Author: TMC Palau

During his first stop in Palau, Rowell participated in the Pacific Islands Forum while holding a series of bilateral engagements. He met directly with Palau President Surangel Whipps, Jr. to discuss progress at Malakal Port and future partnership opportunities.   As part of the U.S. delegation, Rowell joined Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Kevin Lunday, for engagements with key leaders representing Pacific nations including Japan, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and Tonga.  Rowell also engaged distinguished alumni of the State Department’s Young Pacific Leaders initiative from Palau,…

Far from New York or Davos, leaders of some of the world’s least populous states are meeting in a placid tropical archipelago with no traffic lights. The population of the summit host, Palau, was due to swell from 18,000 people to 20,000 as delegates from dozens of countries arrived at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. Ahead of the summit officially opening Monday, the country’s president and other senior officials walked the main road around the island picking up trash. Barbers and tattoo artists prepared to become drivers for delegates and student volunteers to usher dignitaries. But beneath the distinctively Pacific…

Papua New Guinea’s trade minister claims he warned the Indian mining company that was attacked at Panguna on Sunday not to invest in Bougainville.Armed men are alleged to have entered the Panguna copper mine site and set fire to machinery belonging to Indian company Lloyds Metals & Energy Ltd, whose staff were also reportedly attacked.After an ensuing shootout in which at least one man was killed, according to PNG media, police have arrested up to several suspects.Bougainville police chief Francis Tokura said a group of people from Buin in Bougainville’s south invaded the mine site with high-powered weapons.The attack has…

A US foreign policy think tank is proposing a major shift in America’s military strategy in Asia that would put Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and other Pacific islands at the centre of Washington’s regional military posture.Defense Priorities, a Washington-based think tank, said the US should move much of its military presence away from the “first island chain”, including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and the Philippines, and concentrate more forces along the more distant “second island chain”.The proposal identifies Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands as locations…

During his first stop in Palau, Rowell participated in the Pacific Islands Forum while holding a series of bilateral engagements. He met directly with Palau President Surangel Whipps, Jr. to discuss progress at Malakal Port and future partnership opportunities.   As part of the U.S. delegation, Rowell joined Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Kevin Lunday, for engagements with key leaders representing Pacific nations including Japan, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and Tonga.  Rowell also engaged distinguished alumni of the State Department’s Young Pacific Leaders initiative from Palau,…

The Hyper-Niche Pivot in Pacific Luxury While traditional luxury cruise capacities in the South Pacific have historically leaned toward ships carrying 500 to 2,000 passengers, the Four Seasons Explorer Palau has shifted the benchmark to a strict 22-guest limit. This 95% reduction in passenger density per vessel signals a market pivot from “mass-luxury” to “hyper-niche” exploration, where the value proposition is no longer the size of the ship, but the exclusivity of the coordinates it can reach. The introduction of the Kayangel Island route is the primary evidence of this shift, moving the high-net-worth traveler away from established hubs and…

Two siblings survive Vanuatu disaster swimming to Santo islandFamilies of the Vanuatu ferry survivors are counting their blessings as the search continues for people still missing at sea.Two young siblings swam towards Santo Island after the ferry they were travelling on sank, according to their aunt, Violet Tari.Arian and Talesa Tari were travelling from Santo to Ambae aboard the MV Matui on Friday morning, when large waves capsized the ferry.Luganville MP Matai Seremaiah said the vessel sank at about 9:30am.The number of death remains at two, and more than 30 people are still missing, while 14 have been rescued.Speaking to…

Ese Aumalesulu and his daughters Tara, 13, and Sophia, 9, won for their take on Annie Crummer’s version of ‘See What Love Can Do’ by Eric Clapton. Source link

South Sudan has been devastated by a civil conflict that began in December 2013, about two years after independence in 2011. Poverty and hunger are widespread. International support is inadequate, and healthcare is stretched thin at best, or simply non-existent. As part of my communications role with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in South Sudan, I took photos to bear witness to the experiences of people living there. I work within the ethical photography guidelines developed by humanitarian organisations which are designed to protect patient dignity, ensure strict consent and respect the principle of “do no harm”. My photos…

A man is missing at sea in the Cala di Trana area of Palau, in Gallura. According to initial reports, he had been out on a dinghy with a friend on holiday in Sardinia: he dived into the water to snorkel and never returned to the surface. On site, under the coordination of the La Maddalena Coast Guard, the CP870 patrol boat and the firefighters’ aquatic garrison, including divers, were present. (Unioneonline)© Riproduzione riservata Source link