GIFF JOHNSON In an unprecedented referendum result, six of seven constitutional amendments received over the 67 percent needed for approval. In contrast, during multiple past constitutional amendment referenda, only two amendments had been endorsed by a two-thirds majority, with the vast majority failing to gain traction for adoption. The only changes endorsed by voters in […]
Have you seen all the fabulous murals featuring children and nutrition themes cropping up all around town? They are at schools, like this one painted on the side of the Majuro Cooperative High School building, and on numerous stores around the island. This is a UNICEF-supported venture to promote awareness of children and their needs. […]
GIFF JOHNSON A deep sea mapping project will focus on the Marshall Islands as one of several islands in the region to have their ocean floors mapped later this year. The Ocean Exploration Trust is partnering with the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority on the upcoming visit of its vessel Nautilus. In addition to partnering […]
GIFF JOHNSON Twenty-five Marshallese young people are mid-way through a life-changing training program — following a path that hundreds more have followed in recent past years. The Waan Aelon in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) program operates a six-month life- and vocational-skills training program that is unlike any other in the Marshall Islands. For […]
GIFF JOHNSON President Donald Trump’s team’s takeover of the United States Institute of Peace, closure of Voice of America, and plan to defund the East-West Center was, perhaps, predictable but is nevertheless undermining US relations in the Pacific region and with allies around the world. All three institutions have been in place for decades, furthering […]
GIFF JOHNSON The Rongelap community, local government leadership, national RMI government leaders, traditional and religious leaders turned out to provide a warm welcome Tuesday at Uliga Dock for the arrival of Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior III. The vessel was greeted by three outrigger canoes from Waan Aelon in Majel as it approached Uliga Dock. Then, […]
GIFF JOHNSON The hull of the missing sea ambulance washed into the Jitoken area of Jaluit Atoll Tuesday this week, following debris from the boat being spotted Monday at Imiej Island. None of the four men on board the boat had been found as of Wednesday this week, 10 days after they departed Majuro. As […]
GIFF JOHNSON The Marshall Islands signed the Treaty of Rarotonga at Monday’s Nuclear Remembrance Day nearly 40 years since the nuclear free zone agreement was initiated. “It was important for us to sign the treaty,” said Acting Foreign Minister and Finance Minister David Paul, who signed the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty Monday with […]
GIFF JOHNSON For decades, the Marshall Islands and other Pacific Islands struggled with how to generate more revenue from the commercial tuna industry. Now, a three-nation agreement signed Monday in Honiara, Solomon Islands, could be the latest game-changer for Pacific fisheries cooperation. Beginning in the 1980s, island nations for the first time began selling licenses […]
Tobolar Copra Processing Authority promoted its range of beauty products for Valentine’s Day last week. The staff put up a booth next to the processing facility and had varieties of coconut soap and coconut oil on sale. Of note is the improved labeling and packaging of the products that made them perfect as gifts for […]
