Although swimmer Noel Keane, representing Palau, wasn't happy with his times at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games, he said it will push him to train harder to get better.

Keane, 16, competed in men's 100-meter freestyle on Oct. 11 and came in with a time of 55.59 seconds. He said he wanted to finish in 54 seconds.

"It didn't happen. I just have to train as hard as I can to get that time," he said.

Keane also competed in men's 200-meter freestyle on Oct. 8, with a time of 2:00.77. He said he wanted to break the two-minute mark.

"I wasn't that happy, but I just have to move forward," he said. 

Keane is done with competition and said he will take his time to rest and think about how he can make himself better again.

He said he's happy to have represented Palau at the Games, wearing a swim cap with the Palau flag. 

"It’s an awesome feeling. I love coming out to these competitions and representing our country and making them proud," Keane said.

And he has a positive message for everyone back home. "You can do all things if you just do your best, be strong, be positive and you can do it," he said.

The United States and Palau signed the Amended Agreement following the Compact of Free Association Section 432 Review (the “Compact Review Agreement”), on September 19 in Koror, Palau. The United States and Palau also exchanged diplomatic notes bringing into force the Compact Review Agreement, which was signed in 2010. The signing marks the completion of the first review and amendment process as provided for under the Compact of Free Association (the “Compact”), U.S. Public Law 99-658.

Vice President and Minister of Justice Raynold B. Oilouch signed a memorandum of understanding with Koror State Governor Franco Gibbons at Koror State Assembly Hall. 

The MOU asks for the assistance of Koror State Government in the security, safety and the well-being of the people residing in Koror for a joint partnership with MOJ to make available Koror State Rangers to assist the National Police in the patrol, surveillance and security around Koror, including inner hamlets and community neighborhoods, acting as additional manpower to increase law enforcement presence during emergency incidents, illegal activities observed, and further testify in courts if ever a need arises.

Twelve foreigners were arrested by the police for alleged gambling on September 2 at the Lurs Store, Topside.

Vice President Raynold Oilouch, who is the chair of the committee tasked to handle Palau’s Independence Day celebration this October 1, said that the government has okayed the appropriation of $60,000 for the Independence Day celebration.

A man accused of a ‘felony’ has been allegedly in hiding for two weeks now after an arrest warrant was issued by the court against him.

Palau is getting heavyweight support for its tourism promotion through its airport joint-venture partner, SOJITZ. It was announced last week that SOJITZ, with the endorsement of Palau Visitors Authority, will meet with six different airlines in Korea this week to promote direct flights to Palau.

A ban on Chinese tourists to the tiny Pacific nation of Palau has left hotels empty, an airline in limbo, and shown the charged power China has over its vacationing middle income.

Key points:

The number of Chinese people to Palau had increased from just 634 people in the 2008 financial year to 87,000 during 2015, in accordance with figures from Palau’s Bureau of Immigration and the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.

But by the ultimate end of 2017, after China randomly banned state-run package tours from visiting the united states &mdash seemingly; Chinese arrivals plummeted to 58,000.

That has left some tourism operators in the Pacific island country reeling, and something airline says it has been forced to suspend operations since it can’t fill seats.

Analysts have suggested Palau’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan, being among its 17 remaining allies worldwide, coupled with Beijing’s capability to control and oversee its tourists have a whole lot related to it.

How does China control where its tourists go?

One tool the Chinese Government has at its disposal may be the Approved Destination Status (ADS).

If a national country has ADS, which means state-run Chinese tour agents are permitted to operate group package tours there.

Geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor’s Asia Pacific analyst, Evan Rees, said the package tours constitute a big section of China’s tourism market and may have a substantial effect on recipient countries.

“Giving this ADS status to a country can massively raise the flow of Chinese tourists, around 50 % in a whole large amount of cases, so this is really a huge lever that the Chinese Government has in sending Chinese tourists abroad,” Mr Rees said.

On Palau's Jellyfish Lake

In addition to ADS, China has instituted travel bans abroad — which stops package tours from visiting those places effectively.

“It has been an emerging diplomatic weapon from China with varying impacts on regional states,” said Jie Chen, a co-employee professor at the University of Western Australia who targets China’s international relations.

Australia has been an approved destination for a lot more than twenty years, but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to pressure from China.

For example, this year earlier, Australian carrier Qantas changed just how it identifies Taiwan, after bowing to pressure from Beijing.

Other international airlines were also given a deadline to stop discussing Taiwan as a country, or face punishment.

So why is Palau being targeted specifically?

Although Palau hasn’t officially been one of many approved destinations, that hasn’t stopped Chinese tour groups from flocking there during the past decade.november

But that changed last when Chinese officials circulated a memo to visit agencies reportedly, reminding them it had been illegal to book group tours to places that weren’t on the approved list.

The memo mentioned Palau, and said agencies that booked tours will be punished there.

The move was regarded as designed to put pressure on Palau widely, which maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, then China rather.

“It is a pretty strong lever,” Mr. Rees said.

