The EU parliament on Wednesday adopted a sweeping reform of Europe's asylum policies that will both harden border procedures and force all the bloc's 27 nations to share responsibility. The parliament's main political groups overcame opposition from far-right and far-left parties to pass the new migration and asylum pact -- enshrining a difficult overhaul nearly a decade in the making. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the vote, saying it will «secure European borders... while ensuring the protection of the fundamental rights» of migrants. «We must be the ones to decide who comes to the European Union and under what circumstances, and not the smugglers and traffickers,» she said. EU governments -- a majority of which previously approved the pact -- also welcomed its adoption. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Greece's migration minister, Dimitris Kairidis, both called it «historic». French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe was acting «effectively and humanely» while Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi hailed what he termed «the best possible compromise». But there was dissent when Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban derided the reform as «another nail in the coffin of the European Union». «Unity is dead, secure borders are no more. Hungary will never give in to the mass migration frenzy! We need a change in Brussels in order to StopMigration!» Orban said in a post on social media platform X. For very different reasons, migrant charities also slammed the pact, which includes building border centres to hold asylum-seekers and sending some to outside «safe» countries. Amnesty International said the EU was «shamefully» backing a deal «they know will lead to greater human suffering» while the Red Cross federation urged member states «to guarantee humane conditions for asylum seekers and migrants affected». The vote itself was initially disrupted by protesters yelling: «The pact kills -- vote no!», while dozens of demonstrators outside the parliament building in Brussels held up placards with slogans decrying the reform. The parliament's far-left grouping, which maintains that the reforms are incompatible with Europe's commitment to upholding human rights, said it was a «dark day». It was «a pact with the devil,» said Damien Careme, a lawmaker from the Greens group. - Border centres - As well as Orban, other far-right lawmakers also opposed the passage of the 10 laws making up the pact as insufficient to stop irregular migrants they accuse of spreading insecurity and threatening to «submerge» European identity. Marine Le Pen, the figurehead of France's far-right National Rally, complained the changes would give «legal impunity to NGOs complicit with smugglers». She and her party's leader who sits in the European Parliament, Jordan Bardella, said they would seek to overturn the reform after EU elections in June, which are tipped to boost far-right numbers in the legislature. The pact's measures are due to come into force in 2026, after the European Commission first sets out how it would be implemented. New border centres would hold irregular migrants while their asylum requests are vetted. And deportations of those deemed inadmissible would be sped up. The pact also requires EU countries to take in thousands of asylum-seekers from «frontline» states such as Italy and Greece, or -- if they refuse -- to provide money or other resources to the under-pressure nations. Even ahead of Orban's broadside, his anti-immigration government reaffirmed Hungary would not be taking in any asylum-seekers. «This new migration pact practically gives the green light to illegal migration to Europe,» Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said before the vote, adding that Budapest «will not allow illegal migrants to set foot here in Hungary». - EU 'solidarity' - German's Scholz said on X that the accord stands for «solidarity among European states» and would «finally relieve the burden on those countries that are particularly hard hit». One measure particularly criticised by migrant charities is the sending of asylum-seekers to countries outside the EU deemed «safe», if the migrant has sufficient ties to that country. The pact resulted from years of arduous negotiations spurred by a massive inflow of irregular migrants in 2015, many from war-torn Syria and Afghanistan. Under current EU rules, the arrival country bears responsibility for hosting and vetting asylum-seekers and returning those deemed inadmissible. That has put southern frontline states under pressure and fuelled far-right opposition. A political breakthrough came in December when a weighted majority of EU countries backed the reforms -- overcoming opposition from Hungary and Poland. In parallel with the reform, the EU has been multiplying the same sort of deal it struck with Turkey in 2016 to stem migratory flows. It has reached accords with Tunisia and, most recently, Egypt that are portrayed as broader cooperation arrangements. Many lawmakers have, however, criticised the deals. © Agence France-Presse

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said Wednesday that «Hamas is defeated» as fighting raged on in the Gaza Strip and negotiations towards a truce seemed to falter. Gantz, a former army chief and defence minister, warned of a long war, saying Israeli forces would have to fight in Hamas-ruled Gaza for years to come. More than six months into the war triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, Gantz said, «Victory will come step by step.» «From a military point of view, Hamas is defeated. Its fighters are eliminated or hiding, its abilities are cut off, and we will continue to fight what remains of it.» According to Gantz, «boys who are now in middle school will also fight in the future in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank and in the Lebanon front.» With Israel facing a multi-fronted war with Iran-backed groups in Lebanon and Syria as well as in Gaza, and with violence also surging in the occupied West Bank, Gantz touted Israel's military capability which he said exceeds that of all of its regional foes. He told a meeting of his National Unity party in the southern city of Sderot, near the Gaza border, that the army would go back into southern Gaza. Echoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and despite growing international concern, Gantz said, «We will enter Rafah. We will return to Khan Yunis,» which Israeli commandos left on Sunday. Rafah, on Gaza's southern border with Egypt, is packed with displaced Palestinians and remains the territory's last city yet to be the target of a ground invasion during the war. «We will operate in Gaza wherever there are terrorist targets,» Gantz said. The October 7 attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,482 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry. © Agence France-Presse

The Islamic community in Seychelles joined others throughout the world to celebrate Eid al-Fitr on Wednesday, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. This year, Eid-Al-Fitr was celebrated with the usual morning prayer at four locations over the country. These were the Roche Caiman Sport Complex, the University of Seychelles Campus in the southern Mahe district of Anse Royale, the Stad Amitie on Praslin and the La Digue Sports complex. Imam Abdul Imam Heneka-Camille told SNA that the prayer on Wednesday took place at 6.30 a.m, and the Islamic community will celebrate with their families and other faithful throughout the day. «This year, the Ramadan went smoothly, where we were able to stick to our programme, which started well before the month of Ramadan, to prepare for the month,»  said the imam. He said that the month of Ramadan is not only about not eating or drinking, but also about behaving righteously.   The President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, also sent a message to the Islamic community. «I wish you and your families a blessed Eid-al-Fitr filled with love, happiness and countless blessings. Celebrating this joyous festival of thanksgiving, may Allah's blessings fill your lives with more happiness, peace and good health always,» said Ramkalawan. «As a people, we are blessed to enjoy a sense of spiritual togetherness, regardless of our faith and we pray our beautiful islands of Seychelles continue to live in this harmony of faiths for the further prosperity of the country,» he added. Ramkalawan said, «May the sacrifice of Ramadan and the blessings received accompany you during the year. Warmest wishes for a joyful celebration. Eid Mubarak.» Eid-al-Fitr is the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal and though it is not a public holiday in Seychelles, the law stipulates that it is at the discretion of the employers to allow Muslim workers a day off. The population of Muslims in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, has grown rapidly in recent years, from under a hundred people in the 1960s and 1970s to approximately 2,500 today, which represents about 3 percent of the island nation's population, according to National Bureau of Statistics.

