KOROR (The Guardian/Pacnews) — Palau’s new digital residency program could leave it open to cryptoscammers and corruption, critics have warned, arguing that not enough due diligence has been done on
RAROTONGA (The Guardian/Pacnews) — On Friday, the tiny Pacific country, one of the few countries to avoid any Covid cases throughout the pandemic, announced its first case: a 10-year-old boy
PORT MORESBY (The Guardian/Pacnews) — Hospitals in Papua New Guinea are being pushed to the brink and morgues are overflowing, as the country suffers what health authorities say is the
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi
Fiame Naomi Mata afa arrived at parliament ready to be appointed Samoa s first female prime minister, accompanied by judges in formal robes and horsehair wigs whose job was to witness her swearing in.
Instead, they were barred from entering the parliamentary chamber as police looked on while her supporters sang hymns and called for the results of an April 9 general election to be honored.
âWe need brave Samoans right now.to uphold our election, Mata afa told the crowd gathered in the parliamentary grounds.
After 22 years in office, incumbent Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has refused to relinquish power, even though the courts have confirmed Mata afa secured a narrow one-seat majority in last month s vote.
TAIPEI/KOROR (The Guardian/Pacnews) â It launched with a presidential escort and the promise of rare international travel to a postcard-perfect tropical island, but the Taiwan-Palau travel bubble has deflated after just a couple weeks, with Taiwanese bookings dwindling to single figures.Â
Travel agents, consumers and health authorities have blamed the high cost of the tours and the Taiwanese governmentâs strict rules for returning travelers.
The âsterile corridorâ of bilateral tourism guaranteed travel between the two archipelagos, which are both otherwise closed to all tourists, on strictly managed, twice-weekly package tours.
The inaugural flight, packed with nearly 100 passengers including Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr., boded well, but last week China Airlines announced it had cancelled an upcoming flight from Taipei after just two people booked tickets. The airline told the Guardian it was constantly assessing the situation but it couldnât g