Vanuatu

The meeting will take place in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

It has been decided between the two countries that the high level talk to take place on neutral ground.

Since the independence of Vanuatu in 1980, it has been a long standing issue between the two governments to agree on their maritime boundary.

Vanuatu and Solomon Islands signed an agreement known as Motalava Agreement on their maritime boundary last year.

Photo supplied 

Mr Salwai said this will not stop Vanuatu's support to voice its concerns on the violation of human rights of its Melanesian brothers and sisters in West Papua.

He added that Vanuatu is no longer the only country in the region to speak out about human rights violation in West Papua.

According to Mr Salwai, several other Pacific island countries support West Papua and they will raise the issue during United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.

Prime Minister Salwai made the comments after returning home from the PIF leaders summit in Samoa last week.

Rick and Lynaire Pickering had come to know Jack Fred, a seasonal orchard worker from Lamen Island in Vanuatu, while Peter Anderson helps to educate the men and women in english and maths, as well as some practical lessons including how to cook and maintain equipment. 

In 2016, Rick, Lynaire and their daughter Ruby travelled to Lamen Island with Peter Anderson, to visit their friends and live with the local people.

On September 9, around one hundred children gathered at the Holiday Inn golf course in Port Vila to discover and have fun with different sports.

It was a combined event of sport and environmental matters, targeting an early age of learning, where participants were given an opportunity to receive messages, through playing sport, about the positive impact of protecting our environment.

In its latest newsletter the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it understood PACER PLUS would be good for Australia and New Zealand but it said the Vanuatu private sector was demoralised by the decision.

The Chamber said if the development of the private sector was not a government priority, businesses might relocate to Samoa or Fiji, where investment was welcomed.

It said Vanuatu now had the reputation of being a difficult country to do business in.

The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department is warning tourists and aviation centres of the drastic change in activity.

Meteorologist Esline Bule said the background noise and gas levels on Ambryn were very significant and while ash has settled a little on Ambae, seismic activity remains at level three, indicating minor eruptions.

"Already Ambae there's a significant ash fall last weekend, in the western part. Ambryn, the volcanic ash is not manifested much yet in the villages. But there's things happening at the top in the crater."

Minister for Internal Affairs, Alfred Maoh, said the move came because the number of violent incidents and criminal activities in and around Port Vila had increased.

Mr Maoh said a lot of the crime and misbehaviour could be attributed to the easy access to alcohol for young people.

The internal affairs minister, Alfred Maoh, said the Hyundai models were very popular in Port Vila because of their low cost.

RNZI reports the streets of the capital are crammed with vans operating as public bus services.

But Mr Maoh said it has come to the government's attention that there were too many Hyundais, and he said the buses did not last.

Speaking to journalists in Apia, Australian International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells says the signing is a mark of effective regionalism.
 
“We were very pleased and welcome Vanuatu signing PACER PLUS and joining other countries of the Pacific family in this historic agreement which is a mark of effective regionalism in the trade and investment space.
 

Prime Minister Charlot Salwai signed the trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand at the margins of the 48^th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in Apia, Samoa today.

“By doing so Vanuatu is taking on duties and responsibilities to ensure marketable goods and services are secured in the region for the foreseeable future,” he said following the signing ceremony.