Reigonal News

CORRECTION

Wansolwara Editorial Staff In the April edition of Wansolwara, an opinion piece entitled Concern Over 'Isolated' Nukefetau Minority appeared on Page 20. The opinion stated that the Tuvalu Member of Parliament, the late Honorable Lotoala Meita, was removed temporarily from parliament. This statement is entirely false. The petition presented to parliament in 2010 was rejected. Meita would go on serve until his passing in 2012. The Wansolwara editorial board would like to add the reconciliation process in the Nukefetau community in Tuvalu has shown great promise. The error is reply regretted. Wansolwara sincerely apologises for any inconvenience  caused by this editing error.

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Documentary: Staying in Nabukadra

Nabukadra in a coastal village in Ra to north of Fiji's largest island Viti Levu. Having been battered by severe tropical cyclone Winston the community are at crossroads and a generational split. Its a story that will resonate across the Pacific as people leave their ancestral lands in search of higher ground. A Film by: Telstar Jimmy, Salote Qalubau, Miriam Naikatini and Mereoni Mili

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Documentary: Canoe Culture, A Revival

Our USP students travel to the Lau islands far to the east of Viti Levu. Lau is a pacific crossroads renowned for its great canoe builders and navigators. This documentary looks at Uto Ni Yalo Trust's efforts to preserve the skills and customs of canoe culture. A film by: Nanise Sivo, Drue Slatter, Kritika Rukmani, Virashna Singh and Ana Civavonovono

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Calls for Tonga to Recognise Transgender Rights

By Linda Filiai The Vice President of Tonga Leiti’s Association has called for a clear definition of gender equality to ensure that everyone, including transgender people, are included and taken into consideration in decision-making. Joey Mataele, who was born male but lives as a woman, was in Suva as part of the 13 Triennial Conference of Pacific Women where a platform for gender equality was approved and passed by Pacific Ministers for Women for endorsement. “When you talk about gender  equality , you are talking about…

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Land Tenure Struggles in Honiara

By Charles Kadamana The urban State land in Solomon Islands is under a great deal of pressure not because of increasing informal settlers but because of its Land Tenure System. In Solomon Islands about 83 percent of the lands are customary owned. Customary owned lands owned by tribal groups, clans and families. Only 17 percent of the lands are state owned lands. Joseph Foukona a Law Lecturer at USP in Emalus Campus who carried out a case study on Urban Land Tenure in Solomon Islands said access to urban…

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Regulating Foods and Sugary Drinks in Solomons

By Travis Ronnie  Government regulation on imported foods and sugary drinks is a must for the health of Solomon Islanders according to local doctors and nutritionists. While political instability has been a grave threat to the nation, NCDs and the lack of regulation around processed and sugary foods pose a serious risk to the future of the country. Dr Waxson Rizwold believes that regulating such goods is matter of health, environmental, financial and social welfare for the nation. Rizwold said, while government is investing on younger generation’s education, it must also seriously consider its wellbeing by limiting already flooded amount of…

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Solomon Students Reject Unruly Behavior

Solomon Islands government sponsored students studying in Fiji have been cautioned, this comes after media reports of unruly behavior were splashed across the headlines of Solomons newspapers. Former RAMSI assistant coordinator Masi Lomaloma made the complaints alleging excessive alcohol abuse and indecency from Solomon Islands' government scholarship students. Elizabeth Osifelo and Josefa Kotobalavu have this report for Wansolwara TV.

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Vanuatu Struggles in War Against NCDs

By Matthew Walter Vanuatu along with other Pacific nations who are struggling to hold their grounds against Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The general population of the 83 islands in the archipelago of Vanuatu have continued to suffer from non-communicable diseases such as obesity, heart and lung failure, stroke, cancer and diabetes. Leimujia Poilapa (60), a mother of three children is one those victims. Hailing from Mele Village in the island of Efate, Mrs Poilapa was a normal person…

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Coastal flooding forecast system a near reality

by RUCI VAKAMINO Residents of Nadi town, who are besieged by coastal flooding almost every year, will soon benefit from early warnings of coastal flooding and inundation when a forecasting modeling system is completed. The modeling system is one of the projects the Pacific Island Marine and Ocean Services (PIMOS) Panel is overseeing. “They are generating models; models for forecasting, inundation, and hazard maps to know which areas are vulnerable under which conditions,” said PIMOS chair Dr Tommy Moore. PIMOS is a panel of ocean and marine experts from the region and the world. It advises the Pacific Meteorological Council on…

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Dialogue and partnerships key for a more resilient future

By RUCI VAKAMINO Dialogue and strong partnerships are the best way to deliver on the region's shared goals of greater disaster resilience, says Solomon Islands environment minister Samuel Manetoali. "We must continue to work with our partners and ensure that adequate resources are available to support the implementation of priority programmes and projects in our countries and territories,” he says. "We must continue to collaborate and share knowledge,…

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