Latest News Archive March 2011

Christopher Laore has been declared the new Member of Parliament for Shortlands by the Governor General, Sir Frank Kabui.

Solomon Islanders working in New Zealand under the Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme will now enjoy better take home pay after the New Zealand government announced a cut on personal tax rates.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Peter Shanel, has called on the 18th meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) of countries - Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and FLNKS/New Caledonia - to form a Pan-Melanesian Economic Union.

Newly appointed Leader of the Opposition Group, Dr Derek Sikua, has wasted little time in asserting himself.

As published in the SeaWeb Ocean Update March 23, 2011, Vol. 16, No. 3

Newly appointed Leader of the Opposition Hon. Dr Derek Sikua has described the "2011 Appropriation Bill 2011" as a flawed budget for lacking detailed information about each budget line.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd, today announced that Australia's next High Commissioner to Solomon Islands will be Mr Matthew Anderson.

The Solomon Islands Volleyball Federation (SIVF) has commenced its 'Volleyball in Schools' development program with the support of a SBD$75,000 grant from the Australian Government under the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP).

The Solomon Islands Government and the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) yesterday joined together to take part in a Titi Ulu or traditional reconciliation ceremony with the family and village of the late Harry Lolonga.

Minister of Finance and Treasury, Hon. Gordon Darcy Lilo, has presented his SBD$2.2 Billion dollar budget to Parliament.

Open courting is a huge no for most cultures in Solomon Islands societies. Although today's generation seem to be challenging such cultural taboos.

A reconciliation ceremony is to take place today between the Solomon Islands government, the Regional Assistance Mission, RAMSI, and the family of the man who died after Tongan soldiers fired shots during a callout last year.

PRESS RELEASE - 25th March 2011 - The fifth round of Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) trade in services negotiations was held in Koror, Palau on 16 - 18 March 2011 to negotiate further the provisions of a trade in services agreement amongst the PICTA member countries.

Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Manasseh Maelanga was amongst other dignitaries invited to witness the handover of a cheque of more than SB$700,000 to the Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands Frank Ingruber on Friday at the Honiara Hotel.

Police, community representatives and local stakeholders united for a four-day Family Violence Workshop at Poro Village in the Gao/Bugotu region of Isabel Province from 21 to 24 March 2011.

The head of an anti-corruption watchdog group in the Solomon Islands says allegations of misuse of millions of Australian aid money are a real concern.

The Solomon Islands Government has today joined the International Community to support the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1973 on the crisis in Libya.

Papua New Guinea's senior diplomat in Australia took a huge swipe at the $450 million foreign aid program yesterday, declaring half is frittered away instead of delivering lasting benefits.

The keys to the first lot of new police houses were formally handed over to Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) officers and their families today, in a ceremony to mark an important milestone in the strengthening of the RSIPF.

Australia's AUD$4.5 billion foreign aid program is plagued by record levels of fraud, with millions of dollars being stolen by corrupt officials and overseas agencies, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The Prime Minister Danny Philip and his former press Secretary Alfred Sasako will face the Court next month in a defamation case.

Australian Deputy High Commissioner, Alison Duncan, paid a call on Western Province Premier, Hon George Solingi Lilo, at the start of a six-day visit to Western and Choiseul Provinces last week.

Prime Minister Hon. Danny Philip has welcomed the Republic China's (Taiwan) new Ambassador to Solomon Islands, H.E Roy Wu, on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Hon. Danny Philip on Tuesday has officially opened the Western Provincial Assembly Meeting in the provincial capital, Gizo.

The Opposition Leader, Hon. Steve Abana, has stepped down as Leader of the Opposition Group.

MANILA, 19 March 2011-The World Health Organization (WHO) has assured the Pacific island countries that there is very little risk of their being affected by any international spread of radioactive material from the stricken nuclear power plants in Japan.

Sea fares and freight charges are set to rise in the coming weeks as fuel prices continue to spiral upwards.

Jack Tata is an inspirational story, despite his lack of education he has managed to set up a small business that generates income for him and his family.