“About 50 % of Palau’s tourists result from Mainland China, and about 50 % of Palau’s GDP originates from tourism, so it is a strong submit the economy of a fairly small country.”

A report by the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) found Chinese people to Palau dropped 22.7 percent between the fourth and third quarters of 2017.

Meanwhile, total people to Palau dropped by 16 % on the same period.

The SPTO’s quarterly review into visitor arrivals discovered that drop “mainly reflected the drastic fall from the scheduled and chartered flights out of this source market [China] by 63.9 % and 17.4 % respectively”.month

Last, Palau Pacific Airways, run by Taiwanese company Sea Passion Group and servicing flights between Hong Palau and Kong, of August announced it could indefinitely suspend operations by the end.

In a letter from the group to Palau’s national congress, it reportedly cited the ban from China and the resulting insufficient tourists because the reason it had to turn off.

Ms. Chen added that the rapid rise of middle-income Chinese families meant a growing amount of people could afford to visit overseas and that Beijing knew the “diplomatic value” of the.

This isn‘t the 1st time it has happened

Palm trees lean on the sandy beach.

Late this past year, months prior to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics just, China placed a ban on group tours to South Korea in protest of the introduction of the US-backed anti-missile system called THAAD.

Seoul said the operating system was designed to intercept incoming missiles from North Korea, but China claimed it was a threat to its security.

Qantas jet taxis through Sydney Airport.

“The estimated losses for South Korea because of this tourism ban were near $US7 billion ($9.6 billion) dollars,” Mr. Rees said.

He added that China had also used the promise of package tourists as a diplomatic sweetener.

In 2000, China wished to sail a carrier it had bought from Ukraine through the Turkish-controlled Bosporus strait just, but Turkey refused.

After a diplomatic standoff of 15 months, Turkey eventually relented after China promised several perks in exchange: one of these was Approved Destination Status.

“That has been among the items that won Turkey over and saw them release the Chinese vessel,” Mr. Rees said.

A silver lining for Palau’s beautiful landscapes?

Up close of orange jellyfish in the green water.

Palau’s President Tommy Remengesau Jr shows no sign up to now that the tourism ban is enticing the united states to change diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan — actually, in a real way, the tourism ban could possibly be helping Palau.

The Pacific islands nation has been grappling for quite a while with mass tourism and the result it was wearing the surroundings.

Palau President Tommy Remengesau Jr

The Government closed Palau’s iconic Jellyfish Lake to visitors in 2017, citing removing “additional stress which may be due to visitors and human activities” because of the reason behind the closure.

Even before China’s travel crackdown, Palau has been making moves to re-position its tourism market, from Chinese package groups and towards “high yield away, low impact” tourists: fewer, higher-spending, and much more aware travelers environmentally.

South Pacific Tourism Organisation CEO Chris Cocker told the ABC that is actually a model for other Pacific nations.

The 2010 Palau Compact Review Agreement finally gets funded following US President Donald Trump signing the $1.3 trillion spending bill into law on Friday. President Trump earlier called for $123.9 million to implement the agreement in his proposed budget for FY 2018.

US interior Secretary Ryan Zinke praised President Donald Trump for signing the 2018 Omnibus Funding Agreement which included funding to finalize the 2010 Palau Compact Review Agreement between the United States and the Republic of Palau.

"On the behalf of Palau, I am very happy that the US Congress and President Trump have funded the 2010 Palau Compact Review Agreement demonstrating the continued US commitment to Palau and the western Pacific region," Said Secretary Zinke in a statement to the media.

"The agreement is an important element of the Pacific national security to maintain stability in the western Pacific Region. Interior has held a long, historic relationship with Palau and other US-affiliated Pacific Islands and we look forward to continuing our role on behalf of the US Government in providing these funds to the Government of Palau," continued the Secretary.

"We will be working closely with the State Department and other federal partners to move forward as quickly as possible, " added Assistant Secretary - Insular and International Affairs - Doug Domenech.

The US and Palau Governments will need to meet to update the funding schedule of the 2010 agreement which required specific annual outlays of funds. Included in the assistance are contributions to Palau Compact Trust Fund, a capital improvement program, and an infrastructure maintenance plan. The specifics of disbursements must be reaffirmed by the parties prior to the implementation of the agreement. (Source: DOI News Release)

Russian 2025 Expo Delegation led by Svetlana Sagaydak, Director General of Expo 2025 Bid Committee met Vice President Raynold Oilouch, Senate President Hokkons and Speaker Anastacio yesterday on Febraury 27, 2018 to promote Russia's bid for World Expo 2025 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Director General Sagaydak is accompanied by delegation as well as staff from Russia's Embassy in the Philippines. The Russian Delegation has visited other island in the Pacific this month including Samoa, Fiji, Solomons and Vanuatu to promote Russia's bid for the 2025 Expo.

Russia's theme for the 2025 EXPO is changing the world" Innovations and Better Life for Future Generations.

Two other countries bidding for the 2025 Expo are Japan (Osaka) and Azerbaijan (Baku). Palau has had deplomatic relationship with Japan and Russia and earlier this year, established diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan.