Author: TMC Palau
[Source: Reuters] Rescuers pulled four people from a flooded cave in Laos, Thai volunteer rescuers said, hours after another man was brought out. The five are among seven Lao nationals who had entered the cave in Xaisomboun province to prospect for gold, but were trapped for more than a week when rising water blocked their exit. Two others remain missing. Kengkard Bongkawong, a Thai cave diver involved in the mission, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that all four of the trapped people had emerged from the cave. Video footage from the volunteers showed rescuers bringing four Laotian men…
Issued by: on AIRAI, Republic of Palau (July 23, 2025) – U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Donald Davis, F-35 Lightning II pilot with the 176th Fighter Squadron, Wisconsin Air National Guard, briefs U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Josh Lasky, commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia, on operations at Palau International Airport in Airai, July 23. The Palau airport is currently serving as a support location for exercise Resolute Force Pacific 2025. The REFORPAC exercise strengthens the USAF’s adaptability to unforeseen challenges and reinforces mission readiness by proactively planning for contingencies ensuring the safety of…
[Source: Reuters] Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Rancho Cucamonga, California, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in a spell-off, correctly spelling 32 words rapid-fire over 90 seconds to claim the $50,000 cash prize. He defeated Ishaan Gupta, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Jersey City, New Jersey, who got 25 words correct from the same list, after having been sequestered during Shrey’s turn. Both advanced to the dramatic finale in the televised competition after they survived 18 rounds without misspelling a word on the final day. The eliminatory spell-off was introduced in 2021 after the 2019 competition ended with eight co-champions…
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.…