The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders to develop scientific knowledge and partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science, said Seychelles' President Wavel Ramkalawan in his keynote address at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday. «As we gather here, it is crucial for us to acknowledge the significant strides made under the leadership of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, which has been able to galvanise a global network of partners, uniting us in a common cause to deliver the science that will safeguard the precious blue expanse that connects us all,» said Ramkalawan. He said that science offers new perspectives and promotes truth-seeking and «whether we are scientists or not, the ways in which we carry out these scientific activities are of profound significance. They determine the quality of our decisions, the accuracy of our understanding, and ultimately, the quality of our lives. Most often, we are rarely aware of the assumptions that we make as we seek solutions to problems.» Ramkalawan Seychelles has embraced the Ocean Decade challenge with vigour. «We have been able to set up our National Decade Committee, which comprises diverse members from various stakeholder groups, such as scientists, local and indigenous knowledge holders and early career ocean professionals, among others. We want to empower stakeholders to engage, plan, and implement Decade Actions in a spirit of co-design and co-delivery,» he added. «The commitment of Seychelles towards ocean science is deeply rooted in the understanding that the sustainable development of our Blue Economy hinges on unlocking the mysteries of the marine realm, and only the right kind of science can help us achieve this. In this regard, Seychelles is walking the talk,» Ramkalawan said. He gave some examples of Seychelles' engagement in line with its efforts to promote scientific research to better understand its ocean. «We have been placing emphasis on the integration of ocean literacy and sustainable ocean management into our school curriculum. We need to shape the minds of the next generation as early as possible if we want to promote research and development to ensure that they understand and appreciate not only what the ocean can do for them, but also what they can do for the ocean,» said the President. «Only yesterday, the Monaco Explorations, under the auspices of His Serene Highness Prince Albert organised the screening of the documentary entitled »Saving Paradise,« which was a culmination of the Indian Ocean expedition of 2023,» he added. This scientific expedition was dedicated to the multidisciplinary investigation of the Aldabra atoll, one of Seychelles' UNESCO World Heritage sites, and the Saya de Malha Bank. «During this research mission many specimens were studied, lost species were re-discovered and new species were also potentially discovered. I must note that 18 Seychellois scientists had the opportunity to be part of this expedition, underlying our commitment to ensure that our very own scientists, especially young early career scientists also benefit from the research opportunities happening in our ocean space,» he highlighted. Ramkalawan reiterated «that by investing in science and research, implementing effective policies, and promoting sustainable practices, we will ensure that our oceans remain a thriving and diverse ecosystem that supports both human and ocean well-being.» «Ocean Decade beckons us to chart a course towards a future where our oceans flourish, our communities thrive, and our shared commitment to sustainability resonates globally. So, let us set joint priorities for the future; the kinds that are rooted in the science we need, in collaboration, through innovation, and a shared vision for a resilient and thriving blue planet,» he said in conclusion.

President Wavel Ramkalawan highlighted Seychelles' efforts to join the world in a collective action to resolve the world's most pressing ocean challenges in his opening remarks at the Ocean Decade Alliance meeting, State House said on Tuesday. Ramkalawan, one of the Patrons of the Ocean Decade Alliance, is in Barcelona, Spain to participate in the United Nations (UN) Ocean Decade Conference 2024.   Seychelles' President spoke about the island nation's sustained commitment towards the protection and sustainable development of its aquatic resources. Ramkalawan said Seychelles is a small island state surrounded by a vast maritime territory that presents many ocean-related challenges such as the rise in sea levels, coral reef degradation, overfishing, illegal fishing practices, and marine pollution, among others. He said the island nation has limited expertise and technology, lack of funding, and data unavailability and accessibility. «However, we embrace these challenges with vigour and we do our best with what we have. Yes, we do voice out our concerns on all available platforms, punching way above our weight at the international level because we are committed to protecting our oceans. This does not mean that we want to shift the blame or responsibility onto others. Rather, we do so because we want to see collective actions and solutions to the problems our planet is facing,» he added. Ramkalawan said that the challenges are «common to us all and if left unchecked will affect us all and have severe consequences to our existence. We are also not afraid to acknowledge our limitations and to ask for help. We cannot achieve much on our own. There is strength in numbers and some tasks are only surmountable through collaborative efforts. The Kenyan spirit of Harambe, let us pull together, must remain the life giving beacon in these times.»  He spoke about the great strides Seychelles has made through its regional recognition as a Blue Economy pioneer. These include initiating the first Blue Bonds, exchanging debt in environment protection and achieving the protection of 30 percent of its marine territory before 2030. «We have also made notable progress in ocean science research. We have set up our own Blue Economy Research Institute. We have more recently collaborated with renowned research entities, such as the Monaco Explorations and Ocean X. We are also integrating ocean literacy and sustainable ocean management into our curriculum. Equally important to note is that, we have ratified the BBNJ (Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction) Treaty, making us the first African state to do so and the third worldwide,» he added. Ramkalawan stressed that ocean sustainability is at the core of Seychelles' development agenda. It features prominently in the country's diplomatic outreach, making it a key actor in mobilising Indian Ocean countries and small island developing states (SIDS) more generally into supporting and contributing towards the Ocean Decade.

Europe's top rights court ruled on Tuesday that Switzerland was not doing enough to tackle climate change, in its first such ruling against a state on the subject. The European Court of Human Rights issued its decision after a Swiss association of older women concerned about the consequences of global warming argued that the Swiss authorities were not taking enough action to mitigate climate change. It found that the Swiss state had violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the «right to respect for private and family life», according to the ruling seen by AFP. The court however threw out two other cases also concerning government policies on climate change on procedural grounds. It dismissed a petition from six Portuguese people, aged 12 to 24, against 32 states including their own as the case had not exhausted all remedies at the national level. In a third case, the court rejected a claim from a former French mayor that the inaction of the French state posed the risk of his town being submerged under the North Sea. The court found that he was not a victim in the case as he had moved to Brussels. © Agence France-Presse

