Air Vanuatu has announced it is adding a third weekly Boeing 737 service between Port Vila and Santo commencing on Sunday June 7, 2020.

The former Club Vanuatu in the centre of Port Vila Town owned by the Vanuatu National Provident Fund (VNPF) is now in its final stage of repair.

A large number of people are expected to arrive in the country this week and police in the capital is appealing to the public to respect the strict measures that are in place. 

The island of Tutuba in Sanma province has reportedly lost 90% of its coconut plantations during the recent category 5 tropical cyclone Harold.

The Minister for Education and Training, Seule Simeon, has reportedly stated that unless there is a COVID-19 case found in Port Vila and Vanuatu, schools throughout Vanuatu including Efate and Port Vila will continue as normal this week.

The Efate Rural Vanua’aku Party (VP) will have their Regional Coordination Committee (RCC) meeting this week.

The Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), with the UK and its Italian partners, agreed on 28 May new dates for the COP26 UN climate conference, which will now take place between 1 and 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, UK.

Digicel has announced the launch of its 12 years anniversary campaign to mark its milestone achievement. The campaign is focused on giving ‘Moa Surprises’ to all its customers.

Minister of Health, Silas Bule said health facilities in provinces that were damaged by Tropical Cyclone Harold in April 2020 need urgent attention and the rapid population growth means that more health issues need more immediate responses.

The mass repatriation of stranded citizens and permanent residents abroad under the Vanuatu Government is expected to commence with the first flight from New Zealand (NZ) carrying over 60 individuals tomorrow (Wednesday). 

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Management has confirmed that a review and payment of arrears of the employment stabilization package is taking place.

Air Vanuatu’s newly appointed Board of Directors unveiled the airline’s future business strategy in an all-employee meeting at Port Vila Airport on Wednesday 28th May 2020.

The killer of a 12-year-old boy from Malekula was handed an end sentence of 7 years and 10 months imprisonment following his conviction on a charge of intentional premeditated homicide.

Vanuatu’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) expects to repatriate at least 289 people under the first stage of repatriation plan.

The article titled “Seven Ni-Vanuatu Citizens in Solomon Islands Repatriated” on Thursday May 28, 2020 incorrectly stated they will be quarantined at MG Cocomo Resort at Korman in Port Vila. The repatriated citizens were never at MG Cocomo Resort and are not quarantined there.

Tomorrow (May 31) is World No Tobacco Day. This year’s event aims to remind public on the dangers of using tobacco products.

Vanuatu has a new Trade Commissioner to Jerusalem, Israel.

During the First Ordinary Session of Parliament from June 11 to 19, four motions will be tabled to establish four Parliament Standing Committees.

Director of National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), Abraham Nasak, has cautioned members of the public to refrain from speculation and spreading rumours on social media, but rely on official information from the Government.

Fine Foods, located at Salili, are revolutionizing the way food is prepared and served in the aftermath of Cyclone Harold. This is a milestone, especially in food security and shows us a new way in having preserved local food without using any preservatives.

Earlier this week, the Department of Energy (DoE) in collaboration with the Fire Service Department (FSD) has conducted a fire safety training with the attendants at the Korman Fuel Station.

The education of a whole generation of Ni-Vanuatu children is being degraded.

The Vanuatu Bureau of Standards (VBS) have conducted their own investigation after a woman in Port Vila suffered severe side effects after using a hair dye bought at a shop in Port Vila.

The Youth Challenge Vanuatu (YCV) has been rolling out several programs suitable to address the growing number of unemployment in urban centers.

The mass repatriation of stranded citizens which was supposed to start this weekend as announced by the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has been deferred.

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in partnership with the Department of Energy (DoE) of the Ministry of Climate Change – Vanuatu, conducted a two day pilot training of trainers (ToT) workshop on the 26th and 27th of May, 2020 on draft Solar Photovoltaic (PV) training modules for the p…

Bred Bank is a proud sponsor of the Vanuatu Wan Voes Kivhan organization after teaming up with the organizers to put on a first ever digital fundraiser concert of its kind on Saturday 16th May 2020.

