MANY Solomon Islands seasonal workers engaged under the Australia’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme are desperate to leave, citing harsh working conditions, low pay and unfulfilled promises to improve their welfare. Because of the situation, many local workers have absconded their original assigned work place. Some have described their experiences on one Queensland berry…
A NO-case to answer submission will be made in court next for three men on trial for allegedly attacking two men bush knives, resulting in one death, in Koivo Village in the Guadalcanal Plains Palm Oil Limited (GPPOL 3) last May. No date has been fixed as of yet for the hearing of the No-Case…
A young man from South Vella, Western Province lost his life in a tragic drowning incident while out diving for beche-de-mer late Sunday night. According to relatives, the deceased and his first cousin, along with a group of boys, had gone on a night dive off Kimbiri in South Vella to look for beche-de-mer—a lucrative…
WESTERN Provincial Premier Billy Veo has issued a heartfelt apology to the people of Makira following the tragic death of young Stephanus in Honiara recently. Premier Veo expressed his deepest condolences to the grieving family and the entire Makira community, describing the incident as a senseless act of violence that has shocked the nation. “As…
Months into the 2025 academic year, parents and teachers in and around Honiara are voicing growing concerns over a homemade drug that has been circulating in schools and communities for years now. The drug, known locally as ‘Copen’ or ‘Scoop,’ is produced using tobacco and other household substances readily available in nearby shops. Once manufactured,…
Solomon Islands and Australia’s National Farmers Federation (NFF), the peak national body representing farmers and, more broadly, agriculture across Australia have reinforced the importance of the PALM worker scheme, in a landmark meeting that was held at NFF’s House in Canberra on Wednesday last week. “The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme, is the big…
AS Xiamen City in Fujian Province plays host to the 3rd Summit of the Foreign Ministers of China and the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) with bilateral relations with China, it is worth looking at the facts published by China Daily about this coastal city in order to appreciate its idealness as an international meeting venue.…
A World War II bomb (unexploded ordinance (UXO) was discovered on Tuesday, 27th May around around lunch time on the eastern side of the Ministry of Fisheries Headquarter in East Honiara. The discovery was made by a team of Explosive Ordnance (EXO) personnel, led by a retired Bomb Disposal Unit officer. The device is believed…
The Western Provincial Government (WPG) has announced that it will hold the 2025 Provincial Performance Forum in Gizo provincial capital of Western Province on Thursday, 29th May 2025. The open air forum will be held at the MSG Complex in Gizo. The Provincial Performance Forum is a strategic platform aimed at bringing together all key…
Parliament has officially gone on a special adjournment following a motion moved by Prime Minister (PM) Jeremiah Manele, in the House on Tuesday 27 May 2025. The motion, which was passed without objection, reads: “That at its adjournment on Tuesday 27 May 2025, Parliament shall adjourn to Monday 14 July 2025.” In his statement to…