The day died and was reborn a few minutes later Monday in the southern United States. There were hugs, tears and gasping as people watched the Moon fully eclipse the Sun and briefly plunge the world into darkness. About 2,000 people flocked to Ingram in the southern US state of Texas, a small city in the «path of totality» where the solar eclipse could be observed in its entirety. Spread on mattresses on the grass, sipping wine comfortably from folding chairs or peering into large telescopes, the viewers, their eyes covered by special protective glasses, celebrated each time the gray clouds parted, letting them enjoy the wonder. «Three, two, one!» a man shouted. And there was the Moon, a black orb completely covering the Sun, with only tiny slivers of light escaping from the edges. It was 1:32 pm local time. Mary Elizabeth Fernandez, a 43-year-old librarian, said she came to Ingram because she wanted to observe the eclipse from Stonehenge II, a replica of the prehistoric stone monument the town is famous for. «It was just so moving and spectacular. I tried to get pictures with my camera,» said Fernandez, who was accompanied by her boyfriend. «I cried a little bit because it's just so beautiful. And I'm just really glad that I was able to be a part of this with everybody here. It was really wonderful.» A few meters away, a large family shared drinks and snacks. Mary McClintock, a 77-year-old retired teacher, said her relatives converged on Ingram from three different states: California, Florida and Illinois. «We were so happy to see the different stages that we got to see even though it was cloudy,» McClintock told AFP. «And we wanted to be together. And so we thought even if it's cloudy, we're happy to be here as a family and we're going to enjoy every minute we have.» - Light conquers darkness - Meanwhile Jeni Lyn Hunter, 60, and her 57-year-old husband Charles Guillory gazed skyward, with large sorcerer's hats balanced precariously on their heads. «It means a lot to me because I have stage 4 cancer. But I'm not giving up, this is a rebirth of the Sun of life,» Hunter said. «It's the cycle between life and death and life again, and I'm going to live for him, and for me and because I don't want to go anywhere.» Guillory was by his wife's side. «My hopes are for her to stay with me,» he said. Further away, under the replicas of moai statues -- the enormous stone human figures on Easter Island -- Gary Christensen and his wife Elizabeth took photos as they celebrated her husband's 62nd birthday. «For a year and a half, this is the only present we've given each other every Christmas, every Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthday, 'Oh, we're going to the eclipse'.» And then there was Robb Guzman, 31, wearing a mask of a green extraterrestrial with large elongated eyes. «I thought the aliens were going to come this time,» he said. «But it was still fantastic.» - Spiritual meaning - More than 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) away at Niagara Falls, Canada, crowds of people observed the eclipse under the cries of gulls and the roar of the famous waterfall. Debi Flamand, a member of Canada's Manawan First Nations community, said witnessing a total solar eclipse «is very spiritual for us, because the sun for us is the grandfather and the moon is our grandmother.» For several minutes, the skies above the waterfalls and Toronto's distant silhouette grew dark as spectators shouted in excitement. Madison, a young woman who made the trip from Boston, could not believe her eyes. «Those things that feel so impossible in this vast universe and it is happening just here,» she said. © Agence France-Presse  

Three Seychellois weightlifters have been suspended following anti-doping rule violations, said the Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (ORAD) on behalf of the Seychelles National Anti-doping Commission. According to a communique from ORAD on April 5, the three weightlifters are Cyrous Farabeau, Romentha Larue and Assania Rose. Farabeau, 27, has been suspended for three years after banned substances were found in his system in a test done on July 13, 2023. The substances found were anabolic androgenic steroids, known as metenolone. ORAD said, «Farabeau admitted to doping on 16 October 2023 by signing a confession form, which led to the application of the penalties laid down for a first offence. He was suspended for three years with a one-year reduction for admitting to breaking the rules.» His suspension took effect on October 24, 2023 and will end on October 23, 2026. As a result of this suspension, Farabeau is disqualified from all results and bonuses obtained from July 13, 2023, the date on which the sample was taken. Farabeau won three silver medals in 109 kg at the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) in Madagascar in 2023, and this means the medals will be forfeited. Larue, aged 25, has been suspended for three years, for the same substance as Farabeau. She will be suspended from the sport until October 23, 2026.  Larue, aged 25, has been banned for three years. (Seychelles Nation) Photo license: CC-BY Larue did not participate in the last IOIG in Madagascar due to injury. Meanwhile, Assania Rose, aged 20, has been suspended for four years, after failing her test, meaning she is suspended until October 23, 2027. Her suspension is longer because according to ORAD «Rose was offered a hearing but did not request one. She was also allowed to appeal the final decision, but did not request within the required 21-day period.» Speaking to the local media on Monday, Paul Nioze, manager of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Indian Ocean Regional Office,  said that the athletes who have accepted the sanctions, will not be able to appeal. The chairman of the Seychelles Weightlifting Federation, Robert Rose, said, «We are against doping, but sometimes in high level sports it happens.» He added, «In weightlifting, all the athletes know about the 11 banned substances listed on the IWF website, and that it should not be used, but we do not have control over the athletes, especially when they are outside of the gym.» Rose said, «We need to have more education on the dangers of these substances for the athletes, or else our athletes will not move forward.» The subject of doping continues to put a blight on weightlifting in Seychelles, one of the sporting events that Seychellois weightlifters have always excelled in. Already, Ruby Malvina is serving a four-year ban while young weightlifter of the year 2019, Joelita Coloma, has been provisionally suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) after a doping test showed the presence of drostanolone and trenbolone metabolite, the same substances found in Malvina's case. In 2009, Charles Simeon was banned for two years, while Brenda Lozaique was banned for two years in 2011.

The President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, will participate in the upcoming United Nations (UN) Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, in his capacity as one of the Patrons of the Ocean Decade Alliance, State House said on Monday. The conference will take place from April 10 to April 12 and will bring together the global Ocean Decade community and partners to celebrate and take stock of progress, and set joint priorities for the future. It will be the highlight of an entire Ocean Decade Week from April 8 to 12 throughout the city.  The Ocean Decade was a decision of the 2017 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, officially launched in January 2021. It provides a convening framework for a wide range of stakeholders across the world to engage and collaborate outside their traditional communities to trigger nothing less than a revolution in ocean science. Following the UN Decade Conference, Ramkalawan will proceed to Athens, Greece to attend the 9th Ocean Conference from April 15 to 17 being held under the theme «Our Ocean, An Ocean of Potential.» The Our Ocean Conference initiative began in 2014 and is aimed to draw international attention to the serious threats facing the world's oceans and to take concrete action around the globe to support marine conservation and sustainable development. 2024 is the 10th anniversary of the first inauguration of the Our Ocean Conference in the United States. The principal goal of this action-oriented conference is to boost ambitious commitments and actions and muster all stakeholders for the noble cause of assuring clean and healthy oceans and seas. 

