Seventy-seven Solomon Islanders have earned qualifications through Australia’s longstanding skills investment in Solomon Islands, the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC). The graduates, including 61 women and 16 men, join a network of over 8,600 Solomon Islanders who have benefited from APTC training, strengthening the nation’s human resources and contributing to economic development. The graduates received…
THE LEADER of Opposition, Matthew Wale has called on the Minister for Mines and Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) to explain the basis of his decision to revoke a letter of intent issued to the Koloula mineral-prospecting tenement. Landowners have raised their concern to the Opposition office that they had been hard done by the…
The daily struggle facing commuters in Honiara to catch public buses each morning and evening is becoming a real struggle. In Honiara, where most people especially students and working class people depend on buses to reach their workplace and school, the number of private buses operating most of the populated routes are not enough. And…
THE two officers accused of bribing a leading investigator in a stolen gold ashes case with $30,000, have denied the allegation laid against them. Allen Noni and Gravis Afuga, who are being jointly charged with one count of Bribery, entered not- guilty pleas in Magistrate court on Friday. Noni also pleaded not guilty to a…
Local carvers in the Western Province have expressed disappointment over the lack of sales for their traditional carvings. This came after tourists who arrived on a first cruise boat in Gizo on Tuesday did not purchase their products. Most of the carvers returned home empty-handed as a result of their poor sales. “It’s disheartening to…
Western Province has once again been disqualified from the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF) program for the current financial year. This was confirmed by the province’s Provincial Secretary, Patrick Toiraena, in an interview with the Solomon Star last week. According to recent reports, Western Province has failed to meet the minimum conditions outlined in its…
Residents of Gizo Town’s provincial capital of Western Province are anticipating a major upgrade to their local infrastructure as plans for a new concrete road are set to commence in the coming months. Funded by the World Bank through the CAUSE II initiative, this project aims to significantly improve transportation within the town’s boundaries, enhancing…
A task force led by Indian representatives, in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines, Energy, and Electrification, is preparing to visit Gizo in Western province to assess their water crisis. The team plans to carry out a feasibility study for a desalination plant. Patrick Toiraena, the Provincial Secretary of Western Province, confirmed the development in…
THE National Government has supported provinces to boost the tourism sector in the country. A lot of tourism operators in the provinces have testified the support after they attended the Tourism in Focus organized by Tourism Solomons in Honiara recently. Speaking to Solomon Star in an interview, Meria Paza, Western Province Chief Principle Officer highlighted…
The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) and community leaders representing Honiara communities convened a workshop to look at ways to strengthen and improve frontline policing. The two-day ‘RSIPF Frontline Review Workshop’ was held at the National Traffic Centre (Kukum) on 20th February 2025. Over 20 RSIPF and RSIPF & Australian Federal Police (AFP) Policing…