Teilweise neu: 2001-10-22 Contents of this issue:
1. Reduced Risk 2. Missionary 3. Honoured 4. Solomons Grounded ======================================================================== Old contents were: 1. Solomons Grounded October 22nd, 2001 1. Reduced Risk: The South Pacific official cyclone season starts November 1 and ends April 30 2002. Island disaster committees are increasing awareness programs for residents to prevent major damage and loss of life in the event of a natural disaster. The small island state of Niue has recently had its disaster/ relief plans reviewed by a US group of specialists while in the Cook Islands there's an awareness program underway. The chances of cyclones in the region this season have diminished Dr Jim Salinger of the NZ National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research says the risk is own because the southern oscillation conditions are neutral and expected to be so until January 2002. An average of four cyclones can occur in the early part of the season - but that has ranged from none last year to 11 in 1997/98. 2. Missionary 3. Honoured: It's a public holiday on Niue today as the nation's churchgoers gather to celebrate Peniamina's Day. Peniamina was the first Niuean trained missionary. He was trained by the LMS in Samoa and returned to Niue in 1846 He is buried at Makefu in 1874. A national commemorative church service was held in Alofi. 4. Solomons Grounded: Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority has suspended Solomon Airlines from flying into Australia, hitting services to Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Vanuatu. Solomon Airlines flies a leased Boeing 737 from Honiara to Brisbane, Port Vila and Nadi using its own pilots and cabin crew. Radio Australia reports that a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Peter Gibson, said there are a range of safety problems with the airline, including inadequate staff training. Mr Gibson said the airline had also been carrying out flights without its approval. He said that at the moment, Solomon Airlines is suspended until at least the end of this month, at which time the airline's certificate to operate into Australia expires. Another regional airline, Air Nauru, had its Australian certification suspended earlier this year, also over standards. It was cleared to fly again after taking action to sort out the problems. (PINA Nius Online). __END__
