Palau

He said it is imperative that they meet the country’s constitutional requirements before they can be considered for establishment through Ratification by Parliament.

“Thus to affect the ratification of this Bilateral Air Service Agreement binding the Republic of Palau to the Independent State of PNG in Air Services, I as the responsible Minister for Transport & Civil Aviation presented a Cabinet submission which sought and was granted approval of the following;

Signing the agreement was Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, Walter Schnaubelt with his Palau counterpart, Minister for Public Infrastructure and Industries, Charles Obichang.

Air Service Negotiations over this important bilateral were held and concluded between Government officials of the Republic of Palau and the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, in Manila Philippines in February this year although initial discussions were held in 2018 when officials of our two (2) countries met to commence discussions over the matter.

Led by Acting CEO Gary Seddon, both parties discussed the potential for further opportunities to promote the sector, generate interest, and increase passenger volumes.

They emphasized the significance of connecting Pacific Islands to boost trade and tourism, which would strengthen Air Niugini's position as a regional airline.

This would support the "sixth freedom traffic," allowing scheduled international air services to move traffic between the carrier's home state and the destination.

Palau has already commenced with the process.  

A statement released today said the five Presidents of Micronesia will honour the Mekreos Communique and withdraw from the Forum as stated in a joint communique released also released today.

The leaders of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Kiribati and the Republic of the Marshall Islands met virtually yesterday (Monday).

According to the statement, Nauru President Lionel Aingimea “believes the Forum has lost its original intent to be a regional body and what the Forum was originally set up to do.”

On a per capita basis, the islands have higher vaccine rates than many states in the US, said the Marshall Islands Health Secretary in Majuro.

In the first 10 days since receiving a small number of doses to start, the Marshall Islands injected first vaccines to over 600 healthcare workers and front line government employees who work in sea and airports.

The US government is providing the Moderna brand Covid-19 vaccines to the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

The Micronesian country previously hosted the Games in 2005 and plan to refurbish most of their existing facilities over the next few years.

The President of the Palau Olympic Committee, Frank Kyota, said the successful bid was the result of a lot of preparation and hard work over the last 18-20 months.

Samoa and Palau met the Jan. 14 deadline for the submission of bids and their documents will be subjected for evaluation by the executive board of the Pacific Games Council.

An evaluation report will be then sent to the 23-member island nations mid May, while the winning bid will be announced on July 14 during the group’s general assembly in Apia.

Health minister Imaes Roberts said those in hospital are not in a critical condition and there have been no deaths related to the latest dengue type 3 outbreak which was detected last month.

Mr Roberts said five people died from the mosquito borne disease in 2016 but he said he's confident the latest outbreak will be contained.

He said the public has taken preventative measures against mosquitoes but says recent rain has not helped.

He praised the public's response to clean-up and awareness campaigns regarding preventative measures against mosquitoes.

Hillbroom was arrested and given a five-year sentence in Palau in July after he failed a drugs test imposed as part of a methamphetamine trafficking sentence.

AFP reports prosecutors asked for a 30-year sentence but Hillbroom was allowed to seek treatment overseas because of his wealth.

Associate Justice Lourdes Materne said the 30-year term would stand if he did not complete the rehabilitation programme or failed another drug test after returning to Palau.

Andrew Tabelaul was speaking ahead of the 30th Pacific Educational Conference, which takes place this week in Palau.

Over 400 people will attend the bi-ennial event including delegates from the the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.

Mr Tabelaul, from Palau's Ministry of Education, said the focus of the conference was quality and sustainability in education for student success.