THE community of Pusiju on South Vella La Vella Island in the Western Province successfully hosted a music competition recently. The event was a collaborative effort between Moonlight Band, Sirubai Voko Tribe Association SVTA) and the Indigenous People for Sustainable Biodiversity Solomon Islands (IPSBSI). Supported by a Secretariat of Pacific Community (SPC) LMMA Grant through…
THE Minister of Finance and Treasury, Manasseh Sogavare, has approved a total of $15.2 million in exemptions for Xiao’s Henderson Hotel Ltd, a Chinese company. The exemptions include: Both exemptions were granted on 31st July 2024 and will expire on 31st January 2025. The issuing of exemptions to both local and foreign businesses has been…
WESTERN Province Premier Billy Veo has confirmed that the ongoing review of the Provincial Government Act (PGA) of 1997 could offer a pathway towards greater provincial autonomy in the Western Province and Solomon Islands as a whole. The Western Provincial Government (WPG) has already submitted its report to the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional…
TUBERCULOSIS (TB), a disease eradicated from the country in the late 1970s and early 1980s, has returned. But the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) has still to announce what provinces the disease has reached their shores although it has announced the efforts to deal with it. After the disease was eradicated, the MHMS…
A MAN has confessed to possessing a police VHF radio inside his vehicle in Honiara last October when he appeared in the Honiara Magistrate Court, Tuesday. Darren Maelaua entered a guilty plea to one count of Possessing Police Property, contrary to section 183 (a) of the Police Act 2013. Following his guilty plea, Magistrate Emily…
KIRAKIRA Police in Makira-Ulawa Province have confiscated tools used for the production of kwaso, the homebrewed alcohol, in parts of Makira Island on New Year. The Provincial Police Commander Peter Sitai said in Kirakira, police teams were sent to areas of Makira where people were producing kwaso and confiscated their tools and also uprooted marijuana…
THE country’s 50 Constituencies now have a Constituency Office, along with Constituency Officers to undertake their responsibilities as provided for under the Constituency Development (CDF) Act 2023, the Minister for Rural Development, Rollen Seleso announced. “I’m pleased to notify Parliament that one of the key requirements under the Act is for the establishment of the…
elTHE Minister for Rural Development, Rollen Seleso has emphasised the need for unity, cooperation and responsibility between the national government and the country’s citizens to ensure the accomplishment of the Government for National Unity and Transformation’s (GNUT’s) transformative investment policy intention. He was speaking in Parliament recently. Minister Seleso said, the intention of GNUT’s transformative…
THERE are growing calls for the responsible authorities to decentralise the recruitment process for the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) to the provincial level in Solomon Islands. This is to improve access and efficiency for Solomon Islanders interested in participating in the scheme. Currently, most recruitment activities are centralised in Honiara, creating logistical challenges and…
M-SELEN operators, Solomon Telekom Company Limited, is reported to have asked the support of the National Government through the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MOFT) to support its operations in the rural areas. M-Selen sources said a request has been submitted to MOFT, but it has yet to respond. The sources said the request is…