Latest News Archive September 2010

News Release - HONOLULU - The US Environmental Protection Agency today applauds the Governor, Legislature and residents of America Samoa for enacting restrictions banning plastic shopping bags - reducing their waste and protecting the environment in a single action.

A leading Solomon Islands opposition politician, Mathew Wale, says winding up the Regional Assistance Mission within six years is possible, but it would be pushing the limit.

The President of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force's Senior and Subordinate Officers' Association (SPOA), Inspector Jack Balaga stated that the allegations and call for the removal of Police Commissioner Peter Marshall by the Solomon Islands Public Employees Union (SIPEU) are despicable and unfounded.

Solomon Islands' has won its first match at the OFC Women's Nations Cup, and in doing so jotted down their biggest ever victory at senior women's level.

An Observer Group from the Commonwealth, which observed the Solomon Islands National Parliamentary Elections of 4 August 2010, has produced its final report detailing the generally sound orchestration of the nation's elections, but raising a few key issues on which the country needs to improve upon.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sold $232.2 million in Clean Energy Bonds to support its renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in Asia and the Pacific.

Press Release - Tonga and Tuvalu are the newest signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to protect cetaceans in the Pacific islands region.

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister is expected to include constitutional reforms in the government's first policy document, which is due to be launched this week.

Solomon Island import, Cummins Menapi, flew to Fiji yesterday and has joined the Nadi team camp as they seek to lift the much coveted Courts IDC trophy.

Two leading medical practitioners in Solomon Islands say two of the eight Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved by the 2015 deadline.

NEW YORK, USA (23 September 2010) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today signed a major agreement, joining forces across Asia and the Pacific region to fight disparities, reduce poverty, and ensure that equitable and sustainable development benefits all children.

An international organization, Shift2Neutral, has partnered with a local Solomon Islands group to try and start a Carbon Project to protect millions of hectares against deforestation.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force will commemorate its fallen officers during the Police Blue Ribbon Memorial Service today morning.

Save the Children will officially open a sexual and reproductive health resource centre in Honiara today.

The Solomon Islands contingent to the recent 4th Melanesian Arts Festival in New Caledonia has done pride to the country when they topped the Cultural Arts and Performance category during the Festival.

The Prime Minister says it should be free of intervention, writes Daniel Flitton of the Sydney Morning Herald in Honiara.

Five franchise routes have been awarded to three ship operators, allowing the first scheduled voyages of ships to remote areas of Solomon Islands, under the Domestic Maritime Support Project.

Prime Minister, Danny Philip, reiterated his governments desire to change the current unitary system of government.

NEW YORK, USA - Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda said today that Asia and the Pacific, home to three-fifths of humanity and two-thirds of the world's poor, represented the world's best hope for achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Solomon Islands stands to benefit from a USD$40 million pledge from developed members of the UN.

Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Peter Shanel, joined other Pacific Island Leaders in a United Nations summit, to reiterate the fact that if the developed world wants developing countries to meet all eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015, then they will have to provide more help.

The Australian Development Counsellor in Solomon Islands, Juliette Brassington, today announced that eight Solomon Islands high performers will be offered a prestigious Australian Leadership Award (ALA) Scholarship for 2011.

The Solomon Islands has failed to capitalize on the hugely popular "The Pacific" mini series, produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman.

Asia-Pacific Countries Still Have Opportunity to Turn Robust Growth into Anti-Poverty Success

It had all the hallmarks of a grand final, a young Marist side looking to turn the table on Diesel Services following a loss to them earlier in the year and the latter looking to teach them another sour lesson in losing. The result was eighty minutes of hard rugby.

The Earth Island Institute team successfully negotiated an end to a 450 year tradition of killing dolphins with three of eight tribes in the Solomon Islands.

The government of Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has carried out climate vulnerability assessments on 14 atoll islands in the states of Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap.

Shares in Solomon Gold soared and at one point nearly doubled after the company announced the assay results from initial surface sampling on its 100% owned Fauro Island project in the Solomon Islands. The stock was still trading up 62% at midday.

Honiara City Council's Constitutional Congress team has started its meetings on the feedback of the 1st 2009 Draft Federal Constitution yesterday with about a third of invited participants in attendance.

Press Release - The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has a new road map which comes into effect next year. During the 21st Meeting of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme the "SPREP Strategic Plan 2011 - 2015" was adopted by environment ministers and SPREP Members.

A former public solicitor in Solomon Islands says legal procedures for handling ethnic tensions cases must be improved.

Press Release - Ministers and Heads of Delegation attending the 21SM renewed their commitment to biodiversity conservation and affirmed that biological diversity is the foundation of the well-being of our communities and cultures.

Excitement is certainly growing within government circles with experts revealing, based on research and exploration, that highly lucrative gold deposits were found on Fauro Island.

Fiji's biggest newspaper, The Fiji Times, has been bought from the Australian-owned News Limited in accordance with the country's newly implemented media decree.

Nine election petitions have been lodged at the High Court so far.

New shipping services to seven of Solomon Islands most remote Island groups begin this month.

Seventy-four Spanish speaking Solomon Islanders studying medicine in Cuba have successfully completed its first academic year in July 2010.

The Solomon Islands chief electoral officer says it's unlikely the petitions against the recent election results in the High Court will be heard before the end of the year.

A new kindergarten in Harabau Community, Aruligo, will open today, following support from Save the Children's Youth Outreach Participation Project (YOPP).

