Solomon Islands to establish Independent Commission Against Corruption

The prime minister of Solomon Islands says an independent commission will be set up to investigate corruption allegations against politicians and government officials.

Manesseh Sogavare made the announcement in his New Year's message to the nation.

Mr Sogavare said the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) would also introduce anti-corruption legislation and subsidiary regulations.

Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency Solomon Islands has welcomed the government's decision.

"An ICAC will put a stop to the corrupters, whether its an offering or receiving of a bribe to do a dishonest practice," executive officer Daniel Fenua told Pacific Beat.

"It will also ensure that resources are harvested sustainably and services are delivered."

Mr Fenua wanted to see more details about the government's plan for an independent commission and hoped it would also be retrospective.

"One of the steps the government really needs to look at is to reactivate cases, there are a lot of allegations in the past that have not yet surfaced, that have not been investigated."

Solomon Islands opposition leader Jeremiah Manele said it fully supported the establishment of an ICAC.

Speaking to Solomon Star Newspaper, Mr Manele said corruption in the public sector had gone undetected and unchecked for many years, causing serious damage to the nation.

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Solomon Islands to establish Independent Commission Against Corruption

Rise in Falklands visitors expected

As Britain marks events 100 years on from the First World War, UK tourists are being invited to visit battlefields from a more-recent conflict.

The Falklands Islands Tourist Board is expecting a rise in the number of British visitors in 2015 with tourists able to learn more about the 1982 Falklands War with Argentina.

Trips will include tours of the battlefields of Goose Green and Mount Tumbledown while a recently-opened museum at Port Stanley features an exhibition recalling the 1982 conflict in the South Atlantic.

The museum also shows off the islands' long maritime history and houses a relocated radio and telecommunications hut which was used in the 1982 war by schoolchildren who were able to reassure their parents they were safe.

The museum incorporates three of the oldest building in Stanley and there are plans to, eventually, include the jail which dates from the 1840s.

Noted for its abundant wildlife, the Falklands was visited by naturalist Charles Darwin in the 1830s. The settlement of Darwin on East Falkland was named after him.

The islands' tourist board plans to open a London office in 2015, with the board predicting the number of UK visitors to the Falklands will top 3,000 in 2015.

The London office will market the island not only to UK travellers but to those of the US and emerging markets.

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Rise in Falklands visitors expected

Argentina announces its sovereign right over the Falkland Islands – Video


Argentina announces its sovereign right over the Falkland Islands
On the 182nd anniversary of the British invasion of the Falkland Islands, Argentina issued a press release reaffirming its sovereign right over the Falkland Islands and its willingness to re-establ...

By: teleSUR English

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Argentina announces its sovereign right over the Falkland Islands - Video

The top ten places to visit in 2015

The top ten places to visit in 2015

We take a look at the top 10 places to visit in 2015.

GALLIPOLI, Turkey

The Gallipoli Peninsula in north-western Turkey has long been a place of pilgrimage for Australians and New Zealanders. But interest in the destination is expected to increase this year with the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the April 25 Anzac landing.

More than 50,000 Aussies and Kiwis are expected to attend official Anzac Day celebrations at Gallipoli but those who do not have a ticket are advised to avoid travelling to Gallipoli around that time.

However a range of coach tours and special centenary trips make it possible for visitors to see Gallipoli's memorials and battlefields all year long.

FAROE ISLANDS

Winner of the National Geographic reader's choice award for the best trip to take in 2015, the Faroe Islands are a group of 18 islands situated about halfway between Iceland and Norway.

On March 20 they will become one of only two places in the world where it will be possible to witness a total solar eclipse.

On that day at precisely 9.41am the Islands will be plunged into total darkness as people from across the world gather together with Faroese locals to witness the rare event.

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The top ten places to visit in 2015