Vanuatu

Dr Liu Fang held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai,

At the meeting, which was also attended by Vanuatu’s Minister of Transport, Mr Jothan Napat, and ICAO’s Asia Pacific Regional Director, Mr. Arun Mishra, the two leaders agreed on the crucial importance of ICAO-compliant air connectivity to the immediate prosperity and long-term economic development of Vanuatu.

Mr Natuman is on a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

The charge was in relation to a bitter dispute that engulfed the police force in 2014.

Mr Natuman, as then-prime minister, ordered the then-commissioner, Aru Maralau, to stop a police team from investigating other high-ranking officers accused of mutiny.

Vanuatu is one of a number of Pacific countries who have never won a medal at the Games, and the team narrowly missed out on a place at the Rio Olympics.

Pacific Beat reports Vanuatu’s beach volleyball pair of Miller Pata and Linline Matauatu are ranked in the top four.

Coach Shannon Zunker says the duo are in excellent form

“The medal is within their grasp so we will approach it one step at a time. But we have set those goals and we would like to be there at the end of the week, “Zunker said.

The 11, including a former speaker, are being retried on a conspiracy charge related to the constitutional crisis of two years ago, which led to the toppling of the government.

Fourteen MPs were convicted in late 2015 after being found to have received money to cross the floor of parliament and change the government.

One of the MPs, Marcellino Pipite, who was parliament's speaker at the time, followed that up by using his powers as acting president to pardon himself and the others.

Fumigation involves use of gas to treat products to kill off any unwanted organisms.

According to Vanuatu's Daily Post, the first batch of non-fumigated kava exported to New Caledonia shipped on Friday.

The Director of Biosecurity said it's exciting times for the industry.

Timothy Tumukon said they conducted tests and found there was no need to continue to treat kava sent to New Caledonia with methyl bromide.

He said Vanuatu authorities talked to their New Caledonia counterparts and there were now two requirements.

The Daily Post said the flood struck as the area has been trying to recover from last month's cyclone Hola while trying to cope with ash fall from Manaro volcano.

There is no information about any casualties.

The government has already sent emergency food supplies to the island and approved $US400,000 to be spent on short term food and supplies in the disaster zones of west and south Ambae.

Mr Licht officially signed his contract at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, according to the Daily Post.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ralph Regenvanu said the appointment comes at the right for Vanuatu as it enters a phase of receiving European development funding for agriculture and other sectors.

He said Mr Licht was considered as the right person for the job because of his extensive experience in diplomatic work and particularly with the Melanesia Spearhead Group.

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Manaro Voui volcano started erupting last September, prompting Vanuatu authorities to order all 1100 residents of Ambae island to evacuate immediately.

People were allowed to return in October when volcanic activity subsided.

A GNS Science volcanologist, Brad Scott, said however, the volcano had become more active in the last ten days.

"There have been gardens covered by ash, limbs on trees broken. Some of the roofs over buildings and water supplies have since collapsed due to the weight of the volcanic ash."

The cabinet announced it has declared disaster zones for both the region affected by Cyclone Hola and on Ambae island due to the ongoing volcanic eruption.

The government has declared a disaster zone over five priority areas in the northern islands after Cyclone Hola passed over the area as a category 4 system in early March destroying homes, schools and crops.

They have approved US$850,000 for immediate relief supplies to the affected communities in Northern Malekula, West Malo, Central Pentecost, South Ambae and North Ambrym.

The Vanuatu Geohazards Department last week upgraded the danger level of the Manaro Voui crater to alert level 3 signifying an escalating eruption event.

Disaster authorities are now considering a mass evacuation of people from the southern and northwestern parts of the island which have been worst affected by heavy ashfall.

An Ambae community leader on the nearby island of Espiritu Santo, Nadia Kanegai, has been helping with the relocation of people and organising relief supplies.