Director General of Climate Change, Esline Garaebiti, has assured the President of the National Council of Chiefs, Chief Willie Plasua and his Chief Executive Officer, Chief Jean Pierre Tom, and the Chairperson of Givhan Festival Committee, Alcina Charlie and all musicians and volunteers inv…

One of the Vanuatu RSE workers in New Zealand has commended the Government’s decision to start repatriating Ni-Vans who are still stranded overseas in Australia and New Zealand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Next week the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC) will be celebrating the Vanuatu National Environment Week (VNEW) in Port Vila to coincide with World Environment Day (WED) which falls on June 5th every year.

In April 2020, Tropical Cyclone (TC) Harold struck and caused widespread destruction in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Tonga. On 5 April, it strengthened into a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone, the highest rating on the Australian scale.

The impacts of COVID-19 are not gender-neutral. Women and girls face even higher rates of violence and sexual abuse, undertake more unpaid domestic work, access fewer essential health services, and are more vulnerable to economic hardship.

Although one of us(Terence) recently co-authored a report highlighting Australian aid transparency issues, the aid program does deserve credit for placing some very useful information in the public domain.A good example of this can be seen in Aid Program Performance Reports, which contain a …

Vanuatu’s Trade Commissioner to Hong Kong has been given a three months’ termination notice by the Government.

Police have arrested a man over the alleged murder of his partner, whose body was discovered at Joint Court area in Port Vila in February this year.

The Director of Health Services in Vanuatu, Dr Len Tarivonda, has clarified the decision for schools in Port Vila and Efate to return to homeschooling next week, is a decision by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Airports Vanuatu Ltd (AVL) has issued the following update to all stakeholders on its governance and Board composition, following the General Election and a strategic update by the new Board yesterday afternoon.

Communities in south Malekula affected by Tropical Cyclone Harold but excluded in the aerial assessment want to be part of the government’s relief assistance.

As repatriation flights are planned for Ni-Vanuatu currently stranded overseas, the Ministry of Health (MOH) conducted a mock drill at the Port Vila International Airport yesterday on how to manage these flights.

The mandatory quarantine costs the Vanuatu Government had to meet for quarantining around 60 citizens and residents who initially returned overseas to date is approximately Vt13 million, said Acting Director of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Johnson Wabaiat.

Each day 300 million women and adolescent girls menstruate, and those women and girls have the right to access the products and services to manage their periods safely, hygienically and confidently. Pacific-focused actors – from governments, donors and civil society organisations to the priv…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is spreading to Pacific island countries (PICs), posing a severe threat to their economies and human security. Donors are aiding the region. For example, the United States has provided more than US$32 million to PICs. Australia announced AU$10.5 million as…

Schools have resumed normal classes last week in compliance to instructions by the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET). The school council of Erakor Bilingual School through its Chairman, Mr. Joseph Zacharie is reminding parents to send their children to school.

Amidst the ongoing challenge of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing worldwide, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has called for collective action to tackle the human elements of IUU fishing, including safeguarding observer safety and livelihoods, ensuring safe a…

The Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday confirmed they are working carefully with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and other Government agencies to manage the safe repatriation of Ni-Vanuatu citizens and residents commencing this week.

Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Jay Ngwele, says he has never signed any of the current contracts that has been referred to by the Opposition saying the statement by the Opposition is baseless.

The Office of the Speaker of Parliament and the Parliament Secretariat will conduct an induction program from June 3-9, 2020.

The arrival of the Solomon Airlines Flight IE66 yesterday has brought home seven Ni-Vanuatu citizens living at Solomon Islands.

It is likely that children from schools in Port Vila, including Efate will return to homeschooling as the mass repatriation of stranded nations commence this weekend.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity (MALFFB), through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), is supporting the planting of coffee to increase production in line with the coffee strategy that will be developed later this year as a r…