Solomon Islands

Videos on social media show police firing tear gas to disperse looters, and buildings on fire.

RNZ Pacific's correspondent in the capital Honiara, Georgina Kekea, was in the Kukum area where the police station and shops were set alight, and said at least one building had been burned down.

Police she spoke to said the large crowds had been at the other end of town, and officers had not expected the crowd to attack their police station.

RNZ Honiara correspondent Georgina Kekea said the protest was being led primarily by people from Malaita Province who said they were not being heard by the national government.

Most schools and businesses in the capital were closed today while large crowds clashed with police as they tried to access the grounds of parliament, where parliament's house is currently sitting.

"I think a lot of Honiara residents were caught by surprise with what has happened today. It has really disrupted operations... and now people are not feeling safe anymore," Kekea said.

This was the warning from Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare this week as he reiterated the government's target of 90 percent vaccination coverage before reopening.

"By Friday of last week, only 44,613 people have completed their full vaccination, representing only 12 percent of the targeted 90 perecent coverage," Manasseh Sogavare said.

Mr Sogavare said this is despite 108,417 people having already had their first jabs.

Some people are calling for a crocodile cull to reduce numbers.

The deaths come less than a month after the country lifted a ban on harvesting the nocturnal marine animal, also called beche-de-mer, in a bid to boost is pandemic-hit economy.

Local police commander Joseph Maneluga said the beche-de-mer gold rush is attracting divers to crocodile-infested waters.

Customers in China and South-East Asian countries consider the dried sea cucumbers a delicacy and one kilogram can fetch up to 170 dollars in the Solomons.

on half-pay from the 31st of October.

This was announced by the Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare this week and will apply to any employee of the national or provincial governments as well as state owned enterprises.

Mr Sogavare said if by 1 January 2022 they still have not taken up the vaccine their employment will be terminated.

It is the strongest messaging yet to come from the government with so far only 6.4 percent of the eligible population full vaccinated against the virus.

The Kurukuru conceded three goals in each half against the African champions.

Soufiane El-Mesrar opened the scoring in just the second minute before Achraf Souad doubled their advantage a minutes later.

Idriss Raiss El-Fenni made it 3-0 close to half-time, while Bilal Bakkali, Otmane Boumezou and Soufiane Borite all found the back of the net in the second spell.

Solomon Islands, who are competing in their fourth consecutive World Cup, are back in action on Friday morning against Portugal, who outclassed Thailand 4-1 in the other Group C clash.

The Australian-based administrator was CEO of the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby and has held several other positions in Papua New Guinea and at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.

He replaces Shalom Akao Waita, who was the first woman to lead a Pacific Games Organising Committee.

The former Solomon Islands netball and basketball representative was appointed in October but stood down earlier this year.

In a statement on Friday the government said the lockdown was necessary given the surge of the deadly COVID-19 delta variant globally.

It said this was especially important as the country prepares for a limited re-opening of incoming flights which have been suspended for weeks because of worsening delta outbreaks in neighbouring countries.

It said Cabinet has approved the trial of the revised Lock-down plan for the Honiara Emergency Zone through a 36-hour lockdown from 6pm on Sunday 29th August to 6am Tuesday 31 August 2021.

A statement from the Royal Solomon Islands police said a land cruiser was being chased by police outside the capital Honiara for driving dangerously.

The police said there were parked vehicles and a car on the main bridge, so the chased driver chose to use an old where a group was fundraising.

After ploughing into the crowd, the driver fled but has now been arrested.

The vehicle was later burnt down to ashes.

The dates for the Games have been moved from their original slot of mid to late July 2023, to the two weeks from November 16th to December 2nd 2023.

The Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare says that in March, the Solomons Pacific Games Association submitted a paper to cabinet for their support to defer the 17th Games.

"The reason for their request is simply that delays forced upon us as the host nation by the Covid-19 pandemic had undermined our ability to complete the construction of all the facilities we require to successfully host the games," he said.