Parliament has passed three Bills

The sixth meeting of the ninth Parliament has so far passed three Bills out of the ten Bills that have come before the House. They are the Magistrates’ Courts (Amendment) Bill 2014, the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill 2014 and the 2013 Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2014. . The Magistrates’ Courts Act (hereafter referred to as…

NZ provides health support

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Murray McCully has announced that New Zealand will send a medical assistance team to Solomon Islands to assist the National Referral Hospital (NRH) in meeting urgent medical needs following the recent flooding. The team will also support the ministry of health and medical services to provide medical support to affected areas,…

Portable bridge on its way

New Zealand to help besieged Solomon Islands New Zealand will send health workers and a portable bridge to the Solomon Islands which is reeling from multiple natural disasters. The Solomons were shaken by a magnitude 7.6 quake on Sunday and another one measuring 7.4 overnight, just weeks after floods devastated the region. Humanitarian assistance has…

IMF holds high-level conference on Monetary Policy

On Sunday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held a High-Level Conference on “Monetary Policy in the New Normal” with senior central bankers, academics, and private sector representatives. The conference sought to make out the contours of monetary policy once the economy and the financial system have settled into their post-crisis normal. IMF Managing Director Christine…

Manetoali: No mining in Isabel

Member of Parliament (MP) for Gao/Bugotu constituency Samuel Manetoali says Isabel province would not allow mining operation on the island. He highlighted this during a visit by a delegation from the Solomon Islands visitors bureau (SIVB) to parts of the province last week. Mr Manetoali was part of the delegation which conducted their visit from…

Horizon Oil’s PNG project cleared

The government of Papua New Guinea has approved Horizon Oil’s Stanley gas condensate development project. Petroleum and Energy Minister Nixon Duban intends to grant a petroleum development licence and pipeline licence for the project and will sign a gas agreement with Horizon Oil covering the project’s fiscal terms and commitments to local content.  Granting of…

PNG women pilots to train in NZ

Four specially selected young women from Papua New Guinea are training to become commercial pilots in New Zealand for airlines back home. The women started a 68-week course this week to secure a New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority Commercial Pilot Licence and Multi-engine Instrument Rating at Nelson Aviation College, Nelson. The women are able to…