Vanuatu

They are also in support of full membership of ULMWP to the Melanesian Spearhead Group .

The MSG members said they are committed to advocating for West Papua and strongly adhere to the principles that are at the core of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, which is the ‘Political aspirations of self- determination of our Melanesian people.’

There is recognition that such a commitment will require bold and ethical leadership and a clear understanding of our Melanesian values.

Two weeks ago, VASANOC said it would ask the Council to withdraw the 2017 Games from Vanuatu if urgent action by the Government was not taken to release promised funding.

The President of the Pacific Games Council, Vidhya Lakhan, said all parties are now on the same page.

During their meeting, Prime Minister Sogavare expressed appreciation on behalf of the government and people of Solomon Islands to the Government and people of Vanuatu for backing Solomon Islands bid to host the 2023 Pacific Games.

He said with the support of Vanuatu, the other two MSG Member countries, Partners to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) from the Micronesian region and a few Polynesian countries, Solomon Islands successfully secured the hosting right for the regional games in 2023.

This was announced by Vanuatu’s Prime Minister, Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas during the opening the Pacific Games Council’s (PGC) General Assembly in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

“My government is committed to be the host of this important event and it is also important especially for the young generations,” he said.

The Vanuatu Daily Post reported SBS Korea and AHTV China were filming a South Korean reality show, Laws of the Jungle, on Malotina, near Malo Island in Santo.

Tony Moli Hakwa, as the spokesperson for the registered lessees, said they were not consulted and not offered anything by the film crew.

They demanded the funds from the Vanuatu Tourism Office, and asked for the footage to be seized.

RNZI reports Finance Minister Gaeton Pikioune is reported making the statement to teachers at Malapoa College in Port Vila.

Many former teachers, who were members of the Teachers' Union or the Teachers' Association, are still waiting for outstanding salaries and retirement entitlements to be settled.

Ula is now a Category Three cyclone and is easing as it moves in a south easterly direction from its position south of the Vanuatu group.

Ula reached Category Four level as it veered towards Vanuatu's south at the weekend raising fears for vulnerable islands in Tafea Province which are still recovering from the devastation of last year's Cyclone Pam.

“It’s clear they have made progress,” said Jennifer Morgan from the World Resources Institute, “but it is not over till it is over.”

The numbers of options for ministers to decide from has been radically reduced – a gamble from the French presidency of the COP.

The new version of a deal would commit 195 countries to slash net carbon emissions to zero in the second half of this century, involving radical cuts in fossil fuel use and a significant rise in deployment of clean energy and carbon capture technologies.

El Niño conditions in the Pacific are expected to bring drought to the island nation, which was devastated by Cyclone Pam in March.

The head of Red Cross New Zealand's international programme, Phil Brewster, said the country was still rebuilding, and its water systems were not yet fully restored.

Digicel is once again bringing families and the Pacific’s greatest musical talent together with an upbeat new version of their hit song ‘We Are Family’. This new rendition is a cheerful Pacific Christmas music collaboration, available to all Digicel customers across the company’s six Pacific countries.