Vanuatu

The new graduates successfully completed their internationally-recognised Australian qualifications at a graduation ceremony held at Port Vila on Wednesday.

While officiating at the event Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas commended the graduates for their hard work in advancing their careers through upskilling at APTC.

Mr Tabimasmas also congratulated APTC for achieving the 10-year milestone and, more importantly, for training Pacific men and women including 1653 Vanuatu citizens.

The 11-thousand strong population was moved off earlier this month after the Manaro volcano began erupting and threatened food and water supplies.

The Council of Ministers said the repatriation will only begin once the Disaster Management Office had analysed the logistics and prepared a plan.

The council said it will take responsibility for returning the evacuees.

It's also agreed to extend the state of emergency "to facilitate the repatriation".

Carcasses is among 14 former MPs, including Marcellino Pipite, who as acting speaker of parliament used presidential powers to pardon himself along with the rest of his group after they were found guilty of corruption and bribery charges.

On return from an overseas trip the then Head of State, Baldwin Lonsdale, challenged the decision and the men were jailed.

The corruption and bribery charges involved an amount of $US324,000 dollars which Carcasses said he gave to his colleagues as personal loans.

From the income he gets from his vegetable farm of mainly cabbage, tomato and beans, Kalses provides for his young family including his three children who currently attend elementary school.

“I have up to five hectares of land but I only farm about one hectare of that,” Kalses tells me on the corridors of Vanuatu’s National Conference Centre, one of the venues of this week’s Pacific Week of Agriculture.

Using five hectares of land and with the help two other women, Sam followed the call from government and planted potato, onion, pumpkin, yam, cassava on her land.

“The Department of Agriculture provided seedlings and cuttings to help me start my farm. It was not an easy at first because the job required clearing of land and planting. 

“I wake up at 6am in the morning to go out to the farm. My eldest daughter who is 15 years old helps with some of the housework in the morning while I am out in the field. 

The Daily Post reporeds that two Sanma Province MPs, Hosea Nevu and Marc Ati, have both left the People's Progress Party.

The leader of the Vanua'aku Pati, Joe Natuman, welcomed the pair into the country's oldest political party at a kava ceremony in Port Vila.

It meant the party now has eight MPs, making it the biggest party in the coalition government led by Charlot Salwai.

Mr Natuman, who is the Deputy Prime Minister, said the move by the two MPs would help mitigate efforts to undermine Vanuatu's interests on West Papua.

The concern has come to light after revelation that the handicraft industry in the Pacific nation is worth VT$1.3 billion(US$120 million).

Speaking to PACNEWS on the margins of the Pacific Week of Agriculture underway in Port Vila, the President of the Ni-Vanuatu Art and Craft Association, Josephine Fred said Chinese products, almost similar to Vanuatu goods are sold to tourists at a lower price competing with local products.

It's understood the Council of Ministers have adopted a report from their Revenue Review Committee, which commits Vanuatu to introducing personal income tax and company tax.

But the Chamber's President, Thomas Bayer, says because so few people in Vanuatu are formally employed, collecting income tax won't be an effective means of raising revenue.

Mr Bayer says he understands the government will also increase the VAT rate to 15 per cent, but he's struggling to confirm the facts.

Doors were opened to the public on Sunday to see the brand new venues at the Korman Complex, which will host 12 of the 14 sports on offer during the event.

The opening ceremony is now less than 50 days away and Van2017 CEO Clint Flood says it's important to demonstrate to the public - many of whom doubted the venues would be done on time - that Vanuatu will be ready to host the Games.

"It is important for people to see how good these venues are, and that Port Vila now has some of the best facilities in the Pacific," he said.

The Australian government says the additional assistance will enable NGOs and the government of Vanuatu to extend access to basic services, including education and healthcare.

It says it will allow displaced people to resume more normal lives following their evacuation to the nearby islands of Espiritu Santo, Maewo and Pentecost and upon their return to Ambae Island.

Australia's total contribution to the relief effort so far is valued at about $US2.4 million, including funding for emergency food, water, shelter and hygiene supplies, aerial surveillance and evacuations.