Albanese went to Vanuatu to sign a $500m agreement – but leaves empty-handed thanks to concerns about China

Vanuatu’s PM says ‘more discussions’ needed on Nakamal agreement due to concerns over his nation’s ability to seek infrastructure funding from other countriesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government is racing to save a major new agreement with Vanuatu, after Anthony Albanese’s plans to sign the deal were rebuffed over concerns about infrastructure funding from China.Speaking alongside Vanuatu’s prime minister, Jotham Napat, on Tuesday, Albanese said he was confident the Nakamal agreement will be “able to be signed soon”, talking up cooperation and proper process with Vanuatu’s governing coalition. Continue reading...

Comments

World news

Gas leak at Sydney restaurant kills 25-year-old man and leaves 7 hospitalised

Independent

Comments

Similar News

Australia news live: ‘unedifying week’ for Coalition, says Hume; Trump reportedly calls Albanese ‘a good man’

Australia news live: Sydney wakes to storm cleanup; Albanese in Solomon Islands for Pacific talks

Australia news live: Albanese heads to Vanuatu to sign $500m deal aimed at countering Chinese influence

Albanese joins Macron’s ‘coalition of the willing’ talks on Ukraine and has ‘constructive’ phone call with Trump

Australia news live: Albanese holds ‘constructive’ phone call with Trump; two die on road trying to save animal

Labor MP questions Albanese on claim ‘good people’ went to anti-immigration rallies

‘Nothing secret’ about the $400m Nauru deportation plan, says Anthony Albanese

Letters: Albanese can’t blame Iran for Australia’s antisemitism problem

Australia politics live: Usman Khawaja to discuss gambling ads with Albanese; pollies dress up for Midwinter Ball

Iran directed antisemitic attacks in Australia, PM Albanese says

Arts degrees to cost $50,000 until at least 2027 despite Albanese reform promises, vice-chancellor says

Australia news live: pro-Palestine marches expected to attract huge turnout; Albanese to target red tape to speed up housing construction

‘We want builders on site, not filling in forms’: Albanese government cuts red tape in bid to boost home building

Netanyahu says Australian PM Albanese’s record ‘forever tarnished by weakness’ after Australian Jewish group urges calm

Australia’s peak Jewish group condemns Netanyahu’s ‘clumsy’ attack on Albanese and calls for end to ‘spat’

Row between Israel and Australia descends into personal insults as Netanyahu calls Albanese ‘weak’

Australian PM Anthony Albanese channels his inner Gen Z: ‘Delulu with no solulu’

Netanyahu lashes out at Albanese as ‘weak politician who betrayed Israel’ as diplomatic row escalates

World news

Gas leak at Sydney restaurant kills 25-year-old man and leaves 7 hospitalised

Tyler Robinson: Suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting set to face charges on Tuesday

Report claims thousands of children taken from Ukraine to be ‘re-educated’ by Russia

My evacuation from Gaza City: ‘I told my terrified toddler we’re going camping’

Luigi Mangione due in court amid double jeopardy fight in CEO killing

Israel IS committing genocide against Palestinians, says UN inquiry as IDF bombards Gaza City

Madeleine McCann ‘could have been stolen to order by paedophile network’

Australia warns social media over age checks as child ban plan moves forward

UN Commission says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

Israel's Qatar attack was a costly failure

Israel launches fresh operation in major escalation amid warning 'Gaza is burning'

Four atrocities in horror UN report 'confirms Israel committing genocide' in Gaza

Coachella line up in full - all 132 acts performing at US music festival as Justin Bieber headlines

Russia raises tensions with NATO as Putin shows off his battlefield nuclear weapons

Charlie Kirk traveled across America. His security varied from venue to venue

Two men jailed for plot to kill president with witchcraft in Zambia

Dad threatened by ICE deportation days after being shot during robbery

‘Gaza is burning’: Israel reportedly begins ground offensive after Netanyahu threatens Hamas leaders

Donald Trump says he will sue New York Times for $15bn

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, UN probe finds

‘Tooth-in-eye’ surgery enables man to see again after 20 years

Trump says he will sue the New York Times for $15bn

Is Keir Starmer already toast? I don’t think so

Apple TV+ swept the Emmys – these are the 11 shows to watch

Haitians yearn for home as gangs welcome them and police warn it's too dangerous

Father kills his own baby daughter on Facebook Live before taking his own life

Watch: JD Vance hosts Charlie Kirk's daily talk radio show

Why more women get cancer in India - but more men die

Malawi votes for next president as cost-of-living bites

They were shot dead for protesting against corruption in Nepal

Belarus and Russia's show of firepower appears to be a message to Europe

Google owner reveals £5bn AI investment in UK ahead of Trump visit

US Secretary of State inaugurates Israeli settler-led archaeological site in Jerusalem

Trump says he will sue New York Times for $15bn

Nigerian chef breaks world record for largest jollof rice dish

Chinese teens to pay $300,000 for urinating in soup

Report those who celebrate Charlie Kirk death to employers, Vance says

Israel escalates bombardment as defence minister says 'Gaza is burning'

Beaten and held in Russia for three years - but never charged with a crime

Trump's state visit is mired with potential pitfalls despite careful planning

Trump says the U.S. military targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela

Federal Judge Declines to Intervene for Migrants Deported to Ghana

Florida attorney general says cops should stop enforcing open carry gun ban after court ruling

Russia shows off conventional and nuclear military might in drills — and raises tensions with NATO

Tyson Foods to eliminate high-fructose corn syrup in brands like Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm

A new Ebola outbreak has been declared. Here’s what we know

Luigi Mangione due in court amid double jeopardy fight in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing

How hands-off investing could have made you six times more than saving this year

‘I fought in Afghanistan but faulty earplugs left me with physical and mental scars’

Birmingham City and the battle of ambition vs tradition

I’m a first-time buyer – why does being self-employed mean I can borrow less?

Canada’s friendly seafood capital with a road trip and vineyards nearby

Sorry book snobs – Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune is a delight

Trump’s Tariffs Start to Bite in Vietnam

ADHD and bipolar patients face medicine delays – even when drugs are in stock

My Man Utd XI to save Amorim’s job – with three major changes

Please stop suggesting a date night – I’d rather you unblock the drain

DWP imposes ‘gagging order’ on disability experts ahead of PIP review

"Not welcome": Rubio says U.S. is deporting visa holders who celebrated Kirk's death