By: L.N. Reklai Koror, Palau (December 3, 2025) President Surangel Whipps Jr. announced today he is sending the FY 2026 Unified Budget bill back to the Olbiil Era Kelulau for reconsideration, objecting to a rider that would restrict the use of grants received after Oct. 31, 2025, without a separate law or joint resolution from […]
Tag: Palau
Posted inTop Stories
Ngchesar Election Sees Strong Showing for Young and Female Candidates in Unofficial Count
By: Summer Kennard Ngchesar State (December 1, 2025) — Ngchesar voters went to the polls on November 28 to elect nine at-large legislators, with early results showing a strong presence of women and younger candidates among the leading vote-getters. Although the numbers remain unofficial until final verification this Friday, December 5, the preliminary tally highlights […]
Posted inTop Stories
House–Senate Enter Final Stretch of FY 2026 Budget Talks
By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang Koror, Palau — Lawmakers are in the final phase of negotiating the FY 2026 Unified Budget bill, with attention turning to House-proposed amendments that would fund capital improvement projects (CIPs) for specific states. The changes have prompted public and Senate questions about why only some states secured allocations while others received […]
Posted inTop Stories
AI Marine Monitoring Comes to Palau Through Taiwan Platform “AI Blue”
TAIPEI — Taiwan Mobile’s AI-powered ocean platform, “AI Blue,” has expanded to Palau for the first time, marking a milestone for digital marine conservation in the Western Pacific. The platform — developed to document and identify marine species — is now being used in partnership with the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), with support […]
Posted inTop Stories
Chinese land, U.S radar and ties to Taiwan: The geopolitics rattling a tiny Pacific nation
KOROR, 25 NOVEMBER 2025 (BBC) — The air above Palau’s pristine waters smells of salt and breadfruit, and on calm mornings in Koror, Palau’s commercial centre, the whirr of dive boat engines echoes across the bay. A few years ago, those boats were filled with tourists – many from China – drawn to Palau’s lagoons […]
Posted inTop Stories
Palau’s OECD Graduation Delayed as Review Postponed to 2027
By: Bernadette Carreon The Pacific island nation of Palau will remain on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients for longer than initially anticipated. According to the OECD website, it has delayed its scheduled review of which countries should graduate from the aid list, pushing it from […]