Solomons

WW2 bomb in Solomons kills two, injures two others

The father died during the blast at around 7pm last night and his son two hours later at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara.

The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation reports the man's wife and another son, sustained serious injuries from the blast and are fighting for their lives at the hospital.

The blast also caused deafness in two other men.

The family members were sitting by a fire beside their house when the bomb, a remnant from World War Two, suddenly exploded from beneath the fire, killed the father instantly.

Second bomb blast victim dies in Solomon Islands hospital

News of Noda’s death has filled the social media amidst calls on the governments of Solomon Islands, Japan and the United States of America to clean up unexploded bombs from the World War II in Solomon Islands.

Noda died around 10:12pm Saturday night, the hospital said.

He was one of four people – two males and two females – including his wife, who were injured in the World War II unexploded ordnance when it went off while he and others were attending a youth fundraising drive at Lengakiki in suburban Honiara last Sunday.

Solomon Islands poised to deploy Chinese vaccines after WHO approval

The country already has 50,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine but had been waiting on the WHO's emergency approval, which was given last week.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said he was “extremely happy” with the WHO's decision.

“With this approval the National Drugs, Medicines and Therapeutics Committee will now consider the approval of the Sinopharm vaccine,” he said.

Sogavare said he would announce details of the vaccine rollout next week.

Solomons police investigate gruesome murder of alleged sorcerer

Police say the 50 year-old was killed by a younger man at remote Rakisu Village in Tikopia last week.

A 30 year-old suspect accused the victim of using sorcery to kill his child and poison his wife.

Police commissioner Mostyn Mangau said witnesses alerted by the victims' cries for help saw the accused fleeing the scene

They took the victim of the attack to a local clinic where he died from acute blood loss, before being buried last Saturday.

Commissioner Mangau said he died the victim also made a statement which was recorded on a phone.

     

PNG nationals charged for illegal entry in Solomons

The group from the Tasman Islands crossed over by boat to the Malaita Outer Islands on Boxing Day, allegedly to purchase the local homebrew called Kaleve.

They were arrested by police and screened by medical authorities in the outer islands before being transported to the capital.

In Honiara, they were further screened then released to police after testing negative for Covid-19.

Three 19-year-olds and a 34-year-old have been charged with illegal entry by a non-citizens under Covid-19 state of public emergency regulation.

Solomons investigating possible Covid-19 case

In a statement, the government confirmed the student was repatriated from the Philippines in September last year, tested positive for Covid-19 in quarantine, before recovering and being released in November after five consecutive negative test results.

The Solomon Star newspaper reported the student spent the Christmas-New Year period in his home village in Malaita Province before falling sick and testing positive for Covid-19 at the Kilufi Provincial Hospital this week.

More bodies recovered from Solomons ferry tragedy

A police statement released says the bodies of three females and two males were recovered near Maka during Sunday's search effort.

The commander of the police operation centre, Richard Menapi, said three of the bodies had been identified and a doctor and police forensics team were being dispatched to help identify the remaining two.

Over 1000 WWII munitions destroyed in Solomons Mission

Speaking from the Solomon Islands at the end of the mission, Senior National Officer and Clearance Diver Lieutenant Shaun Heaslip said the Australian Defence Force-led deployment, called Operation Render Safe, had been a great success and the New Zealanders would be leaving with some interesting tales.

“The team has really enjoyed working with our Australian comrades and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force to make a difference to the people here in the New Georgia Islands in the Western Province,” Lieutenant Heaslip said.

Solomons election fraudster registered seven aliases

Police said the 50-year-old man from Malaita province used different dates of birth and other details for each alias.

Only one of them was his true identity.

He was arrested on Tuesday and charged with seven counts of providing misleading information, an offence under the country's new Electoral Act, which carries a maximum penalty of $US6,000 or five years imprisonment or both.

Police said more election fraud cases relating to the voter registration period were being investigated.

Aid needed in Solomon Islands

The Solomons has been afflicted by heavy rain and strong winds for the last two weeks, which have caused rivers to bust their banks and sweep through villages on the main islands of Malaita and Guadalcanal.

The flash flooding has contaminated drinking water and destroyed food gardens.

Director of the Disaster Management Office, Loti Yates, said food supplies and health and sanitation packs were needed as the risk of water and mosquito borne diseases was rising.

Eighty percent of those affected are subsistence farmers living in rural areas, Mr Yates said