Four Seychellois artists will participate in the 60th Venice Biennale, which will be held under the theme «Foreigners Everywhere,» from April 20 to November 24, in Venice, Italy. Three of the four artists, Juliette Zelime, Jude Ally and Ryan Chetty, received their airfares in a short ceremony held at the Creative Seychelles Agency (CSA) on Monday. The fourth participant is Danielle Freakley, who is living in Australia. The artists will spend 11 days in Venice and the initial days will be spent setting up the installations in the Arsenale, the official pavilion. This is the first time that artists from Seychelles have been offered an exhibition space in the prestigious 'Arsenale zone' of the official biennale. Two of the four will exhibit at the Arsenale Zone and the other in the nearby 'Palazzo Mora.' This was the location for the Seychelles National Pavilion in 2015 and 2019. The Seychelles' pavilion curator, Martin Kennedy, said, «They are very strict about who can put work up. We can't even hang our own paintings, we have to have accredited unionised Italian workers, so we have been arranging that by remote control from here.» The first preview day for the Biennale will be on April 16, following which Kennedy said there will be an inauguration ceremony for the Seychelles pavilion. The secretary general of the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (SNICHA), David Andre, will be present and is expected to make an address. Kennedy said one of the benefits of Seychelles' participation in the Biennale is  the works of the artists «depict the Seychelles and encourage people to visit Seychelles.» The four artists taking part will also have the chance to visit other national pavilions at the event presenting «an incredible networking opportunity for our artists and administrators to meet people from other nations, small and large,» he added. They will also attend a forum for African art at the Biennale. Chetty, one of the artists whose installation will be on show at the Biennale,  told reporters that his piece is a «conceptual one that shows the different aspects of Seychelles, how it all began and I have globes showing the different nations that joined together to make the Seychelles people.». Once the Biennale closes in Venice on November 24, the exhibition will travel to Seychelles and will be on display at the National Gallery of Seychelles  «Everybody in Seychelles will have the chance to see it, exactly how it was presented in Venice,» said Kennedy.

The Seychelles National Awards committee launched the nomination period for this year's event on Monday at State House. The chairperson of the committee, Robert Grandcourt, is urging people to nominate those who they think deserve the awards. This is the second edition of the National Awards, created in 2022, aimed at recognising people who have done extraordinary service to Seychelles in various fields or through their acts of bravery. In a press conference, Grancourt said, «When we see how many people are doing extraordinary things for this country, it is a difficult choice. We have to examine each applicant, and just because someone isn't recommended this year, it doesn't mean they won't ever be recognised.» The members of the committee will go through the various nominations and then recommend a list to President Wavel Ramkalawan. Last year there were 50 nominations and 10 people were recommended. «All nominations are added to the list and they remain on our radar to be considered every year. This is important to have, especially in terms of historical records.» This year there will be two medals, the Seychelles Medal of Honour and the Seychelles Medal of Merit and there will also be the Shield of the Pride of Seychelles. Grandcourt clarified that «anyone can submit a nomination. Anyone who believes they know someone who deserves this award.» The forms can be found at the District Administration's office as well as the Statehouse website, where it can be downloaded. Ten people were recognised for their contributions to Seychelles in the first-ever National Awards ceremony in June last year held at State House. 

Eye care specialists in Seychelles will benefit from the Teaching Eye Surgery (T.E.S) Foundation, which is increasing the number of visits their specialists make to the island nation to improve eye care. The announcement was made by a visiting T.E.S consultant, Cyrus Tabatabay, on Friday. The T.E.S Foundation is internationally recognised for its dedication to advancing eye surgery education and practice, and in Seychelles will be conducting specialised training sessions aimed at enhancing the capabilities of local healthcare professionals. During their visits, the Foundation is introducing and implementing the latest techniques and technologies in eye surgery, ensuring that healthcare providers in Seychelles are equipped with the most advanced knowledge and skills available. The Foundation, founded in 2007 in Geneva,  has been working with eye surgeons in Seychelles for the last nine years, helping them to hone their skills in their chosen field. «We are increasing the number of visits so that we can bring the eye care to the level that is on par with other countries in the area,» said Tabatabay. The increased visits will help establish a medical routine for decision-making and undertaking procedures as well as help with the continuous maintenance of the equipment. Since it began working with the Seychelles health authorities, the T.E.S Foundation has helped with equipment worth around  €500,000 over the years, including microscopes, loops and microsurgical knives, among others. «A large portion of the population has diabetes and hypertension, an illness that can damage the retina and later cause blindness,» said Tabatabay, explaining the importance of having state-of-the-art eye care. The T.E.S Foundation as the structure for continuous training for eye surgeons is therefore helping Seychellois experts to reduce the number of patients that go for overseas treatment. Tabatabay is accompanied by an engineer and another surgeon in his latest mission in Seychelles. «In our first week we have carried out a series of eye surgeries and the engineer is with me so that the equipment we have here can be maintained,» he revealed. Another area that the two parties are also working on is equipping the local ophthalmologists with the skills to know when silicon oil needs to be removed from a patient's eye. Silicone oil is used in eye surgery to reattach the retina, and currently patients from Seychelles are sent overseas for the treatment as well as the extraction of the oil, costing around $3,000 per patient. As part of the programme, the TES Foundation and the health authorities are also working on establishing satellite centres, in a bid to know every patient's eye care status. Currently, the Beau Vallon Heath Centre, in the north of the main island of Mahe, is offering its patients, especially those who suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure, comprehensive eye care. The head of the Eye Care department in the Ministry of Health, Roland Barbe, said, «We are hoping to have more of these services in all the districts in the long run.» The Eye Clinic department in the Ministry of Health has five ophthalmologists and four of them are Seychellois. In addition to the surgeries and training sessions, the T.E.S Foundation also donated consumables used during surgeries during its latest mission in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

The United Nations and other international aid organisations on Sunday decried the devastating toll of six months of war in Gaza, warning that the Palestinian territory had become «beyond catastrophic». «Six months is an awful milestone,» the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said, warning that «humanity has been all but abandoned» in the severity of the conflict. The Gaza war broke out on October 7 with an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show. The militants also took more than 250 hostages -- 129 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,175 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made a new condemnation of the «barbaric act of violence» that unleashed the war, and demanded «the release of remaining hostages». But, he stressed that «this atrocity does not justify the horrific ongoing bombardment, siege and health system demolition by Israel in Gaza, killing, injuring and starving hundreds of thousands of civilians, including aid workers. »The denial of basic needs -- food, fuel, sanitation, shelter, security and healthcare -- is inhumane and intolerable,«  he wrote on X. Of Gaza's 36 main hospitals, only 10 remain even partially functional, according to the WHO. - 'Stain on all of humanity' - Tedros voiced particular outrage at »the deaths and grievous injuries of thousands of children in Gaza«, which he said would »remain a stain on all of humanity«. »This assault on present and future generations must end.« Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA, said the »hellhole in Gaza is deepening by the day«. »All lines -- including the red lines -- were crossed. This war is made far worse through technologies mis-used by humans to harm other humans; en-masse,« he said on X. »It is made worse by the famine born from an Israeli-imposed siege, one would think it’s from a different era. As a result, a man-made famine is eating up bodies of babies and young children,« Lazzarini added. UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said more than 13,000 children have reportedly died. »Homes, schools and hospitals in ruin. Teachers, doctors and humanitarians killed. Famine is imminent,« she said on X on Saturday. The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths insisted Saturday that there needed to be »a reckoning for this betrayal of humanity«. - 'Devastating and unacceptable' - IFRC Secretary-General Jagan Chapagain described the situation as »beyond catastrophic« and warned »millions of lives are at risk of hunger.« The organisation announced Sunday that another Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) employee had been killed in Gaza. The body of Mohammad Maher Khalil Abed was found on Sunday, but he was killed during the evacuation of the Al-Amal hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis on March 24, it said. Sixteen PRCS staff and volunteers have now been killed since October 7. Three staff and volunteers from Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) have also been killed. For the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the caretaker of the Geneva Conventions, »a steady flow of humanitarian aid« into Gaza was vital, but it was »only part of the solution«. »Both sides must conduct their military operations in a way that spares civilians caught in the middle,« it said on X. Tedros pointed out that over 70 percent of those who have died in Gaza have been women and children. »We urge all parties to silence their guns. We appeal for peace. Now." © Agence France-Presse

