Archive - May 3, 2011

Al-Qaeda founder and leader Osama Bin Laden has been killed by US forces, President Barack Obama has said.

The al-Qaeda leader was killed in a ground operation based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August.
Mr Obama said after “a firefight” US forces took possession of his body.

Bin Laden was accused of being behind a number of atrocities, including the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.
He was top of the US “most wanted” list.

Crowds gathered outside the White House in Washington DC, chanting “USA, USA” after the news emerged.

In an act of support and solidarity, OFC has donated a Football for Life grant of NZD 25,000 to the New Zealand Football Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.
OFC Executive Committee member and Vanuatu Football Federation President Lambert Maltock presented the cheque to New Zealand Football Chairman Frank van Hattum just before kick-off of the OFC U-20 Championship grand final at North Harbour Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Vanuatu Cricket Association will be running a Level 1 Cricket Coaching Course next week on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th of May 2011 at Independence Park starting at 9:00am.

All national cricket players are asked to attend and anyone else who have done their Level 0, are also invited to attend this 2 days course.

The Level 1 Coaching Course is designed to educate coaches how to teach the basic fundamental skills of cricket.

As a Rural Development Planner and Adviser to the National Planning and Statistics Office 18 years ago, Stan Coombes from Canada was convinced that the right direction forward was to put emphasis on the importance of economic development beginning in the rural areas and not in urban areas. But as he tells our reporter Len Garae in the following interview, even 18 years ago political priorities and aid donor dictation both interfered with the vision of the National Planning and Statistics Office.

When did you first arrive in Vanuatu?

Saot Efate Boxing Lik long wik ia hemi setemap wan niu eksekutif komiti blong hem long wan taem we boxing long kaontri is tap kam antap bageken.
Niufala eksekutif komiti ia insaed i gat ol lokol boxing klab we oli afiliet long Saot Efate Boxing Lik olsem, Emau Boxing Klab, Epi Holen Boxing Klab, Namalamala Boxing Klab, Tongoa Bridge Boxing Klab,Tupuji Boxing Klab mo Wan Smol Bag Boxing Klab.

The Pacific Games Council has called for nominations from its 22 member Pacific Games Associations for the 3rd annual Pacific Sports Awards to be presented in Noumea this September.

The awards recognise the “most meritorious international performance/contribution” in the following eight categories:

-Outstanding Sports Administrator of the Year
Outstanding Coach of the Year
-Outstanding Technical Official of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award 
-Outstanding Junior Athlete of the Year 
-Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year
-Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year

Tafea FC mo Amicale FC tufala i mekem ol win las wiken long Nasonal Supa Lik dei 3 oltaem lng Port Vila Municipal Stadium.

Afta long ol maj ia i lukim Tafea FC hemi stil mentenem lid blong hem long Nasonal Supa Lik taem hemi kam blong winim Tupuji Imere long wan sko blong 4-1 long las wiken.

The youngest brother of Melanesian Progressive Party President and founder Barak Sope, defected to the Labour Party last Thursday and was warmly accepted by Party President and Deputy Prime Minister Joshua Kalsakau.

Labour Party President Kalsakau embraced 45-year-old Witeu Sope with both hands and declared that Mr Sope is now his Third Political Advisor.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) study identifies impediments to growth, proposes way forward.

Taro is one of the few fresh commodities for which Pacific Island countries have been able to achieve significant levels of exports, with 10,000 to 12,000 tonnes exported annually (valued at approximately USD 6 million).

Fiji currently accounts for 95% of these exports, with Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu making up the rest. However, there has been little or no growth in export volume in recent years. Why?

There is no doubt that climate change is one of the biggest issues affecting Vanuatu and its people today and even more so in the future. For that reason the Minister of Agriculture, Quarantine Fisheries and Forests opened a workshop this morning to review the first draft of Vanuatu’s new National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. Minister Rory’s speech called for strong call for intersectoral cooperation as over 40 participants gathered at Le Lagon Port Vila for the workshop.