Author: TMC Palau

Land tenure reform has been identified as a key priority in efforts to revive Fiji’s struggling sugar industry, with the government acknowledging that unresolved lease issues continue to impact farmers and long-term investment. Minister for Sugar Industry, Tomasi Tunabuna, says the sector, once thriving in the 1990s, has faced a steady decline since the mid-2000s, with challenges ranging from high production costs to labour shortages and climate pressures. He says land lease expiry and uncertainty remain among the most sensitive and critical issues affecting the industry. “The Ministry has been engaging with the TLTB on how the land tenure systems…

Barça have finished the year in the best possible way with a 43-30 win over Logroño in their final game of 2025. Dominant from start to finish in the ASOBAL league encounter in the Palau Blaugrana, Carlos Ortega’s team took another win in the competition which now takes a break for winter before returning in February.  On top from the start  Barça were solid from the start against Logroño at the Palau, imposing themselves on the game and dominating in all areas. The gap between the two sides began to grow and by half time Barça led by 23-14.  A…

Overview: Pacific nations are confronting a rising threat to election integrity as misinformation spreads rapidly across digital platforms. Discussions at the PNG Media Summit in Port Moresby underscored how false narratives—circulating from Papua New Guinea to Palau and across the region—are reshaping the role of journalism, placing renewed urgency on fact-checking, media literacy and regional cooperation to safeguard democracy. By Ngeldei Tulop PORT MORESBY — In an age where a forwarded message can travel faster than a verified headline, Pacific nations are confronting a growing challenge: how to protect elections from the spread of misinformation. That issue took center stage…

Australia is stepping up efforts to stabilise fuel supply across the Pacific as global disruptions threaten energy security and economic stability. Speaking at the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva this evening, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong warned that the region is facing “unprecedented disruption” following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global fuel route. She says rising fuel costs are already impacting critical sectors such as transport, tourism, agriculture, and electricity, with Pacific nations heavily reliant on imported fuel. “And I’m pleased that the statement that I released last week with the Republic of Korea,…

The U.S. Marine Corps is planning to branch out across the West Pacific with new prepositioning sites as the force continues to shape its force design and long term planning goals around restricted mobility and a lack of hardened supply chains, according to documents published by the service last month. Two new sites are being proposed in Palau in Australia following the format of the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Philippines (MCPP-PHIL) which reached its initial operational capability in the second quarter of FY2025. Full operational capability is planned for FY2026. MCPP-PHIL, located in a warehouse in Subic Bay outside the capital…

Overview: State government finance personnel from across Palau have successfully completed the second graduation of the “QuickBooks Desktop 2024 Execution Course,” strengthening financial management capacity and improving accountability across public offices. The training marks another step toward modernizing government accounting systems and enhancing efficiency in fiscal reporting. Officials gain hands-on accounting and reconciliation skills to improve government transparency KOROR, Palau — State government financial staff from across Palau have completed the second graduation of the “QuickBooks Desktop 2024 Execution Course,” a five-day program aimed at strengthening public financial management systems and improving accountability across state governments. The course, which ran…

The Suva High Court has refused an application by former Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica to permanently halt criminal proceedings against him, ruling that the case must proceed to trial. Kamikamica is charged with perjury, alongside an alternative count of providing false information to a public servant. The charges stem from evidence he gave under oath during a Commission of Inquiry into the appointment of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption Commissioner. It is alleged that between December 2024 and March 2025, Kamikamica falsely stated he had no involvement in the appointment of former FICAC Commissioner Barbara Malimali, despite allegedly…

Miles Davis (1926–1991). He changed the history of music—not just jazz—several times. His influence is still everywhere today. We listen to his records and watch his video recordings with devotion, and the history of the Barcelona Jazz Festival is also enriched by anecdotes and experiences lived by his side. Marcus Miller, an essential collaborator in Miles’s return during the 1980s, surrounds himself with a team that includes other key former disciples of Miles—Bill Evans and Mike Stern—as well as Miller’s regular collaborators (Mino Cinelu, Russell Gunn, Brett Williams and Anwar Marshall) to celebrate the centenary of one of the pivotal…

Overview: Palau is strengthening its response to diseases that can spread from animals to people, with new focus on farm safety, early reporting and coordination. Officials say farmers play a key role in protecting both animal and human health. Workshop highlights farm safety, early detection and stronger national response By: Telbakes Yano KOROR, Palau (April 2026) — Palau is stepping up efforts to protect farmers, families and communities from diseases that can pass from animals to people. From April 20 to 23, the Bureau of Agriculture joined national partners in a workshop focused on zoonotic diseases — illnesses that spread…

A 26-year-old man has been remanded at the Vaturekuka Remand Centre following the death of a 55-year-old man in Labasa over the weekend. Ananaisa Ono appeared before Magistrate Amelia Korodrau at the Labasa Magistrates Court this afternoon, charged with one count of murder. It is alleged that he stabbed a Labasa businessman, the late Prem Chand during an argument at a complex along Rara Avenue in Labasa in the early hours of Sunday, May 3. The victim sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the Labasa Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition before passing away on Monday, May…