KPress Vol. 21 Iss. 14
Jaynes, Bill (2021-07-07). KPress Vol. 21 Iss. 14 (PDF) (Report). Kolonia, Pohnpei: Kaselehlie Press.
- Has attachment: File:4WC6FEAA.pdf
Abstract: KPress Vol. 21 Iss. 14: NEWS: Micronesian youth organizations in Hawaiʻi organize the first “Jungle Basketball Summer Tournament” on Oʻahu, with teams from Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and the Marshall Islands, and community leaders including Shanty Asher and President David W. Panuelo framing the event as violence-prevention and youth leadership development following a recent shooting involving Micronesian youth; FSM Supreme Court Associate Justice Beauleen Carl-Worswick upholds an international arbitration award ordering the FSM government to pay more than $8.5 million plus interest to Pacific International Inc. over the terminated Weno road contract in Chuuk, rejecting FSM arguments against arbitrability and entering the award as a final judgment; the U.S. State Department’s 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report again ranks the FSM at Tier 2, detailing patterns of sex and labor trafficking involving fishing vessels, foreign workers, and Micronesian women and girls, while listing specific prosecution outcomes and sentencing weaknesses and issuing prioritized recommendations for law enforcement and victim protection; the U.S. Embassy in Kolonia hosts a restricted Independence Day reception themed “Vaccines Bring Us Closer,” with Chargé d’Affaires Kristin Westphal, Deputy Foreign Affairs Secretary Ricky Cantero, and announcements tied to COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and Compact of Free Association negotiations; the International Organization for Migration, with Australian support, distributes dignity kits to health agencies in Chuuk, Yap, and Kosrae as part of COVID-19 and gender-based violence response programming; the Micronesia Conservation Trust and partner institutions announce full-ride graduate scholarships to Sophia University for FSM citizens Natasha Gorong and Tara Arnold under the Micronesia Challenge framework; Micronesia Conservation Trust is re-accredited as a National Implementing Entity of the Adaptation Fund through 2026, restoring access to up to $5 million for climate adaptation projects; FSM and Australia conclude a Defense Cooperation Dialogue focused on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, maritime surveillance, and delivery of Guardian-class patrol boats, with statements by Justice Secretary Joses Gallen and President Panuelo; President Panuelo, Chuuk Governor Alexander Narruhn, and Speaker Wesley Simina launch the Asian Development Bank-funded Low-Income Assistance Program in Chuuk, outlining eligibility, verification through municipal governments, and projected household coverage; FSM signs a memorandum with Australia to continue medicine quality testing through the Pacific Medicine Testing Program; OPINION / EDITORIAL: Honolulu Civil Beat commentary by Chad Blair reports U.S. Representatives Ed Case and Kai Kahele urging President Biden to appoint a special envoy for Compact renewal, emphasizing strategic, social, and economic stakes, and a full-page advocacy insert from the People’s Republic of China Embassy marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China.