Rebel groups are making new gains in eastern DR Congo after Indian UN troops abandoned positions near a regional capital, according to an internal UN document seen by AFP. The UN mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), which is being being wound down, said in a note to staff that «the current security situation is becoming increasingly volatile as M23 has reached the northern outskirts of Sake.» Sake is about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Goma, the largest city in North Kivu province where the population has doubled to two million as refugees flee the advance of the M23 rebel group. According to the MONUSCO note, M23 forces have occupied at least three positions around Sake «since their abandonment by INDRDB,» referring tO the Indian contingent. M23 and DR Congo forces exchanged artillery fire throughout the weekend around Sake and the western outskirts of Goma, residents said. After eight relatively quiet years, M23 rebels in 2021 resumed their campaign to seize territory in eastern DR Congo. The DR Congo government, the United Nations and Western countries accuse Rwanda of backing M23, but the Rwanda government denies any involvement in the conflict. The 15,000 UN troops deployed in DR Congo started to leave in February at the request of the Kinshasa government which considers them ineffective. The withdrawal is due to be completed by the end of the the year. © Agence France-Presse  

France will aim to renew ties with Africa and build «balanced partnerships» that are beneficial to the continent, the country's top diplomat Stephane Sejourne said Saturday. Relations have spiralled downwards between France and some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing. Appointed in January, Sejourne began his first visit to Africa on Saturday in Kenya and will later head to Rwanda before making a final stop in Ivory Coast. «France's vocation will be to renew and build balanced, mutually respectful partnerships with African countries, for the benefit of all countries,» he said at a press briefing alongside his Kenyan counterpart Musalia Mudavadi. «That's what our roadmap is all about: diversifying these partnerships and making them beneficial for the countries in which we are going to invest.» Sejourne said Africa was a «priority» of French foreign policy because the «continent is on the way to becoming a cultural, economic and diplomatic power... that will count in the world's balance». In Kenya, an east African economic powerhouse, France has strengthened its commercial presence, with the number of French companies operating in the country almost tripling from 50 to 140 in a decade. But a huge trade imbalance in favour of the European nation has cast a shadow on their relations. «It is a work in progress,» said Mudavadi. «The process of us addressing the trade imbalance requires consistent programmes and join efforts like we are doing,» he said, adding that French companies had provided 34,000 direct jobs in Kenya. The two ministers said they had agreed on areas of cooperation, including sports and transport infrastructure. They also called for the reform of the global climate financing framework to help poorer countries develop cleanly and adapt to the worsening impacts of climate change. In December, at COP28, the two countries and Barbados launched a coalition to bring together countries wishing to create, within two years, an international tax capable of raising billions of dollars to help developing countries tackle climate change. In Rwanda, Sejourne will attend the commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide that left 800,000 people dead, mostly the minority Tutsi but also Hutu moderates. © Agence France-Presse

With the aim to promote sustainability in Seychelles and the restaurant community, Trois Freres Distillery, renowned as the producer of Takamaka Rum, has initiated the Islands Bar Sustainability project. The project's primary objective is to research, conduct trials, make improvements, and offer support to drive meaningful changes that will foster sustainability within the Seychelles bar and restaurant community. The founder and managing director at the Trois Freres Distillery, Richard D'Offay, said, «It is an initiative that aims to inspire the hospitality community to implement meaningful change across the islands. It is designed to research, trial, improve and support the islands' bar community and forms part of our deep-seated commitment to the people and environment we call home. The project will be executed in collaboration with experts from some of the world's best bars around the globe, to share knowledge and support the way the whole industry approaches sustainability at the bar.» D'Offay told SNA that this project is especially important given the location of the Seychelles and the lack of access to raw materials that are frequently used in the bar and restaurant industry. «Bar sustainability is challenging, especially in a remote location like Seychelles where some raw materials are expensive and often difficult to find. Our goal is to research, trial, improve and support the industry to make small changes with a big impact,» he added. A workshop in partnership with The Cambridge Public House was held in January with participants from the bars in Seychelles. «We invited the team from the renowned Paris-based bar, The Cambridge, which is currently No.38 on the list of The World's 50 Best Bars, to bring insights from their globally recognised sustainability programme to the bartenders of the Seychelles,» said D'Offay. The training focused on how to reduce reliance on expensive, imported citrus fruits, as well as how to reduce waste and improve yield. (Gran Kaz) Photo License: All Rights Reserved He said that Cambridge's acclaimed bartenders Nicolas Goradesky and Xania Patros spent time experimenting with the wealth of delicious fresh produce available across the islands whilst learning more about the unique sustainability challenges faced by Seychelles hospitality. They also hosted discussions with local industry leaders alongside training sessions with local bars and restaurants. The training focused on how to reduce reliance on expensive, imported citrus fruits, as well as how to reduce waste, improve yield, and find alternatives here in the Seychelles that will have a significant impact on both the environment and the bottom line. D'Offay confirmed that the Trois Freres Distillery intends to continue the project and will bring in more experts to Seychelles throughout the year to work in collaboration with local industry leaders as well as working hand-in-hand with the Seychelles Tourism Department's Sustainability efforts. «We are committed to supporting ongoing change by providing the equipment needed to local bars and restaurants and ensuring a consistent supply of the necessary components. We will also be inviting more global experts to Seychelles,» he told SNA. Among the participants at the workshop were representatives of Gran Kaz, a casino, bar and restaurant in Seychelles. The public relations manager at Gran Kaz, Shama Amesbury, said that they welcomed this initiative especially since they were already looking into more sustainable practices as well as adapting their operations to be more ecologically conscious, and they were very interested in this workshop. «The Master Class was quite interesting. We were introduced to the Eco Spirits product, which is a very interesting concept aimed at reducing the number of single-use bottles in FnB establishments. This is a fantastic way I believe to minimise our carbon footprint. We also got to learn from the experiences of The Cambridge pub,»said Amesbury. She added that Gran Kaz has various projects in which it is incorporating sustainability and and eco-consciousness throughout the year. One of them is their super juice which aims to address the significant challenges posed by the import and potential waste of citrus fruits.« »We walked away with a lot of information and of course, inspiration for different ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint as a bar," added Amesbury.

