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Palau’s Clean Air Tested as Haze Carries Smoke Across the Pacific 

By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau — The haze hanging over Palau in recent weeks is an unusual sight in a country scientists describe as having some of the cleanest air on Earth — and new measurements are helping explain where the pollution came from. Haze covers the island of Koror, showing contrast against Ngetmeduch. Haze […]

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Pacific Leaders Warn 1.5C Overshoot Threatens Ocean, Tuna Stocks and Island Survival

By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau (Sept. 3, 2026) — “One point five to stay alive is not a slogan, it’s a lifeline,” Marshall Islands Climate Envoy Tina Stege told reporters this week, delivering a sobering assessment of a new UNEP report showing the world is on track to overshoot the 1.5-degree-Celsius warming threshold. Stege, who […]

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CORAL REEFS AND A GLOBAL COMMITMENT: THE PACIFIC STANDS TOGETHER

Coral reefs are among the most precious resources in the Pacific. They feed families, protect coastlines from storms and waves, and hold cultural heritage. Yet these ecosystems face a growing threat from climate change and human pressures. Palau knows this intimately. Palau reefs are some of the most diverse and resilient in the world — […]

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Australia pledges stronger support for Pacific priorities, renewable energy

By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau (August 31, 2026) — “Australia’s commitment to the Pacific is unshakeable,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, reaffirming Canberra’s support for Pacific Islands Forum unity while emphasizing that regional solutions must remain Pacific-led. Responding to Island Times during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, Albanese said Australia […]

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PIF Chair Whipps Says Partners Must Show How They Will Support Pacific Priorities, Renewable Energy Goals 

By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau (August 30, 2026)— As Pacific leaders confront climate change, rising energy costs and a changing regional partnership landscape, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. is urging countries seeking closer ties with the Pacific to demonstrate how they will help meet the region’s priorities rather than use the Pacific Islands Forum as […]

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PIF 2026: Palau prepares for a Pacific meeting shaped by regional divisions

By: Ngeldei Tulop KOROR, Palau (August 13, 2026) — Palau is preparing to host Pacific leaders later this month as the region faces a series of political, security and economic questions that could test the Pacific Islands Forum’s ability to maintain consensus. The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting is scheduled for Aug. 30 to […]

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