GIFF JOHNSON The Marshall Islands signed off on the Compact of Free Association Monday in Honolulu, the last of the three freely associated states to renew its Compact relationship with the United States. The signing was held at the East-West Center in Honolulu. East-West Center President Suzanne Vares-Lum hailed the signing as an “historic agreement.” […]
Climate Envoy Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner delivered a statement at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg, Germany late last month on behalf of the Pacific Community (SPC). The testimony was delivered in front of the 21 judges of ITLOS and included testimony from the Director of SPC’s Geoscience, Energy and Maritime […]
WILMER JOEL The late Dr. Irene Taafaki, the former president of the College of the Marshall Islands, was buried Sunday next to her Blue Lagoon home, close to the Baha’i House of Worship. Her life was honored with a three-day memorial service that included a candlelight vigil, funeral, and burial. Dr. Irene’s casket was transported […]
In the first session of the 2023 Oceania Weightlifting Federation’s (OWF) Youth, Junior and U23 Championships in Apia, Samoa last week, Marshall Islands weightlifters started strong with Mike Riklon winning the gold medal in the under-23 category in his 55kg (121 pounds). Not only is he now the reigning Oceania U23 Champion, but his six-for-six […]
New Marshall Islands Ambassador to Washington Charles “Akeke” Paul was sworn into office last week Monday in Washington, DC. The ceremony was conducted by High Court Chief Justice Carl Ingram, who was in Majuro, through a Zoom link with the RMI Embassy in Washington. President David Kabua and First Lady Ginger Shoniber Kabua attended the […]
KAREN EARNSHAWA woman who had an outsized impact on education in the Marshall Islands died unexpectedly in Majuro last week. Dr. Irene Taafaki, whose positions ranged from Secretary of Education to Director of the University of the South Pacific Campus to President of the College of the Marshall Islands, was a life-long educator who supported […]
A year ago Waan Aelon in Majel lost its building to a fire. Last week, WAM broke ground for a new building that will be constructed with the help of Majuro Atoll Local Government, the United States and Australian governments, Council of Indigenous People of Taiwan, K&K Island Pride Supermarket, Iroojlaplap Mike Kabua, MISCo and […]
Majuro Nitijela Member and retired US Army veteran Kalani Kaneko has been named by the US Veterans Administration to chair a new Congressionally-established advisory committee. In a September 13 letter to Kaneko, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough said he was appointing Kaneko as chairman of the new Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on […]
President David Kabua was among a select group of world leaders invited by the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the Climate Ambition Summit in New York last week. Guterres aim for the summit was to set the bar high for “ambition” on climate action, inviting leaders of countries who had announcements to make […]
GIFF JOHNSONThe absurdity of the US State Department’s position that new money under the Compact, purportedly for the Marshall Islands nuclear legacy, cannot actually be used for any purpose related to the nuclear legacy, was pointed out in a letter by American Samoa Congresswoman Amata Radewagen to the chairmen of the two committees in the […]
