Marshall Islands

“The status quo won’t cut it,” said Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority Director Director Glen Joseph Friday about current levels of fishing for bigeye. “We need to take action now while we have the opportunity or the stock will crash.”

Following repeated scientific reports stating that bigeye is being overfished, “this is a concern that everyone shares,” Joseph said.

“The difficulty is getting everyone to agree on a meaningful measure (to conserve bigeye).”

de Brum was responding to the release in Australia today that it plans to cut carbon emissions by at least 26 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030. 

“As with Prime Minister Abbott’s attempt to ignore climate change when hosting the G20 last year, this will send a serious shudder through the Pacific and raise concern amongst its closest allies, including the United States and Europe.”

The annual summit of the presidents of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands allow them to exchange views and information on national, regional and international issues of interest.

It is also an excellent opportunity for the three presidents to have frank exchanges on how they can better address common concerns and collectively explore solutions.

The bill became Public Law 19-2 after Torres signed it on Tuesday. It was authored by Senator Teresita Santos of Rota.

According to the new law, the CNMI does not have an official capital despite being an island chain that consists of the islands of Saipan, Rota, Tinian and the Northern Islands.

Saipan has the largest population and a larger landmass among these islands.

Saipan is the most suitable island to be the official capital of the CNMI in that it is also the location of the central government and most government entities, the new law stated.

The country ranks the worst out of all island Pacific nations in the US State Department's Trafficking in Persons Report 2015.

The Marshall Islands' poor record revolves around the capital Majuro's role as a port of call for foreign fishing and transhipping vessels.

It says Marshall Islands girls are recruited by foreign business owners to engage in prostitution with crew members of the vessels.

It also says some Chinese women are recruited with promises of legitimate work and forced into prostitution after paying large recruitment fees.

The atoll is home to the Runit concrete dome, constructed in 1979 to temporarily store radioactive waste produced from nuclear testing by the United States military during the Cold War.

The typhoon caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure on the atoll when it hit on July the 5th.

Residents have expressed concerns about cracks which are slowly developing in the dome's concrete surface.

Our correspondent Giff Johnson says the storm would have churned up lagoon sediment which is laced with radioactive waste.

Immigration Director Damien Jacklick said Friday that based both on complaints from the public and data compiled by Immigration, there are a large number of I-Kiribati who have over-stayed their visas and are currently in the country illegally.

A report on the number of resident aliens in the Marshall Islands in 2015 issued last week by Immigration shows 47 I-Kiribati registered to live in the Marshall Islands.