GIFF JOHNSON and HILARY HOSIA Last week’s signing of an MOU for the Compact of Free Association was momentous for the Marshall Islands and the United States, coming less than a year since RMI Foreign Minister Kitlang Kabua took up her post and US Special Envoy Joseph Yun was named by President Biden to head […]
GIFF JOHNSON The Marshall Islands is facing hard times — prices of food, fuel and other goods have skyrocketed, while worker salaries have remained stagnant. This was a message delivered repeatedly by President David Kabua during his address to the nation at Monday’s Nitijela opening. Kabua said Covid, climate change and the war in Ukraine […]
The Nitijela is expected to return to session this week Thursday to hear the report of the Appropriation Committee on the proposed $297.5 million FY2023 national budget. The committee wrapped up a week of public hearings Monday this week. The hearings were briefer than some past years due to Nitijela opening the third week of […]
HILARY HOSIA Leaders of the nation began their first Parliament meeting of the August session Monday with a moment of silence to honor the 14 Marshallese who passed away from Covid since the pandemic reached the shores of the RMI August 8. A few minutes into the session, Speaker Kenneth Kedi called for an off air […]
The small community of Lib Island celebrated the launching of the new Lib Island boat pass dock project with a groundbreaking ceremony last week. The over $1 million project will improve access to Lib, which is a single island surrounded by reef making it difficult to access the island from the ocean. Pacific International Inc. […]
Taiwan Ambassador Jeffrey SC Hsiao, on behalf of the Taipei City government and Chiayi County government, handed over a reconditioned fire truck and garbage truck to the Majuro Atoll Local Government late last month.In addition, the ambassador donated six new firefighter suits to MALGov’s fire department on behalf of the the Rotary D-3470 Club of […]
WILMER JOEL The Majuro Taxi Drivers Association made history in late April by holding a momentous ceremony for the inauguration of their newly elected officers at the Chiyaya Anmontha Park in Jenrok. It was the first time for the association to do this in the 50 years since its establishment and it produced attendance of […]
GIFF JOHNSON Col. Jeremy Bartel was called to honor by Nitijela Monday in what Speaker Kenneth Kedi said was an unprecedented ceremony in the chamber. Bartel flew into Majuro Monday for the ceremony in the Chamber and was joined by US Ambassador Roxanne Cabral for the event. The Nitijela session started off as usual with […]
GIFF JOHNSON At a time when most people’s focus has turned to jeptas, holiday parties, shopping and family gatherings, this December has featured an usual development. Nitijela and the Cabinet are in a dust up over several public hearings scheduled by chairmen last week, one of which the Cabinet cut off from V7AB radio broadcast […]
GIFF JOHNSON The US Army Garrison, Kwajalein Atoll had its first long-distance brush with coronavirus when one of the 15 base workers scheduled to return this week tested positive for Covid-19 in Honolulu prior to departing for Kwajalein. Contract tracing by Army authorities identified three others in the intending repatriation group to have had contact […]