The Botswanan president has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in a dispute over the import of hunting trophies. Germans should «live together with the animals, in the way you are trying to tell us to», Mokgweetsi Masisi told German daily Bild. «This is not a joke,» said Masisi, whose country has seen its elephant population grow to some 130,000. Botswana has already offered 8,000 elephants to Angola and another 500 to Mozambique, as it seeks to tackle what Masisi described as «overpopulation». «We would like to offer such a gift to Germany,» Masisi said, adding that he would «not take no for an answer». The African leader argued that conservation efforts have led to an explosion in the number of elephants and that hunting is an important means to keep them in check. The herds of elephants were causing damage to property, eating crops and trampling residents, he told the German paper. Germany's environment ministry earlier this year raised the possibility of stricter limits on the import of hunting trophies over poaching concerns. But a ban on the import of hunting trophies would only impoverish Botswanans, Masisi said. Botswana banned trophy hunting in 2014 but lifted the restrictions in 2019 under pressure from local communities. The country now issues annual hunting quotas. A spokeswoman for the environment ministry in Berlin said Botswana had not raised any concerns with Germany on the matter. The ministry however remained in talks with African countries affected by import rules, including Botswana, the spokeswoman said. «In light of the alarming loss of biological diversity, we have a special responsibility to do everything to ensure the import of hunting trophies is sustainable and legal,» she said. Germany was one of the largest importers of hunting trophies in the European Union, she said. African elephant hunting trophies already require import authorisation under current rules, she added. Discussions within the EU on harsher import restrictions are focused on extending the list of protected species, she said. © Agence France-Presse

Two Seychellois sisters have published a paper in which they have compiled and analysed data on beach debris and plastic in the Inner Islands group of Seychelles. The paper entitled «Beached plastic and other anthropogenic debris in the inner Seychelles islands: Results of a citizen science approach,» was written by Alvania Lawen, a student at the University of Plymouth in England and a Parley coordinator, with her twin sister, Jessica Lawen, country surveyor at Parley for the Oceans, based in the United States. The Lawen sisters, known as eco-warriors in Seychelles, published the paper recently after numerous beach clean-ups on the islands over a four-year period. They were able to collect and analyse the amount of beach debris and plastic that washed up on Seychelles' shores. Alvania Lawen told SNA about her passion for the environment which led her to notice how big of an issue plastic pollution is for Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. «Seeing how Seychelles is affected so much by waste that comes from illegal dumping or those that wash up from other countries, I always felt that I need to find a solution for this problem,» she said. The sisters were able to collect and analyse the amount of beach debris and plastic that washed up on Seychelles' shores. (Alvania Lawen) Photo License: All Rights Reserved   Lawen added that after she began her work by organising beach clean-ups around Seychelles alongside Parley for the Oceans, she then shifted her focus towards plastic waste. «This paper represents a summary of the five years from 2019 up till now, of the beach clean-ups and collection of the debris and plastics,» said Lawen. She explained that during the beach clean-ups, aside from collecting the debris, they measured and recorded all of the waste collected and a lot of work went analysing the data.   «I did not plan on writing a paper on it, but it just came about by chance, when I was discussing plastics with a fellow academic at the university and he suggested that we should write a paper about it,» said Lawen. She said that her fellow academic, Andrew Turner, worked on most of the statistics, which is his speciality. Lawen said that the paper is free for anyone to read and hopes that from the data they have collected, further actions can be taken. «The issue of littering in Seychelles, especially when it comes to plastics, has to stop,» she said adding that this is a big issue and there needs to be a collective effort to ensure that it must stop.  Lawen said that after the disasters of December 7, when it rained heavily in the north of Mahe, the main island, her sister, Jessica organised a beach clean-up and the amount of plastic waste collected was just too much. «This is a big problem and the only way it can stop is to have a change of behaviour among the people, so that we can continue to preserve our beautiful country, as if it continues like this, in the future we won't have beaches, but instead will have only plastic waste on our shores,» she added.

In an effort to combat the pervasive crime of human trafficking, government officers and law enforcement agencies in Seychelles attended comprehensive training sessions to gain more insight into how to better identify, investigate and prosecute trafficking in person cases. The three-day training was organised by the National Coordinating Committee against Trafficking In Persons (NCCTIP), in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The training sessions with 33 participants covered a wide array of topics, including identifying trafficking victims, investigation techniques, victim support and protection, legal frameworks, and international cooperation. In her closing address on Friday, the chairperson of the  NCCTIP, Linda William-Melanie said, “It is always important for us to continue to empower the workers in various agencies that deal with this matter, especially those who are on the front line and deal directly with migrant workers.” She explained that most often migrant workers are not aware of their rights, and so some employers take advantage of this to intimidate or mistreat workers. When such cases arise, people who have been trained will be tasked with dealing with these issues and this is why such training is important. Organisations and departments represented in the training included the Departments of Employment, Immigration, Social Services and Foreign Affairs alongside the Seychelles Police Force, the Attorney General’s Office and the Seychelles International Trade Zone. According to the Ministry of Employment, as of July 2022, 25 percent of the workforce in Seychelles were migrant workers, and in recent years, there have been numerous cases of these workers being mistreated and allegedly not being paid their salaries. William-Melanie said added work is being done to tackle human trafficking, especially those aimed at migrant workers. These include educating this particular group about their rights, where they can get help and report cases when they are being taken advantage of. A press release from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Friday said that by strengthening the capacity of government officers and law enforcement agencies, this initiative not only enhances the immediate response to trafficking cases but also contributes to broader efforts aimed at preventing trafficking and protecting the rights of all individuals. A participant in the training, Samia Ally, a welfare officer from the employment department, said she learned a lot and that will help in the work that she does. “This training has enriched my knowledge of human trafficking and will help me to help the victims better and enforce the laws already in place,” she added. Seychelles is working to continuously make efforts to address recommendations outlined in the 2023 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report released by the United States Department of State, so as to maintain its Tier 1 status. The island nation is the only Tier 1 country in Africa and only two countries, Denmark and Seychelles, were upgraded to Tier 1 in the 2023 report. 

