Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
20 Island Vacations Where You Won't Need a Passport
Lifehacker - Massachusetts
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August 14, 2025
For a lot of people, the word vacation is synonymous with jetting off to an island paradise to stick your toes in the sand and sip a drink by the water. That may sound frivolous, but it's not—research has shown that vacations are necessary,...
Facing persistent challenges: GHRA seeks solutions to advance Guam’s tourism
Marianas Business Journal
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“I don't want to keep dealing with the same problems year after year. I want to find solutions,” said Mary Rhodes, president of the Guam Hotel & Restaurant Association. Rhodes spoke to the Journal following an Aug. 8 meeting at Nikko Hotel Guam...
Typhoon Podul pounds southern Taiwan
The Guardian
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August 15, 2025
Typhoon Podul crossed southern Taiwan on Wednesday with wind speeds of up to 110mph (177km/h), equivalent to a category 2 hurricane. Podul had developed a week earlier, near the Northern Mariana Islands, and tracked west across the Philippine Sea,...
Green travel trend: Northern Marianas eyes ‘regenerative tourism’ brand
The Pacific Island Times
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August 13, 2025
Beach Road, Saipan. Photo by Mar-Vic Cagurangan/Pacific Island Times With the failed casino experiment now in the rearview mirror, the Northern Marianas sets its sights on a new tourism model, which leans toward green travel and abandons mass...
VA announces mileage-only travel claims through VA mobile app
Marianas Business Journal
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BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA Journal Staff The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Aug. 12 CHamoru Standard Time that the department will allow eligible veterans to submit and track mileage-only travel claims directly through the VA Health...
The Marianas focuses on ‘regenerative tourism’
Marianas Variety
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From left, Marianas Visitors Authority Product Development Manager Raquel Aguon, Marianas entrepreneur and regenerative agroforestry practitioner Dana Calvo, and, Northern Mariana Islands legislative staffer and aspiring regenerative tourism...
Song hye-kyo marks Korean Independence with heartfelt project; aims to donate 10,000 books on liberation from Japanese colonial rule
The Times of India
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August 15, 2025
Song Hye-kyo and the 'Korean Independence Movement History Guide' she produced and donated Song Hye-kyo, in a move that's as inspiring as it is timely, she's joined forces with Professor Seo Kyung-deok from Sungshin Women's University to...
Northern Mariana Islands’ Tinian embraces digital currency and online gambling regulation
Pasquines
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July 29, 2025
In May 2025, the island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands made headlines by passing groundbreaking legislation that allows the local government to issue its own digital currency, called the “Tinian Stable Token.” This bold move aims to...
Red flags at 9 Saipan sites
Marianas Variety
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(BECQ) — The Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality analyzes water samples collected from Saipan’s west coast recreational beaches and storm drainages every week. Samples collected from the following locations contained excessive...
Harvard team explores postwar landscapes, including Saipan
Marianas Variety
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Authors of “Islands After the War” — Hannah Hardenbergh, Emily Kim, Gio Hur, and Carlo Raimondo — pose at the Quotes Gallery of Harvard Graduate School of Design, where their research was first exhibited in March 2025. Photo by James Leppert ON...
Finance reports ‘modest’ Q3 revenue, cites tourism decline
Marianas Variety
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THE Department of Finance has reported to the Legislature a "modest" revenue collection in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. The total quarterly revenue collection for the third quarter amounted to $37.9 million. In comparison, it was $44.4...
MACS launches new flight routes connecting Saipan, Guam, and Rota
Marianas Variety
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(Special Advertising Feature) — Micronesian Air Connection Services is excited to announce the launch of new flight routes between Saipan and Guam, as well as Guam and Rota, starting July 28, 2025. The expanded service provides greater flexibility...
Airwoman drowns off Chulu Beach
Marianas Variety
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Chulu Beach THE Department of Public Safety has identified a 45-year-old female, an active member of the U.S. Air Force currently deployed to Tinian, as the victim of a drowning incident. In an official statement on Monday, acting DPS Public...
Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan launches exciting dining promos and cultural experiences this August
Marianas Variety
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(Special Advertising Feature) — Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan is serving up fresh flavors, exciting raffles, and vibrant cultural entertainment this August, making it the perfect destination for both residents and visitors to dine, unwind, and...
Harvard team studies Saipan’s ruins and memories
Marianas Variety
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Authors of “Islands After the War” — Hannah Hardenbergh, Emily Kim, Gio Hur, and Carlo Raimondo — pose at the Quotes Gallery of Harvard Graduate School of Design, where their research was first exhibited in March 2025. Photo by James Leppert ON...
Tourism agencies in Guam and Saipan prep offers for the summer
Marianas Business Journal
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The Marianas Visitors Authority anticipates that the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program, or the EVS-TAP related flights from Hong Kong will resume on Sept. 21, allowing the Northern Mariana Islands to welcome more visitors...
Tinian: The Forgotten Island of the Atomic Age
The Diplomat
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July 24, 2025
“You know that whole place used to be sugarcane,” says Quazi, my cab driver from Bangladesh, who has lived in Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands for over 35 years. He’s driving me to the small airport; in just 15 minutes, I’ll be...
Red flags on 3 Saipan, 3 Rota sites
Marianas Variety
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THE Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality analyzed water samples collected from Saipan's east and south recreational beaches this week. Samples collected from the following locations contained excessive concentrations of fecal indicator...
Saipan casino assets to change hands
iGB
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July 22, 2025
As Imperial Pacific International’s bankruptcy case lumbers to a close, the assets of the embattled Saipan casino operator will transfer to a new owner. Hong Kong-listed Imperial Pacific International, which briefly operated the only integrated...
The best of both worlds rolls into Saipan
Marianas Variety
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LOOK! Out on the road! Is it a truck? Is it an SUV? It’s the Hyundai Santa Cruz! You spot it through your rearview mirror on Beach Road — the front of a stylish SUV. Let it pass, and you’ll be looking at the back of a sporty pickup truck. That’s...