By BRIAN GALLAGHER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: 08:15 GMT, 2 December 2024 | Updated: 08:30 GMT, 2 December 2024

Dwayne Johnson returned to his home state of Hawaii over the weekend, where he spent some time with some brave men and women of the U.S. military.

The 52-year-old actor shared photos of him interacting with servicemen and servicewomen at Pearl Harbor in Oahu over the weekend on his verified social media pages.

The outing came as his hit animated sequel Moana 2 broke box office records by becoming the biggest debut ever over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The first photo Johnson shared on X (formerly Twitter) showed him posing with a big group of servicemen and servicewomen, many of whom were showcasing a ‘shaka’ hand signal.

The next image showed Johnson shaking hands with a female soldier named Lara while another showed him meeting another servicewoman and her family.

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The final image showed him shaking hands with a serviceman while wearing a green lei for the outing.   

Dwayne Johnson returned to his home state of Hawaii over the weekend, where he spent some time with some brave men and women of the U.S. military.

The final image showed him shaking hands with a serviceman while wearing a green lei for the outing

‘My absolute honor to once again come back to scared land, and spend time with our soldiers and their families at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam here in Oahu, Hawaii,’ Johnson began.

‘Boundlessly grateful to all our military men and women & their families for their service. A great day to look you in your eyes and shake your hands and loved all the daps, hugs, tears and selfies too,’ he added.

‘God bless you, and your families. Forever a proud patriot as our freedom is our greatest privilege,’ he concluded.

Just days earlier Johnson hit the red carpet for the Hawaiian premiere of Moana 2 before it’s massive debut at the box office.

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Moana 2 took in $135.5 million over the traditional 3-day weekend and a massive $221 million since opening on Wednesday.

The tally easily shattered the previous five-day Thanksgiving haul of $125 million set by Disney’s Frozen II.

The animated sequel opened in a strong 4,200 theaters and took in a massive $32,261 per-screen average.

It also took in an additional $165.3 million in overseas markets for a whopping global debut of $386 million.

‘My absolute honor to once again come back to scared land, and spend time with our soldiers and their families at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam here in Oahu, Hawaii,’ Johnson began.

‘God bless you, and your families. Forever a proud patriot as our freedom is our greatest privilege,’ he concluded.

Just days earlier Johnson hit the red carpet for the Hawaiian premiere of Moana 2 before it’s massive debut at the box office

That worldwide tally marks the second highest debut of 2024 behind Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine’s $438 million

That worldwide tally marks the second highest debut of 2024 behind Disney’s Deadpool & Wolverine’s $438 million.

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Johnson can also be seen on the big screen in the holiday adventure Red One, starring alongside Chris Evans and J.K. Simmons.

That film hasn’t quite found the same box office success as Moana 2, taking in $148.6 million worldwide after three frames at the box office.

He’ll next be seen in The Smashing Machine and he’s currently filming the live-action version of Moana, where he returns as Maui. 

Beijing lodges ‘serious protests’ with the US saying it ‘strongly condemns’ Taiwanese leader’s stopover in Hawaii, Guam.

China has pledged “resolute countermeasures” following the United States’ decision to approve more arms sales to Taiwan, just hours before the island’s President William Lai Ching-te made a transit through the state of Hawaii, which further angered Beijing.

In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the US arms sale to Taiwan sends “a wrong signal” to the island’s  Taiwan independence forces and undermines US-China relations.

“China will closely follow the developments and take resolute and strong measures to defend our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it added.

The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei, to the constant anger of Beijing.

Taiwan rejects China’s claims of sovereignty.

The US State Department had approved the potential sale, worth an estimated $385m, of spare parts and support for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan, hours before Lai began his trip to three Pacific nations, with stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.

In a separate statement issued by a Foreign Ministry spokesman on Sunday, China said it “strongly condemned” the US for “arranging” Lai’s stopover, during which he was welcomed by Hawaii Governor Josh Green.

The statement added that it has “lodged serious protests with the US”.

The ministry added it firmly opposes any official exchanges between the US and Taiwan.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and the most important issue in its relations with Washington, strongly dislikes Lai, calling him a “separatist”.

During Lai’s transit in Hawaii, he visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour, during which he said the US and Taiwan should “fight together to prevent war”.

“Peace is priceless, and war has no winners,” he said.

Looking relaxed in a Hawaiian shirt, Lai was given the “red carpet treatment” on the tarmac of Honolulu’s international airport, according to his office, which said it was the first time a Taiwanese president had been given such a welcome.

He was met by Governor Green as well as Ingrid Larson, managing director in Washington of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

In his first public speech of the weeklong trip, Lai said he was “grateful” to the US for its assistance in helping to ensure the success of the tour.

After Hawaii, Lai will visit Taiwan’s allies, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau – the only Pacific island nations among the 12 countries that recognise Taiwan’s claim to statehood.

HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii County will have a new mayor Monday, and he says he’s ready to hit the ground running.

Mayor-Elect Kimo Alameda is new to public office but not new to government, having served under mayors Billy Kenoi and Harry Kim. His campaign focused on bringing change and transparency to government.

Alameda is a staunch advocate for geographic equity, which is why the Hilo native says his inauguration ceremony will be in Kona on Monday at noon. It is expected to draw at least 1,000 people.

He said his first priority is to connect with the staff and assess the needs of all the county departments, in particular the wait times for building permits and obstacles to constructing more affordable housing. He said he’s considering improvements like third party reviews and shot-clock deadlines.

Alameda draws from a range of experience from various positions, including as a school counselor and special education teacher at the state Department of Education.

He later served in the Department of Health Children’s Division as a statewide transition specialist and as head of the Adult Mental Health Division’s Office of Multicultural Services and the Office of Health Equity.

He also advocates for healthcare equity on an island plagued by a shortage of doctors in rural areas and a growing aging population.

As head of the fentanyl task force, he also plans to address drugs and homelessness.

He said he also plans to focus on emergency response to natural disasters in Hawaii County, the handling of cesspools and what’s next for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).

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