Marshall Islands

Hilda Heine elected Marshalls president

She secured 24 votes in the 33-member legislature.

Her election comes a day after a no confidence motion removed Casten Nemra, who had been sworn in last week.

Ms Heine has been the education minister and is the founder of Women United Together Marshall Islands.

Marshalls motion set for today

Mr Nemra was only inaugurated a week ago, after winning the presidency by a one-vote margin in the 33-seat parliament earlier this month.

The opposition won a vote in parliament today for the motion to be put tomorrow.

Nemra elected Marshall Islands President

By a narrow vote, newcomer Casten Nemra, who is 44, defeated seven-term parliament veteran Alvin Jacklick, 17-16.

Nemra's election on his first day in the parliament representing Jaluit Atoll is another first for the Marshall Islands.

The election reflects the back room maneuvering in the lead up to Monday's election by members of the government of the outgoing President Christopher Loeak, who were led by Kwajalein Senator and traditional chief Michael Kabua.

Marshall Islands & St Lucia spearhead work of Coalition of High Ambition Nations

Called the Coalition of High Ambition Nations, the two ministers from Marshall Islands and St Lucia took centre stage at the media conference room at Le Bourget Saturday to explain the work the group has been involved in the past week of negotiations, in their effort to step up support for the goals of the small and vulnerable nations at the frontline of climate change.

Marshall Islands 'Will Go Under' If the Paris Climate talks fail: Minister

The roughly 50,000 people who call the Marshalls home are facing rising sea levels, increasingly violent storms, drought and flooding.

Last year, an especially high tide inundated several of the islands, including Majuro, the largest and most populous. Parts of the island were under water. Hundreds of people had to flee their houses. The president said later that his people “stand to lose everything.”

German dies while diving Bikini World War II wrecks

The remains of German Hans Erich Volborth were being flown to Majuro yesterday from the distant northern atoll in the Marshalls group.

The 75-year-old diver was reported to have died after he separated from a group that was diving on the World War II naval wrecks on Bikini's lagoon floor.

Bikini was the site of 24 American nuclear tests in the 1940s and 1950s, including one that sank a fleet of U.S. and Japanese navy vessels.

US deports steady stream of Marshall Islanders

For the past 15 years, Marshall Islanders have been deported from the United States at an annual rate of 16 per year, according to government data.

But the numbers increased dramatically from 2011.

The larger numbers also coincide with ongoing heavy out-migration to the United States that has seen an average of over 1,000 islanders leaving to the U.S. annually since the late 1990s.

More than 30,000 Marshall Islanders are estimated to be living in the U.S.  

US deports steady stream of Marshall Islanders

Government data indicates that over the past 15 years, there's a rate of sixteen deportations of Marshall Islanders per year.

While there's been a slight decline in the deportation rate this year, overall the numbers have increased dramatically from 2011. It coincides with ongoing heavy Marshallese out-migration to the US, with an average of over 1,000 islanders leaving to the US annually since the late 1990s.

US office urges review of Marshall Islands, Micronesia trust fund strategies

This is a question the latest economic review of the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia, issued last week, suggests should be asked by officials from these two north Pacific nations.

The Graduate School USA, which produces annual economic reports on these three U.S.-affiliated nations, includes an assessment in the reports of the U.S.-funded national trust funds now being capitalized to provide a funding source to the island governments when U.S grant funding ends after 2023.

Visiting doctor sees expansion of Marshalls health training options

 who is assisting health authorities and the College of the Marshall Islands to establish nurse practitioner and public health training programs for existing health staff.

During a visit to Majuro, Dever, who is based in Palau, said he was delighted to see that six public health nurses had graduated from the local college’s certificate program, and seven more are in the pipeline and will graduate soon.

Nurse supervisor “Hillia Langrine said there have been noticeable improvements as a result of this certificate training at the college,” said Dever.