Vanuatu

Mr Salwai told VBTC news that government has the expenditure and revenue budget, but also need the development budget.

He says government will propose such budget in this year's parliament session.

The participants came from across Vanuatu’s government, private and community sectors and included members of the Australia Awards alumni.

The workshop was funded by the Australian Government in collaboration with the Centre for Political and Diplomatic Studies.

The workshop, held in the month of International Women’s Day, strengthened the participants’ skills in networking-building, negotiating, influencing, conflict management, speech-making and strategic problem solving.

The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, or CCECC, has been building roads on Efate, Santo, Malekula and Tanna.

It said it had complied with the law in laying off the workers' when the project on which they were working ended.

But the Commissioner of Labour, Murielle Meltenoven, said the company may have contravened the Labour Act by sacking the workers and it could face legal action.

Instead, he said he was duped by human traffickers, who enslaved and tortured him and dozens of other migrants who were promised work.

"It's a very horrible situation actually, our heart is burning," said Mr Khan, 47, in an interview from the capital Port Vila.

He is one of 101 Bangladeshi men now stuck in limbo under government protection after they were rescued from the trafficking scheme in November.

Prime Minister Charlot Salwai's proposal to increase the number of Ministries from 13 to 17 was to be debated today in a special sitting of parliament.

The proposal, which required a constitutional amendment, faced opposition among some political parties, and sparked a peaceful protest outside parliament this morning.

With the opposition leader, Ishmael Kalsakau, signalling a legal challenge to the move, the government has now dropped the plan.

Both said that this initiative will maintain diplomatic relations.

They reviewed cooperation in the key sectors and agreed to expand cooperation in the areas of investment and trade too.

The two ministers held their first ever dialogue recently this week during Minister Han’s visit with his delegation.

Minister Nevu highlighted the status, opportunities and challenges facing the agriculture sector of Vanuatu.

Charlot Salwai wants to increase the numbers in cabinet from 13 to 17.

Our correspondent said the protestors are likely to be from all sectors of Vanuatu society.

Meanwhile, the Daily Post newspaper reported the opposition leader, Ishmael Kalsakau, saying he has filed a legal challenge to the prime minister's move, saying extra ministries are far too costly at this time for the country.

They demanded the Prime Minister Charlot Salwai and Members of Parliament to withdraw the decision to increase the number of ministries in the current Government.

The protest started early this morning to get the attention of the Government as well as Members of Parliament.

The group of people held banners saying 'Your decisions today will be my future destiny'

They said the government must make decisions in the national interest, not the interest of government backbenchers.

The MoneyMinded programme was organised by ANZ Bank Vanuatu in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports.

Rebecca Borugu from the Youth Empowerment Unit at the Department of Youth Development and Sports said the training was held at the Vanuatu Institute of Teachers Education (VITE) and at Sarabulu Church.

"The workshop helps empower young people, mothers and fathers to better understand that it is important to do planning in their life and that the planning will determined their future,"  Mrs Borugu said.

"My Council was told that tourists would arrive by boat in town. Instead they changed the programme without knowledge of the Council," Daniel said.

The Port Vila Municipal erected tents along the George Kalsakau Drive where vendors sold their items.

However, the customers that day were mainly ni-Vanuatu and maybe "some 100 tourists" even though organisers said Port Vila would be packed with over 1000 visitors.