Partnerships and synergies that will bring out the best in agencies dealing with food security issues was the focus of a workshop which was carried out at the Secretariat of the Pacific (SPC) in Suva, Fiji.

The Minister for Infrastructure Development (MID) Hon. Jackson Fiulaua will lead a high level delegation to a ground breaking ceremony to begin the Auki Market and Jetty Project today.

The Solomon Islands Public Employees Union, SIPEU, and the Solomon Islands National Teachers Association, SINTA, has given the Government until days end today to respond to certain demands put forward by the two powerful Unions.

Press Release - The Green Climate Fund of 30 billion dollars to address climate change in developing countries was a topic for discussion at the Pacific Climate Change Roundtable in Alofi, Niue this week.

Solomon Gold was on sparkling form on Friday as news of further prospects of quality gold at its Meriguna prospect on Fauro Island.

A memorial service to remember the victims of the earthquake that recently struck Christchurch was held at St. Barnabas Cathedral yesterday.

Koloale has regained some bragging rights with a 1-0 win over Vanuatu's Amicale.

[PCCR]17 March, Alofi, Niue - The voice of the Civil Society is being raised loud and clear at the Pacific Climate Change Roundtable in Alofi, Niue this week.

A new report says Solomon Islands are entering a high-risk period for conflict and needs an external security guarantee to ensure stability.

Solomon Islands and the Republic of Vanuatu have signed a historic health deal in Honiara yesterday.

Vanuatu's Health Minister Hon. Steven Don Ken is currently in Honiara, a visit organized purposely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with his Solomon Islands counterpart to permit Solomon Islands Nurses to work in Vanuatu.

The National Coalition for Rural Advancement (NCRA) Government is committed to developing a Solomon Islands where there is gender equality that enhances women's rights.

PRESS RELEASE - 15th March 2011 - CONCLUSION OF THE SECOND MEETING OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM REFERENCE GROUP TO ADDRESS SEXUAL AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE (SGBV)

The National Disaster Management Office, NDMO, are still trying to confirm reports that some houses have been damaged by tsunami waves, caused by the Japan earthquake.

A new type of telecommunications license is to be introduced in Solomon Islands allowing local businesses into the industry for the first time.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force has arrested and charged an elderly man from Kakabona in North West Guadalcanal for allegedly raping his 13 year old daughter.

Unconfirmed reports reaching the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) state that the massive tsunami that struck Japan may have reached the Solomon Islands.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has started inquiries into the NCRA government's SBD$2 billion dollar budget.

Press Release - Over 100 people will gather next week in Alofi, Niue to discuss an issue that is at the forefront of the region - climate change.

The Prime Minister Danny Philip has expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the Prime Minister, the Government, and the people of Japan following Friday's devastating tsunami.

Press Statemtent - SG: "we must learn from the lessons of our past"

A Solomon Islands student studying in Japan says Solomon Islanders are safe following the 8.9 magnitude earth quake and tsunami in Japan on Friday.

The Network of the Indigenous Peoples of Solomons, NIPS, strongly supports the position of the Solomon Islands Research and Ethical committee to refuse or quash a patent application in the United States.

Former member of parliament, Fred Fono has lost his petition case against current member of parliament for Central Kwara'ae, Jackson Fiulaua.

Press Release - Amsterdam, 9 March 2011: Following a Greenpeace campaign that ranked Princes at the bottom of a tinned tuna sustainability league table for the UK market, the tuna giant has today announced that it will switch to supplying tuna sourced from non-destructive methods.

The Israel Government has confirmed that a second team of specialists will visit Solomon Islands for two weeks starting on the 21st of this month.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Senator David Feeney, has spent four days in Solomon Islands observing the RAMSI mission and discussing its progress with Government Ministers.

Fraud Investigators from the National Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) of the RSIPF have arrested and charged a 35 year old woman from Barasipo village, Vonavona Lagoon in the Western province, for allegedly defrauding her relative's bank account with one of the commercial banks in Honiara.

