BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

ALL provinces will continue to experience southeasterly trade wind flow persisting over the islands and moderate southeast swells on country’s waters, it is reported.

Yesterday, the Solomon Islands Meteorological Service issued a weather forecast valid for 18 hours stating ‘general situation a trough lies over Solomon Islands whilst a general southeasterly trade wind flow persists over the islands’.

In terms of marine forecast, Marine have issued a warning saying there is a fresh strong wind of 15 to 25 knots on the southeast of Solomon Islands and moderate southeast swells of 2.5 to 3m for most Solomon Islands waters.

In Honiara port and surrounding areas the marine forecast is east to southeast winds at 10 to 20 knots with slight to moderate seas, showers and isolated thunderstorms, heavy at times.

Further outlook for Tuesday, Honiara is expecting east to Northeast winds at 10 to 20 knots.

Forecast for the Western Region—Western, Choiseul and Isabel provinces.

These three provinces will likely encounter east to Southeast winds at 15 to 25 knots with moderate to rough seas, and scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms.

Tuesday’s further outlook is east to Southeast winds at 15 to 25 knots, and other provinces will experience the same situation.

Marine Forecast for the Central Region—Malaita, Guadalcanal and Central provinces is east to Southeast winds at 15 to 25 knots with moderate to rough seas similar to Makira, Temotu and Rennell/Bellona provinces.

Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms with rain areas, and outlook for Tuesday is east to Southeast winds at 15 to 25 knots.

Weather Forecast for Honiara for the next 18 hours is showers and isolated thunderstorms, heavy at times, and this includes Central province, Malaita, Makira, Temotu, Isabel, Guadalcanal and Choiseul province.

Gentle to moderate east to northeast winds, fresh at times, and today, capital including provinces stated above will still experience showers and isolated thunderstorms.

In Rennell/Bellona province, the weather forecast is few showers and isolated thunderstorms.

Moderate to fresh east to southeast winds, strong at times and the outlook for today is a few showers and isolated thunderstorms.

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

IN BUALA

BUALA citizen’s plus the town’s surrounding communities appreciate Telekom Company’s service in making it possible to watch this year’s 2018 soccer World Cup (WC).

Having set up satellite discs to enable them with the chance to watch the world’s most watched sport is a relief for locals after recent report circulating had that Buala town is one of the other provinces that will not have Telekom coverage to watch the great tournament.

“With what Telekom has provided gives us the opportunity to watch and support our favourite soccer teams with the rest of the world,” said excited locals from Buala Village speaking to Island Sun.

Since the WC has started, every night in Buala has been filled with roars of support for the WC soccer teams.

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

GUEST speaker Felix Nego, minister for tourism, salutes the Kwarea community high school 2018 cultural programme on Wednesday at Kwarea.

He said the participation during the occasion is most highlighted above any other school in Malaita province.

“I encourage you to continue with this approach and continue to grow our children according to our traditional living.

“As rightly stated in the 2018 theme, Culture Endangered our culture is slowly eroding due to foreign influences.

“In foreign influences they train us to speak English and involve in their foreign culture living behind our own culture.”

Nego added they also train people on how to learn about their own culture.

“Today we are happy to promote our own culture, our culture is own identity, our pride and our inheritance.

“Culture is way of life that brings peaceful co-existence within our nation.

“Our culture is our way of life where we live.

“We have laws and regulations that safe guard our homes and resources,” Nego said.

Ward member for ward 4 Steward Mani acknowledged the local organising committee for organising such unique programme.

“Through this kind of programmes our children will understand their values and norms within our societies.”

The programme included the traditional way of bride price, home umbrella making, traditional showing of traditional crafts, traditional beliefs and values and languages.

BY GEORGE MANFORD

AUKI

HUNDREDS of people in and around Kwarea area witnessed a unique cultural event organised on Wednesday at Kwarea School in the west Fataleka area.

The school annual cultural event was themed “Culture Endangered”. It sparked the eyes of all people, invited guests including the representatives from the Malaita provincial government with its uniqueness and show of the Malaitan culture.