The National Assembly of Seychelles has signed an agreement to implement the next phase of the sexual reproductive health and rights governance project with the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF).  The Speaker of the Assembly, Roger Mancienne, and the secretary general of the SADC PF, Boemo Sekgoma, and Tania Isaacs, clerk of the National Assembly, signed the agreement on Friday. During the event, the SADC PF Strategic Plan 2024-2028 was also unveiled. In his address, Mancienne said, «Today we move on to another level, the new agreement encompasses a lot more than health and related issues. The scope of the agreement has been broadened to include many areas that are of concern to our National Assembly and that encompass issues that we have been working on in that we want to continue working on.» He said that one critical aspect of the agreement is that it involves not just one or two committees but all the committees in the National Assembly.   «I will not forget that health is the basis of this discussion and coincidentally tomorrow is World Health Day. I believe it augurs very well and is a very good message for the launching and the renewal of the agreement,» added Mancienne. Sekgoma said that at the SADC parliament level, the parliament of Seychelles is a crucial partner to all initiatives conducted and implemented by the secretariat.   «As we launch the sexual reproductive health and rights today, I wish to acknowledge the steadfast progress made by Seychelles over the years, especially with regards to the protection of key populations eradicating child marriages, and protecting children already in marriages, domestic violence interventions among others,» she added. Sekgom said, «These achievements resonate with the foreign policy on sexual reproductive health and rights and correspond to the domestication of foreign resolutions and modern laws. While there is room for improvement there is no doubt that the parliament of Seychelles will continue to influence sexual and reproductive health and rights and governance landscape through new laws and policies, budget and oversight initiatives under the revamped project which has been implemented from 2023.» The clerk of the National Assembly, Tania Isaac, said that the signing of the agreement is momentous and that there is a renewed commitment within the National Assembly. She said the project's vision is universal access to integrated sexual reproductive health and rights «including bringing forward social change, gender responsive climate action, improve health and respect for human rights that are enjoyed by all SADC regions within a framework that is conducive to democratic accountability.» Isaacs added that Seychelles is one of 13 countries in the SADC region that has willingly accepted to participate in this project for the third time. After the signing and launch of the Strategic Plan, other local partners made solidarity pledges. While in Seychelles, the secretary general of the SADC PF will also call on President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House.  

The third edition of the Praslin Culinary and Arts Festival will take place on the Seychelles' second largest island with the preliminary round starting on Saturday, April 6. The announcement was made by the chief executive of the Creative Seychelles Agency, Emmanuel D'Offay, on Wednesday. The preliminary round of the culinary competition will take place at the Lauriers Hotel sponsored entirely by the ISPC Seychelles company and will feature nine hotels competing for the prize. Noting the importance of such activities especially how excellent food is integral to the development of the tourism industry, the chief executive of ISPC, Alfred Fourcroy, said. «We have to continue to raise the level here in Seychelles. We've gladly supported this competition during the last three years to allow talents/chefs in Seychelles to access good products with which they can cook and prepare very tasty things.» This year, the contestants will be given a mystery black box of ingredients only 15 minutes before the start of the competition. They will have two hours to do a starter and a main dish for five judges so all dishes will have to be made on the spot without prior preparations. The finals will be held on April 23 at the Mabuya Beach Restaurant on Praslin and four finalists will compete for the prize which includes a set of chef knives and personalised chef jackets. The winner will also get an internship at the Cheval Blanc, five-star hotel soon to be opening a branch in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. There will also be a bar competition on April 24 at Tapas Lounge Bar. D'Offay said, «The annual Gala Dinner will be of a much higher standard this year. We've been able to collaborate with the Raffles Hotel, which as many of you know is a five-star hotel. This is a great achievement. We've also decided that the culinary and bar competition winners will receive prizes during the Gala Dinner.» The Gala Dinner is a paying activity in the festival that will continue the following weekend with a musical show dubbed 'Kouler Praslin' (the colours of Praslin) organised by the National Arts and Craft Council at the Grand Anse Praslin Field on Friday, April 26. The celebrations including a fair, musical shows and sporting activities will continue on Saturday, April 27.  The festival will end on Sunday, April 28 with a family fun day and sporting activities as well as a prize giving for the best stall manned by several hotels as well as licensed Praslin businesses. There will also be 12 Praslinois artists who have been chosen to display and sell their art throughout the event. The telecommunication company, Airtel, will be present throughout the competition, and the brand and marketing communications manager, Jude Valmont, said: «We will bring services that so far are only offered on Mahe such as door-to-door delivery to Praslin. We will also have people there who will be able to answer questions. We may be unveiling a new product, but this will be a surprise that the Praslinois will experience first-hand.»

South Africa's former parliament speaker was charged with corruption and money laundering Thursday, piling new pressure on the governing African National Congress (ANC) party ahead of elections in May. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who resigned her speaker post Wednesday, appeared before a court in Pretoria after she turned herself in to police and was formally arrested. «Charges against Ms Mapisa-Nqakula are 12 counts of corruption... and one of money laundering,» Bheki Manyathi of the National Prosecuting Authority told the court. Wearing a yellow and blue dress and matching head-cover as she sat in the dock, the 67-year-old ANC veteran remained silent, and was later granted release on bail. «I'm not at flight risk,» she said in a statement read by her lawyer Graham Kerr-Phillips. «I will receive a state pension which I cannot afford to lose,» she added, while describing the case against her as weak. Coming just under two months before national elections, the case has added to the woes of the ANC, which is struggling in opinion polls amid a weak economy and accusations of official graft and mismanagement. Mapisa-Nqakula, is the latest in a string of senior ANC politicians, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and his vice president, to become embroiled in corruption scandals. She is accused of soliciting hefty bribes from a former military contractor during her previous tenure as defence minister, from 2014 to 2021. She denies the allegations. - 'Gratifications' - Manyathi said the politician allegedly asked for «gratifications» totalling more than 4.5 million rand ($240,000). A state witness confirmed paying her a 2.1 million rand bribe, he added. The judge set bail at 50,000 rand and adjourned the case to June 4. Mapisa-Nqakula will have to hand in her passport and avoid any contact with state witnesses. On Wednesday, Mapisa-Nqakula resigned as parliament speaker and as a lawmaker with immediate effect, a day after losing a court bid to prevent her possible arrest. In a resignation letter, she maintained her innocence but said she had decided to step down to uphold the integrity of parliament and focus on the investigation against her. «Given the seriousness of the much-publicised allegations against me, I cannot continue in this role,» she wrote. The move followed a March raid carried out by members of a top investigative team at Mapisa-Nqakula's residence, a high-end property in an eastern suburb of Johannesburg. Parliament said she would be replaced by her deputy, Lechesa Tsenoli. But on Thursday, the leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, called for a new speaker to be elected immediately. Mapisa-Nqakula was appointed speaker in a move that drew sharp criticism from opposition groups. At the time, she had come under fire for perceived incompetence in responding to a spate of deadly unrest that saw more than 300 people killed. South Africans head to the polls in national and provincial elections on May 29. The ANC is expected to see its share of the vote drop below 50 percent for the first time since the advent of democracy in 1994, potentially forcing it to form a coalition with rival parties to remain in power. B © Agence France-Presse