Detectives from the Sexual Assault Unit have arrested a man from Piava Village, Gatokae Island in the Marovo Lagoon for allegedly raping a girl believed to be aged between 10 and 12 years old from the same village.

Better informed fishery managers make better management decisions. This is the idea behind the software package TUMAS (TUna MAnagement Simulator), which lets anybody take control of the world's largest tuna fisheries - those of the western and central Pacific Ocean.

Solomon Islands' Trade Envoy, Robert Sisilo, will lead the Solomon Islands Delegation to the third meeting of the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER Plus) to be held next week in Koror, Palau.

The Solomon Islands Government is committed to addressing gender inequality in the country.

Detail estimates of expenditures for the 2011 budget are now before the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The Solomon Islands National Teachers Association (SINTA) has threatened to stop work if the Ministry of Education fail to reinstate teachers' outstanding salaries.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The recovery in the global economy will help the Pacific economies improve in 2011.

The High Court has refused to grant Bemobile any injunctive relief in two cases it brought against the Telecommunications Commission of Solomon Islands (TCSI).

With the theme "Equal Access to Education, Training, Science and Technology: A Decent Work for Women," women in Honiara joined women around the world in celebrating International Women's Day 2011.

The Australian High Commissioner Frank Ingruber calls on both women and men to support the 100th International Women's Day celebrations in the Solomon Islands.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 hit off the Solomon Islands on Monday, March 7, 2011, at 9:38 a.m. local time.

In its January monthly Economic Bulletin, the Central Bank of Solomon Islands has reported that the international price for copra has strengthened following strong growth in the international market.

PRESS RELEASE - 8th March 2011

More than 20 students studying at the University of Papua New Guinea in Waigani are still waiting for the Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea to release their allowances.

RAMSI has congratulated the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT) on collecting more than one billion dollars in revenue in 2010, the first time in the history of the nation.

Friday, 04 March 2011 - Heads of Pacific Islands' fisheries agencies heard today that climate change is predicted to cause big declines in coastal fisheries resources in the region, with potential production cut by as much as 50% by 2100.

The European Union will provide $2.8 million Euro in budgetary support to assist the country in addressing some of the adverse effects of climate change.

The Rennell-Bellona Provincial government has approved a plan to form a joint venture with a South Korean company to catch and market tuna overseas.

The Governor General, His Excellency Sir Frank Kabui today welcomed a new Belgian Ambassador to Solomon Islands at the Government House in Honiara.

An Australian mining company, Axiom, has secured what it describes as "one of the world's largest nickel deposits under a 50 year deal in Solomon Islands."

Four important fisheries meetings are being held at SPC Headquarters this week.

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury has achieved a historical earning of more than $1 billion Solomon Islands dollar in revenue for 2010.

Paoa FM's General Manager and radio presenter, Joel Lamani, was amongst a number of Pacific radio journalists selected to participate in the prestigious Douglas Gabb Australia Pacific Radio Journalist Internship Program.

General Manager of the Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, Michael Tokuru, has welcomed the recent announcement of an agreement with the Australia to increase flights between the two countries.

Washington, DC, March 1, 2011 - The World Bank Board today approved the first Country Assistance Strategy for Kiribati. The strategy, which was developed in consultation with government, donors and civil society, puts climate change at the centre of the three-year plan.

Counterfeit SBD$100 dollar notes have surfaced again in Honiara and the Central Bank of Solomon Islands is calling on the public to assist in identifying the source of the false bills.

The Temotu provincial government has confirmed sending an agriculture assessment team to Tikopia and Anuta where people's livelihoods are reportedly devastated by the effects of cyclone Atu which recently hit Vanuatu.

The term 'Climate Change' is not just an abstract to the people of Kivori, it is their daily challenge.

Bemobile has denied claims it has breached its coverage obligations as contained in its license.

The Office of the Leader of Opposition has expressed concern over the neutrality of the Telecommunications Commission of Solomon Islands following an alleged secret meeting between the Telecommunication Commissioner, Nicholas Williams and an official of the Caribbean based telecommunication company, Digicel.