Vanuatu

The quake occurred at a depth of 156 km (97 miles), EMSC said. (Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru)     

The SPC and the International Trade Commission says the project, known as "ACP-Business Friendly", promotes and builds on farming practices that promote sustainable production.

It aims to help ni-Vanuatu and Papua New Guinean farmers to absorb economic shocks and attract investments.

Programme Manager Sadiq Syed said the programme facilitates productive value chain alliances and improves access to global markets.

The company, owned by tech-billionaire Elon Musk, is now obtaining its broadcasting licence, to allow it to legally operate in Vanuatu.

Starlink promises to deliver high-speed internet to the remotest parts of the world, using satellites.

The Daily Post reports people have already been using Starlink in Vanuatu illegally.

"The government's follow-up action is through the provision of assistance for the restoration of the VIP terminal of Vanuatu's Port Vila International Airport," the minister informed at a press conference here on Wednesday.

He said that his ministry will cooperate with the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing to rehabilitate Port Vila airport's VIP terminal.

The VIP terminal rehabilitation project is now in the planning and designing phase, he informed.

The Daily Post reports Jotham Napat announcing this to the Vanuatu-Filipino Community during the 125th Independence Day commemoration in Port Vila at the weekend.

2023 marks 37 years of bilateral diplomatic relations between the two governments.

There are around 300 Filipinos residing in Vanuatu.

Napat also thanked the Philippine government for hosting almost 200 Vanuatu students; and said Vanuatu needs more Filipinos to come and work there.

The Council, made up of chiefs elected from all districts of the country, are asking for the name to be officially changed to "Venia".

According to Vanuatu Daily Post, the Council says the name is the original native name of the island and that it should be restored.

The island was named "Espiritu Santo" by Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós when he visited the island in 1606.

Food rations were recently distributed to affected communities.

One local told the Daily Post the rice grains had turned brown and had a bad odour.

He said he would be feeding the rice to his chickens.

The Area Administrator for the local council, Philip Dick, told the Post a number of other communities on the island have reported spoiled rice and they will be providing replacements.

He said the dry rations were affected during shipment and during offloading.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said, during a visit by Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles, that a security treaty signed with Australia in December 2022 is still being examined.

Some Vanuatu politicians who favour ties with China have expressed concern over the deal.

Vanuatu's National Security Council was "going through the text" and it will next be considered by his government's Council of Ministers, Kalsakau said in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila.

"It will be presented for ratification before the end of this year in Parliament," he said.

World Vision Vanuatu's Helen Corrigan, who is the organisation's Tropical Cyclone Judy and Kevin response manager, said on top of the situation faced by children, some families were still living in evacuation centres as their homes were destroyed.

Corrigan said the focus for World Vision is on suppling seeds so communities can re-grow crops.

She said while food supply was still an issue in parts of the country and there was a lot to rebuild, children were learning.

The accolade comes as the Vanuatu national captain prepares for the A-League Grand Final on Saturday against Melbourne City FC in Sydney.

Kaltak said his people will rally behind him for the final, with his village in Vanuatu watching it together in a community hall.

The team of the year includes the league's top scorer Jamie Maclaren, who will be hoping to his 24 strikes so far for Melbourne in the final, Australian World Cup player Craig Goodwin and Brazilian import Marcelo.