The stoush between the national government and the operator of Gold Ridge mine is continuing. The government rejected applications by the operator St Barbara to be allowed to release untreated water from the tailings dam – which contains high levels of arsenic and cyanide. The mine has been closed since last April’s floods – but…
The national government is urged to clean up the Mataniko river as part of efforts to attract tourists into the country. Barney Paulsen, a member of the Guadalcanal Province Town and Country Planning Board made the call yesterday. Paulsen said he had realised that only the lower part of the river within the city council…
A group of local environmental organisations has joined hands to discuss and address environmental issues in the country. They are members of the Development Service Exchange (DSE), the umbrella body for NGOs in the country. Their goal is to share information and create space to provide updates on environment and conservation issues in the country.…
Residents of Kobito and Lau Valley area in east Honiara say they were grateful for the work done to upgrade their feeder road. Work on the road had been going on for the past days, undertaken by Trade Transformation Company (TTC). The project was funded by the government with support from donors. A spokesman for…
Child labour and trafficking is a cross-cutting issue in the Pacific Islands that needs a sub-regional hub to seriously look into and find ways of addressing the issue. International Labour Organisation sub-regional director David Lamotte highlighted this at the close of an ILO sub-regional Child Labour and Trafficking in Nadi, Fiji, Friday. “We all want…
A West Papua independence leader was in the country for the past week rallying support for his home country to be part of the Melanesia Spearhead Group (MSG). Octovianus Mote, an exiled West Papuan who now lives in the United States, is the general secretary of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). The…
Water woes for Kobito residents Residents of Kobito 1, 2, and 3 and Gilbert Camp on the outskirts of east Honiara have almost everything basic things they need in life. Except for one important commodity – clean piped water in their homes. This is not a new problem though. Handy Saelea, 27, a resident…
Public urged to be sincere when reporting rape cases THE public is urged to respect the work of police and stop abusing the services of the law enforcement institution. Director of Public Prosecutor Ronald Bei Talasasa issued the warning yesterday in light of the latest acquittal of a rape accused after the alleged victim decided…
A HIGH Court judge, court officials, prosecutors, defence lawyers, and the accused visited a murder crime scene outside of the Honiara Central Market in the early hours of Friday. The visit, taken under tight security, was made between 2am and 3.30am. It was part of the proceedings of a murder trial in which four men…
A JUVENILE who burnt down the house of an elderly man over the issue of sorcery in Guadalcanal in 2013 has been sentenced on Friday to six months imprisonment. The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with two counts, one of his is wilful and unlawful destruction and another is…