Solomon Gold says sampling at its Fauro Island project in the Shortland Islands, West Solomons, indicates 'significant' gold mineralization.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Japan are extending grants totaling $3 million for a cash-for-work scheme and other pilot social support programs for vulnerable groups in the Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, and Tonga.

The Solomon Islands Member of Parliament for North Malaita and Fisheries Minister, Jimmy Lusibaea, will appear before the High Court later this year for offences he allegedly committed in 2002.

The Solomon Islands National Provident Fund and Tri Marine have invested in Soltai fisheries.

Fiji's Commerce Commission has reportedly turned down an offer by Fiji Sun, one of Fiji's newspaper companies, to purchase the country's longest running newspaper, The Fiji Times.

The family of an Australian citizen found hanged in his Solomon Islands villa are demanding that Australian authorities investigate the death, which local police say was a suicide.

Another two election petitions have been lodged at the High Court - bringing the total number of election petitions to three.

Head of the Royal Solomon Islands Police, Peter Marshall has called on a fugitive, Stanley Gitoa to give himself up.

Calling themselves III Kings, a Solomon Island band has taken out the much coveted 2010 Pacific Break competition.

The Solomon Islands senior national women's football team have rebuilt their confidence with a 2 - 0 win against the Honiara Select side at the SIFF Academy field yesterday.

Private lawyer Billy Titiulu is Solomon Islands new Attorney General.

The government has made another three political appointments.

The mystery plane crash, reported by villagers in Ogou Village and people living on Leli Island, just off the northeast coast of Malaita near Atoifi, has been ruled out.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Jeffery Wickham, says that his Ministry is currently conducting investigations into reports that a light airplane had crashed into the jungles of East Malaita.

Solomon Islands students studying at Unitech in Lae Papua New Guinea are still uncertain as to when classes will resume.

Direct interests declared by members of Parliament are not for public viewing and are not public information.

Sir Allan Kemakeza has been elected Speaker of the National Parliament.

A Former Forestry Commissioner has gotten off lightly on official corruption charges after a Magistrate ruled on a suspended sentence.

Solomon Islands will have a new Speaker of Parliament today.

A regional consultation meet heard that women are likely to be more affected by climate change because of the gender division of responsibilities and roles in the Pacific and other societies in the world.

Monday 6 September 2010, Madang - Environment Ministers, Officials, donors and government and non-government partners from in and around the Pacific have gathered in Madang, Papua New Guinea, for the twenty-first annual meeting of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, being held from 6 to 10 September.

The Guadalcanal Provincial Government has expressed disappointment on the recent developments of the shooting death of a former police officer, allegedly by stray bullets from firearms belonging to two military officers of the Regional Assistance Mission.

The Government can transform the lives of its rural people by supporting and encouraging the introduction of mobile phone banking services in the country.

Chairman of the Taskforce for the winning candidate for East Are'are Constituency on Malaita has defended the victory of Andrew Hanaria as MP for the constituency.

The hugely popular Fly Solomons Half Marathon and Fun Run 2010 will be launched on Friday 10th September at the Heritage Park Hotel.

The former Member of Parliament for Temotu Nende John Patteson Oti is a likely candidate for the Speaker of Parliament's election on Wednesday.

First runner up in the Ngella constituency, Johnly Hatimoana, will launch the petition.

Press Release - A new draft three-year action plan has been developed outlining activities, responsibilities and targets that seek to promote and strengthen the wise use and conservation of wetlands in the region.

Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) supports the call by the Chairperson of the Leadership Code Commission (LCC), Emmanuel Kouhota, that leaders, particularly Members of Parliament, must avoid putting themselves in situations that give rise to conflicts of interest.

The Solomon Islands Men's National U-20 Training Squad has begun its preparations for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) U-20 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in April 2011.

The football fraternity and football fans in Solomon Islands received their best news yet this year with the announcement that football is among the sports approved for the 2011 Pacific Games.

Miss Solomon Islands 2009, Rabobo Toma, together with the Henderson Hammer Heads Rugby club, following their Charity Fundraiser, handed over kitchen, gardening and various essentials to the Christian Care Centre on Wednesday this week.

Telecommunication Commissioner says the Commission is pleased with Be-mobile's launch and hopes that it will perform well in the telecommunication market.

The head of police, Peter Marshall, says there is no need for another independent investigation into a recent shooting death of a former police officer at Titinge in Honiara.

On Tuesday 31st of August, Miss Solomon Islands 2009, Rabobo Toma, in collaboration with the Henderson Hammerheads Rugby Club, hosted a "very successful" Trivia Night at the King Solomon Hotel's Bamboo Bar.

Tonga's Prime Minister says there is no need for his soldiers to remain in the Solomon Islands to answer questions about the shooting death of a former national police officer.

Chief Executive officer of the newly launched Bemobile says the company is overwhelmed by the outcome of Tuesdays launching.

The Parliamentary Opposition says it has an impressive line-up of Shadow Ministers to take on the watch-dog role of the government.

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 - The 11th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women held at SPC headquarters in Noumea from 16-20 August 2010 called for stronger regional multi-sectoral processes and mechanisms to accelerate the achievement of equality between women and men in the Pacific Island region.

Solomon Islanders are likely to face a much tighter fiscal policy regime from the new government, meaning a reduction in government spending and a possible increase in tax.

The country's new Finance Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo says taxation issues will top the list of priorities for the Ministry this term.