Oceania Palau Attendance was estimated a little less than 50%, Minister Dale Jenkins said of the first day back to school after four weeks of closure due to the Covid-19 outbreak
Oceania Palau The government will issue one-time income loss relief to private sector employees who have lost income due to Covid-19-related illness; only Palauan citizens are eligible
Oceania Palau Since the law provides 30 days for parents whose income in 2020 fell below $15,000 to find a solution to the status of their dependent children, many parents who are not succeeding are facing separation from their children, who are forced to flee
Oceania Palau A deal with Cryptic Labs launches the Digital Residency programme, the first time global citizens can claim digital residency supported by blockchain and a sovereign entity acting as a digital identity with the functionality and validity of a global state
Oceania Palau President Whipps Jr. announced that, in consultation with US climate change envoy John Kerry, the country has decided to reschedule the Our Ocean conference for April, with the aim of attracting many people to attend
Oceania Palau The Senate, in a special session, approved the appointment of Gaafar Uherbelau as Minister of Health and Human Services unanimously by a vote of 12-0
Oceania Palau A pro-biodiversity event was held at the Palasia Hotel in Koror, showcasing local producers, entrepreneurs and artists, which was a big hit with the public
Oceania Palau Digital payment network Ripple will help the country develop its own digital currency; initially its development will be backed by the US dollar to help facilitate cross-border payments
Oceania Palau China Airlines will offer six round-trip flights between Taiwan and Palau in December, after cancelling all of its November flights because very few Taiwanese showed interest in traveling to Palau
Oceania Palau The nation is planning to introduce digital residency for foreigners as a way for businesses to use Palau's physical location for digital business transactions; the bill targets individuals and businesses using cryptocurrency for transactions
Oceania Palau The Ministry of Education has started a school breakfast programme this month in public schools aimed at ensuring that no child starts the school day hungry
Oceania Palau The country announced that visitors from Taiwan will be allowed entry with only one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of the type, as long as it is validated by the WHO or the FDA; other countries will be soon allowed too
Oceania Palau The country approaches 100% Covid-19 vaccination, emerging as one of the most vaccinated places in the world with more than 99% of the eligible population fully protected; among the total 18.000 inhabitants, nearly 15.000 have been fully vaccinated