Author: TMC Palau

Three Pacific women celebrate major beauty pageant winsBeauty pageants remain an important part of cultural and social life in many Pacific Island countries, although their significance vary across the region.Pageants such as Miss Pacific Islands, Miss Samoa, Miss Heilala (Tonga), Miss Hibiscus (Fiji) and Miss Cook Islands, provide young Pacific women with a platform to advocate on issues they are passionate about.Three Pacific women are celebrating major beauty pageant victories – domestically and internationally – after being crowned over the weekend.Miss World Cook Islands: Tiare Henry-AngunaTiare Henry-Anguna, who represented the Cook Islands, was crowned Miss World Oceania 2026 after reaching…

We’ve been looking this morning at the latest data on Pacific education in New Zealand, and there is a pretty big turnaround in one area.Pacific kids are going to school more.Regular attendance has gone from just 26 percent in 2022 to 51 per cent today.And credit where it’s due, the Coalition Government came into office making school attendance a major priority, and it appears to be working.But here’s the thing.Fifty-one per cent still means almost half of Pacific students aren’t regularly attending school.Listen to Will’s Word below.And the data raises another concern.While attendance is going up, the number of Pacific…

KOROR, Palau – U.S. Navy divers completed the removal and at-sea disposal of three abandoned derelict vessels (ADV) and significant hazardous material in Koror, Palau, as part of Pacific Partnership 2026 (PP26), Aug. 30, 2026. “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the United States Navy for assisting with the removal of vessels from our harbor,” said Hon. Jennifer Anson, Palau’s National Security Coordinator. “Abandoned and derelict vessels in our harbor pose a threat to our pristine ocean environment and can cause unnecessary damage to our marine resources. They negatively affect tourism, which is an important part of…

Taipei, Sept. 9 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Wednesday thanked Palau for its continued support for Taiwan’s international participation amid changing geopolitical circumstances as he received the credentials of the Pacific ally’s new ambassador to Taiwan at a ceremony in Taipei.Palau is one of the Republic of China’s (Taiwan’s official name) 12 diplomatic allies and one of three in the Pacific.Speaking at the Presidential Office, Lai said Palau has consistently voiced support for Taiwan at international forums, including the Pacific Islands Forum, the United Nations General Assembly and the World Health Assembly.Palau has steadfastly supported Taiwan’s international participation amid…

A reporter with Hawaii News Now has described a “wild” night as Hurricane Lowell passed by, with power out on Tuesday morning and some oceanfront houses destroyed.The US National Weather Service has lifted all warnings related to the storm, although it said swells from Lowell will continue to generate life-threatening surf and rip current conditions during the next few days across many of the Hawaiian Islands.There’s also still a threat of flash flooding.Dillon Ancheta, a Kauai local, said they are breathing a sigh of relief now the worst has passed.”Last night was a wild ride for our island,” he told…

Australia and Fiji will throw off the first-ever Oceanian Senior Women’s Handball Championship at Wellington’s Ākau Tangi Sports Centre on Thursday.Seven national teams will be competing for the top title and the chance to qualify for the Women’s Asian Championship later this year. It is the next step up for qualifying for the World Championship.New Zealand will be joined by Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia and Tahiti.The events are part of the International Handball Federation’s annual schedule for 2026.Australia and Fiji throw off at 3.30pm, with New Zealand taking on Cook Islands, while New Caledonia will face Tahiti…

News A search and rescue mission is underway. September 09, 2026, 02:13 PM A Singaporean diver has gone missing following a diving incident in Palau on Sep. 7 A Mothership reader said that the diving expedition occurred on a motor yacht named Black Pearl. The missing person is also said to be a prominent figure in the Singapore dive industry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement to Mothership that it is aware of the incident on Sep. 7 and is providing consular assistance to the person’s family. They are also in contact with the Palau authorities on the search…

Two Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) groups have taken the United States federal government to court over its controversial plan to open more than 67 million acres of ocean around the Marianas to potential deep-sea mining.Our Commonwealth 670 and PåganWatch, joined by the Conservation Council for Hawai’i and Center for Biological Diversity, filed a lawsuit 8 September in the US District Court for the District of Hawai’i against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.Earthjustice represents the four groups.At the heart of the lawsuit is a 10 August NMFS finding that the proposed…

A Singaporean has gone missing following a diving accident in Palau, with search and rescue efforts currently underway.The Singaporean was reported missing on Monday (Sept 7) after going diving in the Pacific island nation, according to 8world.Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reportedly said that it had been informed that a Singaporean citizen went missing following a diving accident in Palau on Monday.”We are providing consular assistance to the Singaporean’s family and are in contact with the Palau authorities on the search and rescue efforts, which are ongoing,” MFA said, according to The Straits Times. The authorities added that it would…

SINGAPORE, Sept 9 — Authorities in Palau are carrying out search‑and‑rescue operations for a Singaporean diver who disappeared during an outing in the island nation on Monday.Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement that it is assisting the diver’s family and coordinating with Palau officials involved in the search, according to a Straits Times report.”We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” MFA said.The missing diver was last seen in waters off Palau, an island nation south‑east of the Philippines known for its clear seas, coral reefs and limestone formations.Palau comprises about 340 islands, islets and atolls,…