Vanuatu

He made the comment during a recent visit to Fiji and cited key priorities Pacific Opportunities: Leveraging Asia's Growth that would strengthen Pacific Island countries' links with Asian countries.

On shipping, Takehiko said, initial experience in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands suggested that subsidising the private sector on a competitive basis to undertake shipping routes to remote communities could be a better approach than through inefficient state-owned enterprises.

16 MPs have been indicted over alleged bribery for breaches of both the Leadership Code and the Penal Code.

The MPs charged with bribery are mostly in government.

One of them, Finance Minister Willie Jimmy, pleaded guilty this week.

The Public Prosecutor's office says counsels representing some of the accused approached it recently seeking indemnity from prosecution under the Public Prosecutor Act.

After consideration in accordance with accepted procedures, no indemnity was granted to any of them.

Since 2012 several UN agencies have been working in 12 communities across the country in water and sanitation, capacity building and strengthening their resilience to the adverse effects of natural disasters.

This includes the establishment of community disaster councils, preparations of emergency relief supplies and the identification of safe houses, which proved invaluable during Cyclone Pam in March.

The UNDP's David Malakay says the project ended in July but the experience with Pam reinforced the need for it to continue.

This comes as 18 mainly government MPs, including five ministers, are facing charges of bribery under both the leadership code and the country's penal code.

The Minister of Finance, Willie Jimmy pleaded guilty this morning to the charge of bribery under the leadership code.

The opposition said that the main reason it is preparing the motion is due to the seriousness of the current criminal case, the trial for which has been adjourned to next week.

The defendants of the Criminal Case No.

The MPs are alleged to have received bribes a year ago from the then opposition leader, Moana Carcasses, who is now deputy prime minister.

It is alleged that $US319,000 were involved.

Mr Carcasses was allegedly trying to procure the MPs support before a planned vote of no confidence to remove the then prime minister Jo Natuman.

Our correspondent in Vanuatu says sources say the money involved may have come from a businessman in Hong Kong.

Another three MPs, who had been facing charges, are now prosecution witnesses.

It will also provide for bollards at Mystery Island at Aneityum.

The move will mean 300 metre long ships can berth for the first time.

It will cost the cruise operator $US3.8 million dollars.

The first training of trainers on a national scale is about to take place on 17 September.

The training is run under the 6.1 million Euro, European Union Pacific Technical Vocational Education and Training in Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Adaptation Project (EU PacTVET) and is jointly implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the University of the South Pacific.

The project covers 15 Pacific Island countries within the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) group of states.

The online business registry allows both Ni-Vanuatu and overseas investors to register a business, maintain its details, and pay fees online, reducing the average time for company registrations from more than 3 weeks to under 3 days.

Fisheries Department was not aware of the whale until a day later when the Department was alerted of the dead whale at Eratap village, South East of Efate.

Villagers told Fisheries officers that the whale was first noticed in the lagoon Friday last week, then Saturday but on Sunday morning the villagers saw it floating and towed the carcass ashore.

“Upon arrival at the scene, the whale was discovered with its head, tail, dorsal fins and both flippers already removed from the body leaving the trunk lying on the beach,” stated a media release from the Fisheries Department.