NUKU’ALOFA, 12 FEBRUARY 2026 (TALANOAOTONGA) — Tonga Customs officers have intercepted multiple consignments containing undeclared firearms, ammunition, alcohol and fireworks during inspections between December 2025 and January 2026, authorities say. The items, arriving from countries including New Zealand and the United States, were detected through x-ray scanning and physical examination as part of strengthened border […]
Category: Top Stories
Koror Passes Fishing Rules With New Licensing and Conservation Measures
By: Summer Kennard KOROR, Palau (Feb. 3, 2026) Koror State has passed an updated fishing license bill aimed at modernizing fishing regulations, improving permit management and strengthening protections for marine resources. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, and introduces monthly licensing requirements along with revised fees, particularly for non-Palauan fishers. Governor Eyos Rudimch […]
Palau Postal Service Grounded by U.S. Tariff Order, Stranding Packages for Months
By: Laurel Marewibuel KOROR, Palau (December 18, 2025) — For three months, families and small businesses across the Pacific island nation of Palau have been unable to ship packages through the mail, sidelined by a U.S. executive order that ended duty-free treatment for low-value imports. The disruption stems from Executive Order 14324, signed this year […]
Concern, opposition mount as feds seek mining interest for 35.5M acres of Marianas seafloor
HAGATNA, 15 DECEMBER 2025 (GUAM PACIFIC DAILY NEWS)—Concerns about impacts on fish, contamination, destruction of historic undersea artifacts, errors, cancelled studies and a lack of consent prompted a slew of concerned comments and a protest as the U.S government seeks interest in deep sea mining of a 35.5 million-acre area offshore of the Mariana Islands. […]
PNOC Launches RISE Training to Empower Palau’s Community Sports Leaders
Koror, Palau — The Palau National Olympic Committee (PNOC) has kicked off the Raising Innovative Sport Enablers (RISE) Training Program, a week-long initiative aimed at strengthening community sports leadership and promoting holistic wellbeing in sports. Launched in partnership with the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) through its Oceania Sports Education Program (OSEP), the Ministry of […]
“Online Risks Rising for Palau’s Children, Calls Grow for Digital Citizenship in Schools”
By: Summer Kennard Koror, Palau (December 4, 2025)— As children in Palau go online at increasingly younger ages, digital literacy and online safety advocates say the country must urgently strengthen its approach to teaching safe and responsible technology use. In an interview, Joleen Ngoriakl, who leads the Palau Digital Citizenship Initiative, said that while no […]
