The elderly man climbed out of his Honda CRV parked along the State Street curb in Heuvelton, clutched his cane and started his steady trek up a small incline to the village diner. The morning sun was behind him, casting his shadow to the sidewalk slightly ahead of him, as if his legend was the guide. He then passed under an American flag proudly waving outside of the veteran-owned eatery and walked inside, where as usual, he was warmly welcomed.
âI didnât use to be this slow, until about four years ago. Iâd run into back problems,â Douglas A. White told me as he took a seat at a table with some of his friends at L.E.AâS diner.
The Marshall Islands has issued a plea for help and a call to action at the US Leaders Summit on Climate Change.
Addressing the virtual meeting on Friday, President David Kabua laid out the existential threat facing his country and the Pacific.
Five Marshall Islanders in a small boat drifted into Jaluit Atoll after nine days of drifting
Photo: RNZ Pacific / Giff Johnson
Kabua is the lone Pacific leader invited by US President Joe Biden to the two-day talks.
Kabua shared the stage with the world s biggest economies and pressured those he said held the Pacific s future in their hands.
PACNEWS - News reader pina.com.fj - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pina.com.fj Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Marshall Islands has dramatically increased the number of citizens being repatriated, while reducing mandatory quarantine requirements.
In addition, with over 70 percent of its urban population now vaccinated with a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Ministry of Health and Human Services is gearing up to take its vaccine programme to remote outer islands.
A quarantine centre in Majuro
Photo: RNZ Pacific / Giff Johnson
Important developments this week on the Marshallese repatriation programme include a shortening of the quarantine time and increased numbers of people returning.
At last Thursday s Cabinet meeting, Marshall Islands leaders endorsed a Ministry of Health and Human Services/National Disaster Committee recommendation to reduce the quarantine time at the Kwajalein Army base from three to two weeks.