School Principal Godfry Angisia during the official opening programme said, “Ever since the existence of the school, no one has initiated the idea of practically exposing culture practices and identity in the school so that learners can learn to appreciate, cherish and value their traditional cultural values, tradition, customs and norms equally to the knowledge and skills normally taught in classrooms through the formal education system.

“For the past thirty to forty years of modern political governance and influence, many of our cultural aspects and values are gradually varnishing in the face of modern technological changes in our dynamic societies.”

He added that the primary reasons behind this initiative is to activate and incorporate this cultural programme in the school because educational institutions such as school of university is one of the introduced agents of change that can transform any person holistically to a new way of living in modern society.

“Our school board management sees it ideal for the implantation of this programme to sustain and maintain the expected cultural aspects and values in such multi facet communities like Kwarea community high school and the other communities within the area of proximity.”

Another significant reason, Angisia said, is to educate teachers and learners of Kwarea school about their cultures and negative changes that are now eroding the best traditional practices and disciplines strongly enforced in the past.

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

THREE schools in Honiara, during the Solomon Islands Money Day celebrated at the SINPF Recreational compound on Thursday, built their knowledge and skills on financial literacy.

The event hosted by Central Bank of Solomon Islands (CBSI) also coincided with its 42 years of operation since 1976 as the Solomon Islands Monetary Authority.

The event also offered opportunity for students from the Vura Community High School, St John School and Mbokona School to visited leading banking institution in Solomon Islands.

CBSI Governor Mr Denton Rarawa in his remark said CBSI is excited about this year’s theme concept because it’s all about teaching children and youths about importance of being economically equipped and empowered.

He said educating children and youths in financial literacy will help close inequality gaps and build a brighter future for themselves which is one area CBSI stands for and promoting.

With today’s generation Mr Rarawa strongly emphasises that CBSI wants the country’s young generation to be economical citizens in the future.

“We need to teach our children and youths including adults on the value of looking after our money, saving and investing money,” Rarawa said.

“An event like this highlights the need to learn about financial education and services that are provided by our financial institution like banks or credit union to help us become good economic citizen.”

Yesterday’s event was celebrated under the theme: “Money Matters Matter”.

The overall objective of the theme is to educate young people – the future economic citizens of Solomon Islands, to learn and develop personal financial management skills and behaviour.

This includes good habits related to dealing with money.

The 2018 theme “Money Matters Matter” from the Global Money Week (GMW) is an annual money awareness campaign built to inspire children and young people to learn more about money matters and entrepreneurship.

The day was celebrated whole day with presentations, quiz, question and answers session and entertainments from three cultural groups.

Two from Isabel province and one from Malaita province.

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

NEW Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are close to reaching an agreement with the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC).

The agreement is set on the structure of a new project to assist with the management of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros, in Solomon Islands.

This beetle is the most destructive insect pest of palms, particularly coconut and oil palm, worldwide.

In other countries more than 50 percent of palms were killed in the first 10 years after it arrived.

According to Government and Palm Industries CRB Taskforce, in Solomon Islands it is already causing significant damage, wherever it goes a very high proportion of palms are either severely damaged or killed.

CRB Taskforce also adds it is now present in Honiara and has spread along the north coast of Guadalcanal and to North Malaita, Ngella, Savo, parts of Russell Islands and Ulawa.

A different strain of the same beetle has been detected in Shortlands and more recently in Gizo, CRB Taskforce said.

It also said coconut is the most important plant in the country contributing significantly to export earnings and to village economies, food and livelihoods.

The Taskforce further said palm oil and palm kernel cake exports also contribute significantly to export earnings and employment.

The new MAL/NZ/SPC project will facilitate activities by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) to try to reduce the population of beetles and slow its spread.

The project will fund action over the next two years in most beetle infested communities to help destroy all breeding sites, namely dead and rotting palms and rotting vegetation.

Once the population of beetles has declined the level of attack will also decline.

It is hoped that by that time another New Zealand project will have identified a new beetle virus disease that kills or reduces the spread of coconut rhinoceros beetle and the virus disease may be ready to release to keep the beetle numbers low.

The destruction of dead and rotting palms is not currently part of normal plantation management but will be required from now on.

Another project supported by Strongim Bisnis will work with MAL and the NZ projects to help communities permanently change these habits of a life time.