Report from ODPP Gizo office THE cancellation of Magistrates court circuits due to the shortage of principal magistrates has affected the disposal rate of matters handled by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) branch in Gizo, Western Province. This is according to the 2014 annual report from the ODPP branch in Gizo…
THE Pacific has moved one step closer to achieving a harmonised regional approach to search and rescue capability as promoted in the Search and Rescue Technical Arrangement for Cooperation among Pacific Island countries and territories. At the Sixth Pacific Regional Search and Rescue Workshop held in Noumea, New Caledonia (13–17 April 2015), Pacific Island delegates…
THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Parliamentary Strengthening Project (PSP) is one of the most successful institutional and capacity building projects the country has seen. That’s according to chairman of the Parliamentary House Committee and MP for West Makira, Derick Manu’ari when in a motion to thank the UNDP project in parliament, yesterday. Mr Manu’ari,…
POVERTY and unemployment in Vanuatu are expected to worsen as a consequence of the devastating impact of Cyclone Pam. According to statistics released today by the Department of Labour (DoL) in Vanuatu, approximately U$7 million or VT7 Billion of personal income have been lost due to Pam. The Category 5 cyclone left a trail of…
Maersk Alabama visits Noro port MAERSK Alabama, which was hijacked by pirates near Somalia in 2009 and her crew held hostage, made her first trip to Noro Port, Western Province, on Thursday. The container ship arrived at Noro Port around midday on her maiden trip to the nation’s second international port. Onboard Maersk Alabama were…
COMMUNITIES in north Malaita participated in a Youth Management Community Reflection workshop conducted in their area this week. Adventist Development Relief Agencies (ADRA) facilitated the workshop. The province’s Minister for Development Planning and Institutional Strengthening Glen Waneta and Provincial Minister for Northern Regional Affairs Rev. Michael Maeliáu officiated at the closing ceremony. They were joined…
A CHINESE business group has expressed interest to invest in tourism here and facelift the city. China’s Skyline Business Council has promised to rehabilitate the Honiara International Airport and the road from the airport to the city should it be given the green light to invest in the local tourism sector. Officials from the Group…
FOUR men accused of robbing $4 million from Westpac Bank in Honiara early this year have been released on bail yesterday. Patterson Amos Otokwai, Duddley Baemalia, Jonathan Wanefilio and Stanley Waneakwasia were each released on cash bail bond of $1,500, with strict bail conditions. They all signed a recognition bond before they were released as…
The newly constructed Auki Police Station will be officially opened soon. That’s according to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Police Commissioner Frank Prendergast when responding to questions from the local media yesterday. He said, at the moment, officers are being stationed in the newly built police station awaiting the official opening. “We have…
A MAN who allegedly raped his step-daughter at the Kola’a Ridge graveyard in 2013 has been cleared off the charge. This followed the girl’s change of story in the witness box, admitting the sex was consensual. This was on Wednesday in the High Court when the matter came for trial. As a result the prosecution…