Mendana’s best memorial

Dear Editor – Lately you published a front page story about a large sculpture of Alvaro de Mendana in Honiara. You reported that the Spanish Ambassador to Solomon Islands was present at the unveiling of that object. I recall from my school days that Mendana’s encounter with the ancestors of the Santa Cruz people was…

Why cut the trees?

Dear Editor – The Honiara City Council law enforcement officers say that they want the trees along Mendana Avenue to be cut down as they are providing shade for sellers of betel nut and cigarettes. Let me see if I have got this right. The City Council officers want to remove the things that can’t…

Dual citizen tortured and killed in Afghanistan was targeted because he was Australian: authorities

ABC: An Afghan Australian who was tortured and killed in Afghanistan while visiting relatives was targeted because he was Australian, authorities say. Sayed Habib Musawi, 56, grew up in Helmand Province, in Afghanistan’s south, and came to Australia by boat in 2000. He held an Australian passport and citizenship and lived in Sydney’s west with…

Logger defies order

‘Escapes with logging machines’ SAMLIMSAN logging company trading as Macranka Timber Enterprise has allegedly shrugged off a seizure order and escaped with machines. Bishop Tuhenua, a local who operates Isles Tropical Timber Limited in Rennell Island said the logging machineries were ‘silently’ loaded onto two barges and shipped from Rennell Island last week. “The first…

Operators warned

Submits your acquittal report or face serious actions GOVERNEMNT through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) has issued a strong warning to all tourism operators who have benefited from the 2014 tourism funds to submit their acquittal reports to the ministry or will be dealt with accordingly. Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of…

5 West MPAs to contest

Five provincial Members of the Western Provincial Assembly (MPA) are in for the race s in this year’s General Election. Despite criticism and questions from their wards reports reaching the paper said they have been to Honiara to visit and conform their intention with one political party – United Democratic Party. The intending candidates include…

Additional budget passed for West

Western provincial assembly last week passed an additional $4.5 million dollar.  The supplementary amount of just under five million dollar is to cover costs and service up until the next budget session which is due to take place March of 2015. Lestor Saomasi provincial finance minister presented the estimates at the full Assembly meeting. He…