, and WWII relics that feels unlike anywhere else in Micronesia. As the boat leaves Koror and the jungle-clad limestone towers of the Rock Islands Palau rise out of glass-clear water, the rest of the world drops away. The Rock Islands (the local name widely used across Palau) are not a single island at all, but an otherworldly seascape of hundreds of mushroom-shaped islets, hidden lagoons, and coral shallows that glow in impossible shades of blue.…
Fiji Football president Rajesh Patel has issued a stern warning to members of the Extra Bula FC squad who have declined a national team call-up for a four-day tour of Vanuatu. Patel said one of the key reasons behind the formation of Bula FC, Fiji’s first professional football club, is to develop players and create a pathway for them to represent the nation on the international stage. He stressed that refusing a national call-up could carry serious consequences, with players potentially facing restrictions on representing Bula FC, the national team, or even their respective districts. Patel revealed that several Bula…
[Photo: FILE] Tobacco-related diseases are killing about 1,200 people in Fiji every year, with health officials warning the habit is also pushing more young people towards harder drug use. The concern was raised during the World No Tobacco Day commemoration in Vunivutu Village, Macuata, where Tobacco Control Enforcement Unit Manager Malelili Nakulanikoro highlighted the rising impact on young people and communities. According to the health official, there is a widespread misconception that tobacco is a safer alternative to cigarettes. “We had conducted an analysis to find out the level of nicotine and tar in cigarettes and also in suki. And…
[Photo: FILE] Outsourcing elective surgeries to private facilities has helped reduce the backlog at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital during ongoing renovations. Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu highlighted this in Parliament while updating the house on the status of operating theatres and broader upgrades at CWM Hospital. Dr Lalabalavu says four of the hospital’s eight operating theatres are currently operational, while the remaining four are under renovation. “The major work left to be carried out is the medical gas piping work by Oceania Gas and we will need to work on the wall outlets.”Article continues after advertisement Dr Lalabalavu admitted…