Economy Archive May 2009

Minister of Planning Hon. Steve Abana has underscored the importance of climate change and its impact on Pacific ACP States, especially Solomon Islands.

The Salvation Army of Papua New Guinea has officially delivered 15 houses to families who lost their homes during the unfortunate 2007 April 2 tsunami disaster.

The new Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Wayne Buchhorn was sworn in to office and warmly welcomed by the RSIPF Executive.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua said his 25-day tour of three Asian countries was a success.

Solomon Airlines and Air Niugini have agreed on a revised Terms of Code-Share Agreement to and from Fiji.

Rapid response by Royal Solomon Islands Police Force's Fire Services helped save the YWCA kindergarten building from total destruction yesterday afternoon.

Police have arrested a man and his wife at Mbokona heights for brewing kwaso at their home, after Police gathered information on the illegal activities and raided their property.

Police yesterday raided a private residence at Soso village at Tetere and arrested two men aged in their 30s for illegally brewing the home brewed liquor, Kwaso.

The Minister of Health and Medical Services, Hon. Martin Maga is reported to be recovering well at Saint Vincent Hospital in Sydney, Australia.

The Central Bank of Solomon Islands, CBSI, says it strongly believes a number of fake one hundred dollar and fifty dollar local notes are circulating in the country.

A joint patrol by law enforcement agencies to tackle illegal activities on Honiara harbour led to the seizure of a large quantity of liquor and cigarettes yesterday morning at Point Cruz harbour.

A West Guadalcanal man was today refused bail and remanded in custody for another fortnight after appearing in Honiara Magistrate's Court over money laundering offences.

As the country faces the real possibility of a rise in HIV-positive cases next year, Solomon Islands is still without specific laws to deal with HIV and AIDS prevention and management.

World Ocean Conference and Coral Triangle Initiative participants should urgently consider nutrient pollution is killing coral as photographic evidence indicates, not CO<sup style='color: black'>2</sup> induced climate change. Wrong diagnosis can be fatal.

The 89th Session ACP Council of Ministers opened today with the second five-yearly revision of the Cotonou Agreement with the European Union, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs), and threats of the financial crisis to ACP member states, among the major issues to be discussed.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua has requested the Japanese government to consider funding more projects in tertiary education, renewable energy and mining sectors under its next funding cycle.

Christians in Solomon Islands have been invited to participate in the Global Day of Prayer this coming Sunday, 31st May.

Communities on Gela Islands in the Central Islands Province are demanding answers from responsible government authorities after their fishing project applications were unsuccessful.

Leaders and people of Central Islands Province have called on responsible National Government authorities to create two additional constituencies to help address inadequacies in the distribution of government funded projects in the province.

Prominent Honiara lawyer and owner of A and A Legal Services, Charles Ashley is facing two lawsuits for allegedly swindling more than SBD$ 2 million dollars of trust funds belonging to former clients.

The RSIPF Sexual Assault unit is appealing to the public for eyewitnesses, to the alleged rape of a 19 year old student near the Chinatown Bridge around 7pm on Friday.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank have pledged to provide funding support to Solomon Islands to address budgetary and balance of payment challenges attributed to the impacts of the global economic crisis.

"The office of the Chief Trade Advisor (OCTA) will be extremely important to us, not just during negotiations, but in helping us to get ready for PACER Plus," Director of Trade Heinz Vaekesa said after returning from a recent trip to Vanuatu.

Prime Minister Derek Sikua and delegation yesterday in Tokyo met with various Japanese leaders of the Japan-Solomon Islands Friendship Association.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police have warned they will be targeting the illegal trade and drinking of kwaso as well as people going armed in public without lawful cause.

The family of the Late Billy Toito'ona, who was stabbed to death last weekend, has demanded SBD$200,000 in compensation for the fatal incident.

The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is to build 200 houses for the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) over the next four years with funds granted in the latest Australian budget.

The fire safety knowledge of bank staff from the ANZ Bank's Point Cruz branch was put to the test early this morning when the Police Fire Service initiated a fire evacuation drill at 8.30am.

Police Commissioner Peter Marshall today urged all parties to show calm after major disturbances at Kaibia Heights last night activated call outs of the police tactical squads.

The Government has announced an indefinite freeze on recruitment to vacant positions, as well as on the creation of new positions within the Solomon Islands public service.

Desperate is the best word to describe the current situation at Bulu, a small community in south Malaita. During freak storms in early April, more than two hundred homes were flattened.

Marine Police helped the Solomon Islands Red Cross distribute 11 water tanks from Honiara to Malu'u in Malaita and Marasa on the Weather Coast during the past week.

The Australian High Commission today announced its support for 2009 SOLO ICON, at a handover ceremony held at the Ministry of Women, Youth and Children, where Deputy High Commissioner, Alison Duncan, handed over a cheque for SBD30, 000 to Global Youth Leadership Nexus.

The Giants of Honiara football are consolidating their strength in preparation for the coming Our Telekom National Club Championship. KOSSA, Makuru and Uncles have all booked a place while Koloale returns as the defending champion. The national club championship will kick off on Monday 25 May 2009.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands, CBSI, Denton Rarawa, says the economic preliminary indicators for the first quarter of 2009 show mixed outcomes.

The Ministry of Women, Youth and Children's Affairs has officially launched a nationwide awareness campaign on the Temporary Special Measures (TSM) concept.

Construction work is expected to start soon on the development of Doma township, West Honiara.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua will attend a three days Japan-Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, PALM 5, in Hokkaido, Japan, starting Thursday this week.

