Vanuatu

The cyclone is expected to hit Vanuatu's second largest city, Luganville, at midday.

Evacuation centres have been set in Lugainville as authorities tell communities to stock up on food and water and prepare to evacuate their homes in case of flooding.

Philip Meto, principal provincial Liason Officer with Vanuatu Disaster Management Office, said on Monday people were aware of the cyclone risks and evacuation centres had been set up.

He said in previous cyclones, in flood-prone areas "more than 100 people are usually evacuated."

Fiji's MetService is warning it could even become a category four by midnight.

People in the province of Torba, Penama and Sanma will be directly affected in the next 48 to 72 hours by hurricane force winds of up to 185km/h.

Heavy rainfalls with flash flooding are expected over low-lying areas and areas close to river banks, including coastal flooding, over the Vanuatu group on Monday and Tuesday.

Very rough seas with heavy swells are expected over all Vanuatu waters. Seagoing vessels are advised to take extra precautions.

Tropical cyclone Lola, named by the Nadi tropical cyclone centre, is not expected to come anywhere near New Zealand, MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker said on Monday morning.

Currently the cyclone is a category 2 and is tracking north of Vanuatu and east of the Santa Cruz islands. It is expected to increase in strength to category 3 by Monday evening.

In its update at 6:37 AM Vanuatu time, the Meteorology and GeoHazards Department issued a red alert for Torba province and a yellow alert for Penama and Sanma.

As of 5am local time, tropical cyclone Lola was about 310 kilometres northeast of Torres and 295 kilometres north-northeast of Sola.

Gale force winds of 90 kilometres an hour are set to continue to affect Torba Province on Monday.

Heavy rainfalls with flash flooding are expected over low lying areas and areas close to river banks, including coastal flooding over Vanuatu group on Monday and Tuesday.

Cyclone Lola has formed over the Santa Cruz Islands, north of Vanuatu.

The Nadi weather officer did report that cyclone Lola does not pose a direct threat to the Fiji Group, based on current analysis.

It further stated that Cyclone Lola is the first system to emerge during the 2023–2024 Tropical Cyclone (TC) Season.

It is only the seventh South Pacific cyclone to be named in October since 1970.

Cyclone season typically runs from November 1 to April 30.

Earlier this afternoon, the Fiji Meteorological Service named it Cyclone Lola.

It is only the seventh South Pacific cyclone to be named in October since 1970. Cyclone season typically runs from 1 November to 30 April.

Two Category Four cyclones hit Vanuatu in early March.

Cyclone Judy was followed within hours by Cyclone Kevin.

They battered the region with destructive winds of 160km/h, gusting to 220km/h, causing extensive damage to the central and southern islands.

Solomona, currently the general manager of the Samoa Airport Authority, will take up the new post in January 2024.

His appointment followed an extensive international recruitment process.

He has over thirty years of civil aviation operations and senior management experience in Samoa and Fiji, including as a pilot, air traffic controller, and aerodromes specialist.

The motion was carried by a show of hands, with 27 votes, in the absence of the government bench which had vacated the floor in protest ahead of the motion being moved.

Charlot Salwai was then nominated as the sole candidate for prime minister and was duly-elected by secret ballot with 29 votes in the absence again of the MPs on the other side of the house.

Salwai was previously prime minister from February 2016 up until the general election in 2020.

Simeon based his ruling on Leingkone having missed three consecutive sittings of Parliament while he received medical treatment in South Korea.

The Speaker's ruling at that time allowed him to avoid a vote of no confidence, with only 25 MPs on both sides of the House.

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined Leingkone's petition for a stay on the Speaker's decision to declare his seat vacant.

As a result, the local population has been advised to "be prepared and store water" by the department.

"El Nino means extreme below normal rainfall for Vanuatu," VMGD's principal scientific officer Glenda Pakoa said.

"That means we might expect drier conditions for the next few months, and drier conditions can lead to water shortages and food shortages," she said.

"I would like to advise communities to make use of our wet season, store water, do not play around with water, especially farmers who plant crops that are resistant to drought events."