Chief condemns school arson

A Malaita chief says the burning down of school classrooms by disgruntled electorates was an uncivilised act that must be condemned by all. Chief Joshua Niutoto of east Malaita was reacting to the burning down of three locally built classrooms at Kwarea village by people unhappy about the November 19 election results. “This type of…

Pele MP faces petition

The first runner up in the Pele constituency election result is lodging a petition against the winner Dudley Kopu. Alfred Toaki claimed the basis of his petition will on corrupt practices. He claimed the winning candidate handed out cash during campaign to individuals and families. Toaki claimed Kopu has been doing that since June this…

ADB to help Kiribati imprivce fiscal management to build long term resilience

TARAWA,  (ADB): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $3 million grant which is expected to improve fiscal sustainability in Kiribati in line with the government’s fiscal framework and Kiribati economic reform plan (KERP). “The Kiribati Strengthening Fiscal Stability Program identifies four priority policy reform areas that are expected to put the country on…

Call to build bridges

VEHICLE owners in West Kwaio and West Areare, Malaita Province are urging responsible authorities to build bridges over rivers along the South road in the vicinity of West Kwaio-West Areare. They said that the safety of passengers and transport owners is vital because few rivers along the road starting from Su’u area to West Areare…

Manele: I’m humbled by my nomination

Kia, Hograno and Havulei MP Jeremiah Manele says he is humbled by his nomination as the Solomon Islands People’s Democratic Coalition candidate for the Prime Minister’s position. Manele, a former diplomat and permanent secretary for almost 10 years, said he was also appreciative in the manner in which his nomination was made. Manele’s candidature was…

Locals graduate from USP Emalus

ONE hundred and forty students graduated from The University of the South Pacific (USP) Emalus Campus last Friday. Seventy four percent graduates were from Vanuatu while the remaining were from Belize, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue and Tonga indicating the regional nature of Emalus Campus. Thirty three…

PNA unhappy with Japan

THE Parties to Nauru Agreement (PNA) and Tokelau’s proposal on a skipjack tuna has been withdrawn from the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) as Japan has refused to agree to the measure. The measure would have set a reference point, or agreed level of fishing for skipjack tuna, the most common tuna used…

Bech-de-mer ban lifted

The ban on bech-de-mer has been lifted for the next three months. The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources announced this, Friday. The ban has been imposed to ensure the sea cucumber have time to regenerate after studies revealed the fast depletion of this lucrative sea resources. The ban was lifted on December 1 and…

Forestry fast depleting

A Forestry expert has warned that Solomon Islands forest will inevitably become a “sunset industry” facing almost depletion of forest resources post 2015. Dr Shon Cheol-Ho, an expert from the National Forestry Cooperative Federation NFCF of Korea revealed the startling condition of the country’s forest industry during a workshop last Thursday. The workshop – Investigating…

Honiara market chaos

Honiara’s Central Market was thrown into chaos on Saturday afternoon after a man almost had his left arm chopped off by an attacker. The incident forced buyers and sellers alike to run for their lives – causing panic and chaos in this often crowded environment. Police arrived later at the scene and arrested the attacker,…