Author: TMC Palau
Overview: Koror’s council of senior female clan leaders has spoken: Gloria Gibbons Salii is, and remains, the Bilung of Koror. In a signed statement, the 10 matriarchs of the Koror Kerngab pushed back against a June 1 notice claiming the title had been stripped from Salii, making clear that no such action holds standing under the council’s authority. By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau — The Koror Kerngab, the council of 10 senior female leaders who serve as counterparts to the Ngarameketii, Koror’s traditional council of chiefs, is standing firm: Gloria Gibbons Salii has been and remains the Bilung of Koror…
[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/FACEBOOK PAGE] The Sugar Cane Growers Council says limited funding is affecting its ability to provide adequate support services to cane farmers. This was presented to the Committee for Economic Affairs for their annual report. Chief Executive Vimal Dutt acknowledged that the council lacks sufficient resources to effectively reach growers at the ground level. Dutt reveals that the council currently has only one mobile officer assigned to each mill area, including Labasa, Rarawai, and Lautoka, making it difficult to meet the growing needs of more than 10,000 active cane farmers.Article continues after advertisement “We…
Overview: Ngchesar State has spoken. In a historic first for the Republic of Palau, voters rejected a petition-driven effort to remove their House of Delegates representative, returning Delegate Rebecca Sebalt-Ngirmechaet to office with 54% of the vote. Read the full story on Palau’s landmark recall election. Ngchesar State rejects petition-driven ouster in a 123-104 decision, marking a constitutional milestone for the Republic of Palau By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau — Ngchesar State voters chose to retain their House of Delegates representative Thursday, defeating a recall effort against Delegate Rebecca Sebalt-Ngirmechaet in what marks the first congressional recall election held under…
[Source: Reuters] By the time the truck pulled away from the morgue in Bunia, the morning heat hung heavily over the road to Mongbwalu. The body of a 44-year-old Congolese pastor lay inside a wooden coffin strapped into the back of an aging Nissan SUV with the backseats pushed flat. A group of young relatives were crammed in, too, sitting atop the casket. The drive across Ituri province takes about three hours, longer when the dirt roads are as dry and broken as they were that February day. The four-wheel-drive bucked violently, showering dust over the potholes, rocks and gullies…
[Source: Reuters] Denmark’s Noma, whose flagship Copenhagen restaurant was for several years ranked the world’s best restaurant, said it will reopen the venue in August, but with its star chef taking a less prominent role. Rene Redzepi, whose avant-garde approach to Nordic cuisine made him a celebrity and earned Noma three Michelin stars, earlier this year acknowledged past mistreatment of staff. Redzepi in an Instagram post said he will take on a new creative role when Noma Copenhagen, which closed in 2024, reopens on August 5, focusing on “long-term projects” involving insects, seaweeds, legumes, fungi and technology. After years of…
A decision on who might be taking over Moana Pasifika’s licence should be made by 30 June. Photo: Photosport New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is still considering a number of options before it makes a decision on Moana Pasifika’s future in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. The franchise has wrapped up its operation after backers Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) put the club up for liquidation on 25 May. Since then, club head coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga has left to join the All Blacks coaching team, and a number of players are understood to have moved on to other clubs. Administration staff…
[Photo: FILE] The International Labour Organization says the fight against child labour must begin before children are exposed to exploitation, urging countries to shift focus from elimination to outright prevention. Speaking during the World Day Against Child Labour celebrations, ILO Labour Standards Specialist Maria Cabrera said the traditional approach of rescuing children after they have entered the workforce is ineffective. She stresses that governments, communities, and families must work together to shield children from exploitative situations. “For many years, the ILO spoke about the elimination and eradication of child labour. While that remains important, the approach we are now promoting…
[Source: Entertainment weekly] Tom Hanks doesn’t support a separate category for voice work at the Oscars. “I think they have enough categories,” Hanks told Gold Derby of the Academy Awards in an interview published Tuesday. “The truth is, just a voice actor can win Best Actor. The judgment is any performance that moved you, so that’s a quality. And Hanks should know. The Big star took home back-to-back trophies in 1994 and 1995, for his starring roles in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. He’s been nominated four other times. He’s also been an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture…
[Source: Reuters] After watching images of masked groups rampaging through the streets of Belfast — some targeting the homes and businesses of those believed to be immigrants — members of the city’s ethnic minority communities say they are afraid to leave their homes. “Women and kids are terrified and in shock,” said Twasul Mohammed, who came to Northern Ireland from Sudan as a refugee in 2016. “We are keeping our kids at home, I haven’t sent my kids to school since this has happened.” Violence flared on Tuesday following a knife attack for which a Sudanese man has been charged…
Residents across Saipan reported seeing a bright object streak across the sky. Photo: Supplied / Rommell Buenaflor Authorities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) say an object seen breaking apart in the sky over Saipan has been identified as space debris. The CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office said Joint Task Force-Micronesia and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the object, which was spotted on Thursday evening, was re-entering space debris. Residents across Saipan reported seeing a bright object streak across the sky before fragmenting in the atmosphere, with videos of the event widely shared…