Palau anticipates Compact to be signed next month

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr unveiled some of the details of the new economic package under the renegotiated provisions of the nation’s Compact of Free Association with Washington. Palau stands to receive US$890 million in economic...

Palau ranks 104th in Global Climate adaptation Index

By: Bernadette Carreon PALAU — Palau ranks 104th out of 187 countries in the latest Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) Country Index, with a score of 45.1 out of 100. The index, compiled by the University of Notre Dame, measures how...

Palau reports first two Covid-19 cases

Two people arriving in Palau on 15 August tested positive for Covid-19, the nation’s Ministry of Health and Human Services stated. These mark the nation’s first positive active cases of the virus. Ritter Udui, MHHS incident commander, confirmed...

4 new JICA volunteers arrived in Palau

On the 24th of July, 4 new JICA Volunteers arrived in Palau. The four volunteers are, Mr. SUZUKI Satoshi assigned to Belau Modekngei School for Science Education Kume Kokoro assigned to Palau Community Action Agency (PCAA) for Nutrition. KITAYAMA...

Pacific Islanders lead effort to link culture with mental wellness

Becky Mettao leads a group discussion at a workshop that concluded on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. Photo by Andrew Roberto AT a community mental health workshop held on Thursday, Aug. 7 at LaoLao Bay Resort, the Community Guidance Center offered its...

Safeguarding Public Health at the 12th Mini Pacific Games, Palau

56 Years of Service: Palau, U.S. Mark Civic Action Team Handover

By: Summer Kennard KOROR, Palau — Palau and the United States marked 56 years of partnership Friday during a Transfer of Authority ceremony at Ngarachamayong Cultural Center, as the outgoing Navy Civic Action Team (CAT) 133-32 formally handed over...

Peace Corps returns to Palau, Renewing Historic Partnership

KOROR, Palau — The Peace Corps is returning to Palau after years of absence, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on July 22 between the Ministry of Health & Human Services and the Peace Corps program in Palau. The agreement...

Palau Bolsters Cyber defenses following wave of attacks

KOROR, Palau — The Republic of Palau is taking significant strides to shore up its digital defenses after a series of cyber-attacks targeted government ministries and critical infrastructure, the latest in a wave of incidents rocking the Pacific...

Palau’s coral refugia offer hope for reefs facing rising temperatures

Coral reefs across Micronesia are under growing threat from warming oceans. As temperatures rise, bleaching events are becoming more frequent and severe, pushing many reefs closer to collapse. Without urgent climate action, scientists warn that...

Walk4Life Event promotes Breastfeeding Awareness in Palau

By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang KOROR, Palau (Aug.7, 2025) – More than 100 participants took part in a walkathon Thursday evening organized by the Family Health Unit of the Ministry of Health and Human Services in partnership with Palau...

Here’s who does — and doesn’t — qualify for health care benefits as an immigrant in Colorado

Health care policy is changing in the United States, including for immigrants, whose eligibility for federal benefits will be restricted following the passage of congressional Republicans’ new tax and budget law. The so-called “big, beautiful...

  Palau should not be a dumping ground for U.S. Asylum seekers

By Richard N Salvador July 23, 2025 A recent meeting on July 18 between U.S. officials and Palau’s leaders revealed a troubling proposal: the United States wants to send foreign asylum seekers, people who originally came to the U.S. for...

Palauan Youth Dive into culture, conservation, and dive certifications

Koror, Palau – July 21-26, 2025, 12 young Palauans earned their PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water certifications through the Palau Pledge Dive Camp, a week-long program combining scuba training with hands-on science and cultural learning....

Koa Moana 25 Sailors Provide Medical Aid to Palau

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Syed Hussain, an emergency medicine physician with Combat Logistics Battalion 15, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, speaks about his medical team's impact during Koa Moana 25 in Palau, July 24, 2025. Koa...

Palauans React to U.S. Proposal to host Asylum seekers

By: Summer Kennard Koror, Palau – Palauans from across the nation are voicing strong and varied opinions in response to a U.S. proposal to temporarily house asylum seekers in the island nation—an idea described by the U.S. ambassador as merely a...

Healthy environment ruled a human right by world’s top court, as campaigners hail ‘seismic’ win

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Tucked away in One Big Beautiful Bill, a plan to disqualify refugees from health care assistance

Daily Newsletter | MinnPost's top stories delivered to your inbox Monday through Saturday. As the One Big Beautiful Bill ricocheted from proposal to signed law by President Donald Trump, Minnesota immigration advocates kept a close eye on how the...

Palau faces critical decision on New National Hospital sSite, USDA Assessment Finds

KOROR, Palau — Three Palauan states—Koror, Airai, and Ngatpang—have offered potential land for the nation’s urgently needed new hospital, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture assessment released this month. The “USDA Assessment of...

Lawmakers call on Whipps to prevent Palauans from being sent to Guantanamo

Palau's Capitol in Ngerulmud. File photo KOROR (Island Times/Pacnews) — Palau’s national legislature has called on President Surangel Whipps Jr. to take urgent action to ensure Palauan citizens deported from the United States are returned directly...