The Inland Revenue Division, the Solomon Islands Government agency that collects taxes and other revenue within the country, is to be supported for another five years by the Regional Assistance Mission.

Solomon Islands Development Trust (SIDT) will conduct a disaster preparedness training for Simbo Islanders from the 18th -22nd of May at Lengana Village Simbo Island, Western Province.

Two young men have died and two others seriously wounded in a series of stabbing incidents in Honiara over the weekend.

New Zealand has named career diplomat, Mark Ramsden, as its next High Commissioner to Solomon Islands.

Australia's combined bilateral and regional development assistance to Solomon Islands will increase by AUD$9.8 million bringing the total of 2009-10 to AUD$246.2 million dollars.

Detectives with Royal Solomon Islands Police Force's Central Honiara Criminal Investigation Department are urgently seeking public assistance to identify offenders involved in a brutal stabbing on Monday.

Australia and Solomon Islands are working together to increase cocoa production and improve road rehabilitation and maintenance in Malaita. This partnership will provide jobs for Solomon Islanders, economic stimulus for Malaita and better access for rural communities to towns and markets.

Acting Prime Minister, Fred Fono has officially witnessed a joint Riot Demonstration Exercise carried out by the Solomon Islands Police Force (SIPF) and the RAMSI Participating Police Force (PPF) at the Rove Police Grounds today.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force's Fraud Squad officers have arrested a man accused of masterminding a local money-laundering scheme, after seizing $200,000 cash from his Mbokona home.

Acting Prime Minister Fred Fono (MP) has welcomed the appointment of two new government ministers to Cabinet following a ministerial reshuffle exercise on May 5.

Solomon Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, William Haomae says ongoing consultations on the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is crucial to ensure necessary adjustments are made to match the changing situation in Solomon Islands.

Honiara Magistrate's court today remanded in custody a murder suspect for the death of a 25-year-old woman at Lungga River in March.

The Rural Constituency Development Fund, RCDF, has been released to government by Taiwan.

Acting Prime Minister Fred Fono MP has launched the Solomon Islands Economic Advisory Council in Honiara yesterday.

The European Union is opening up areas where it had not gone through before in assisting developing countries.

Ex-Selwyn college students studying and working in Fiji have rendered assistance to Selwyn college school with a new school projector.

Police in Lata have launched a search for seven adult men who have been missing since Saturday.

Murder suspect, Stanley Gitoa, who escaped from lawful detention in 2007, says he will remain in hiding from law enforcement authorities until he is guaranteed the opportunity to speak with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, TRC.

Solomon Airlines last Friday were given notice by Our Airline that their B737 aircraft would not be available until Sunday due to some maintenance issues.

A new Auditor General and a new Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Forestry were sworn in before the Governor General Sir Nathaniel Waena at Government House this morning.

A former board chairman to Solomon Airlines, now Minister for Education Mathew Wale says the national airline needs less politicization of its board appointments and a more commercial approach by the board and management.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, SPC, is assisting the Solomon Islands forestry industry conduct a study on the development of a market information system for the country's timbers.

The Pacific Partnership mission will take place this summer, although not aboard USS Dubuque (LPD 8) because of concerns the H1N1 virus could be spread.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force will test its operational responses by rehearsing a Joint Capability Exercise at Rove Prison and the Rove assembly ground this morning until May 13.

Peter Shanel has won the Central Guadalcanal election, winning by a majority of 798.

The Solomon Islands government has handed over half a million Solomon dollars to the Australian High Commission in Honiara this morning to support the fire victims of Australia.

The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands today presented the inaugural Special Coordinator's Media Encouragement Award to Solomon Star newspaper photographer, Charles Kadamana.

An airline spokesperson said that a new schedule, now under development and in the process of being circulated, would see the Airlines operating on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Brisbane to Honiara with a direct return service to Brisbane at prime times.

The Solomon Airlines confirmed yesterday, during a brief ceremony, that it has signed a strategic agreement to bring into its Brisbane operation, an Airbus 320-200 aircraft.

A US Navy trip to the Solomon Islands has been cancelled after the discovery of a swine flu case aboard one of the San Diego-based Navy ship.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua has announced the much anticipated reshuffling of Ministers in his year old government.

A dead foetus was found in a bottle at Town Ground area over the weekend.

A recent survey of coral reefs around Tetepare Island, in the Western Province, has confirmed the islands reefs are in excellent health.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua will leave the country today to attend high level meetings in three Asian countries including the Republic of China (Taiwan), Indonesia and Japan.

Transparency Solomon Islands, TSI, in its ongoing efforts to raise people's awareness on corruption, is hosting a Free Public Lecture today at 5pm at the Star Events Conference Room, Tongs Building.

Solomon Airlines, in a press statement, said that they would be terminating the current code-share agreement, on the Solomon Islands and Fiji route, currently operated by Solomon Airlines and Air Niugini.

Prime Minister Derek Sikua has embarked on a major reshuffle amongst certain Permanent Secretaries.

The Tetepare Descendants' Association (TDA) is celebrating a record-breaking turtle hatching season on Tetepare Island in the Western Province.

Mr. Knut Ostby, the newly appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, presented his credentials to Prime Minister Dr. Derek Sikua this morning.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu from South Africa has left Honiara after an eventful three days' visit to the capital.

Solomon Airlines announced today that they have begun the long awaited company re-structure that will see some positional changes and streamlining of departments with effect from Friday 1st May.