The staggering suffering, death and destruction of six months of war since Hamas's October 7 attack has widened the gulf between Israelis and Palestinians, leaving both feeling that the prospect of peace is ever more elusive. Israeli farmer Yarden Zemach, 38, said he felt safe when picking avocados with Palestinians on October 5 –- just two days before the attack. But ever since the violence that claimed his brother's life in the devastated Beeri kibbutz some four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the Gaza border fence, he views Gazans as a threat. «Maybe in many years peace will be possible, but not right now,» he said next to burned-out homes. Israeli shelling of Gaza thundered nearby. The bloodiest-ever Gaza war erupted with Hamas's October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 33,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. «(Our suffering) only increased after October 7, after 33,000 martyrs and after the destruction and siege,» said 27-year-old Palestinian Fidaa Musabih, whose north Gaza home was destroyed by an air strike. She now shares a house with 27 relatives in southern Gaza's Rafah, where she lives in fear of Israel's planned offensive into an area packed with 1.5 million people, most of them displaced. «How can I hope for peace to come? There's nothing more for us to lose,» said Musabih. - 'A terrifying question' - No major Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been held for years. Which means any future negotiations would be in the shadow of this unprecedented bloodshed -- with each side questioning the other's humanity. Graphic video clips and survivors' accounts depict the extreme violence of the October 7 attack on Israel. Of the more than 250 hostages taken, 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 who the army says are dead. In Gaza, dozens are killed per day on average, according to the territory's health ministry, in the constant bombardment that has flattened swathes of the territory. The United Nations has warned that its 2.4 million people are on the brink of famine. Both sides are trying «to portray everything happening in terms of the other side being unfit to be a partner,» said Khalil Shikaki from the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR). Israelis and Palestinians have been asking themselves if the other side «are really human beings. It's a terrifying question to ask,» said Denis Charbit, a political scientist at Israel's Open University. Though the war is being fought in Gaza, violence in the West Bank involving Israeli forces, settlers and armed Palestinian militants -- already rising before the war -- has spiked to levels unseen in two decades. Palestinian Tarek Ali, who works near Ramallah, said the tension and violence, already bad before the attack, have gotten worse. «This shows the depth of hatred between us and them, and therefore further removes the possibility of peace,» the 47-year-old said. - 'Walls not high enough' - An early March poll from the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) put Jewish Israeli support for the «two-state solution» at an «unprecedented» low of 35 percent. That figure marks a sharp drop from support of roughly 49 percent in 2022 for establishing an independent Palestinian state. However, Gazans' backing for the two-state solution has surged, according to a PCPSR survey -– from 35 percent in December to 62 percent in March. «The option for peace at the popular level remains today, as it did in the past, and it will probably be even more so once the war is behind us,» said Shikaki, the PCPSR researcher. Charbit, the political scientist, said the scale of the war and the international community's concern have provided a new opening for the sides to make peace. «There is a very small chance, but a chance nonetheless,» he added. Israeli Hila Fenlon, whose Netiv Haasara community nearly touches the northern border with Gaza, said she feels peace will one day be possible. But in her community, which was hit hard in the opening moments of the attack, it also feels far off. «In the past, I believed that peace would mean that these walls will have to go,» she said standing at towering concrete barriers between Gaza and Netiv Haasara. «On October 7th, they proved to us that maybe these walls are not high enough,» she added. © Agence France-Presse

With the aim to get assistance to help decarbonise the transport sector in Seychelles, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the signing of the Global Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Zero Emission Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. The MOU was presented at a high-level event in December 2023 at the 28 Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai. The MOU, which is led by CALSTART, a Dutch company based in the United States, commits countries to work together to enable 100 percent zero-emission new truck and bus sales by 2040 with an interim goal of 30 percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030, to facilitate achievement of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Vice President Ahmed Afif told reporters on Thursday that the signing of the MOU shows that the Seychelles agrees with the 27 other small island states and will join the group to work with the CALSTART to lead the effort to help all countries to reduce emissions of heavy vehicles. «The agreement presented is zero emission for heavy-duty vehicles like buses and large trucks; like those of 20 tonnes. It is very specific and the group is targetted because they are the ones that consume around 30 percent of fuel vehicles used on the road and three quarters of emissions that go into the environment,» said Afif. He said that Seychelles is a small island state and at COP28, the island nation voiced out that the small islands were being affected by climate change, and «we asked the world to help us reduce emissions and reduce the impact it has on small islands. So as a country, we also have to show what we are doing to fight against emission and that we will do everything we can fight against pollution and dangerous emissions in our country.» By signing the MOU, Seychelles can get help through CALSTART to conduct a study «on how many vehicles we have, how many buses we have and how to replace them with those with less emissions. Like the electric ones, and if electric, where to charge them, how will the infrastructure work, how will it affects the PUC [Public Utlities Corporation] network. The Netherlands has a lot of experience in using electric energy and replacing energy from fossil fuel,» he said. Afif added by joining the group, Seychelles can get help with new technology and advice on how best to use it. The move will help Seychelles push ahead with its plan to have a fully electric transport system, which has encountered some delays. The E-mobility project, launched in November 2022, has faced delays, especially with the search for people with suitable expertise to help with the project. The first part of the project expects to see e-mobility applied to public transportation, where a trial will be done by the Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC).

At least nine people were killed and more than 1,000 injured Wednesday by a powerful earthquake in Taiwan that damaged dozens of buildings and prompted tsunami warnings as far as Japan and the Philippines before being lifted. Dozens of people were believed safe but unreachable in areas cut off by massive landslides triggered by the quake -- many in tunnels that cut through the mountains that bisect the island from north to south. Officials said the quake was the strongest to shake the island in 25 years, while warning of more tremors in the days ahead. Strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the earthquake-prone island, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates. «We were very lucky,» said a woman surnamed Chang, who lived next door to a printing press warehouse near the capital that virtually pancaked in the quake. All 50 inside at the time were plucked to safety. «Many of the decorations at home fell on the floor, but people were safe.» Wu Chien-fu, director of Taipei's Central Weather Administration's Seismology Center, said the quake was the strongest since one of 7.6-magnitude struck in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island's history. Wednesday's magnitude-7.4 quake hit just before 8:00 am local time (0000 GMT), with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) putting the epicentre 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Taiwan's Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8 kilometres. Three people among a group of seven on an early-morning hike through the hills that surround the city were crushed to death by boulders loosened by the earthquake, officials said. Separately, three died while driving when their vehicles were hit by tumbling rocks, while another died at a mine quarry. The National Fire Agency said all the fatalities had been in Hualien county, adding that 1,011 people across Taiwan had sustained injuries without specifying how seriously. - Landslides, crumbled buildings - Social media was awash with shared video and images from around the island of buildings swaying as the quake struck. «It was shaking violently, the paintings on the wall, my TV and liquor cabinet fell,» one man in Hualien told broadcaster SET TV. Dramatic images were shown on local TV of multi-storey structures in Hualien and elsewhere tilting after the quake ended, while a printing warehouse in New Taipei City crumbled. The mayor there said more than 50 survivors had been successfully plucked from the ruins of the structure. Local TV channels showed bulldozers clearing rocks along the main route to Hualien, a mountain-ringed coastal county of around 300,000 people that has been cut off by landslides. The major roads leading to Hualien's main city pass through an extensive series of strongly built tunnels -- some of them kilometres long -- and officials said dozens of people could be trapped in vehicles inside. Dozens of miners were also out of reach at a quarry in Hualien. «We must carefully check how many people are trapped and we must rescue them quickly,» president-elect and current Vice-President Lai Ching-te told reporters in Hualien. By nightfall, the county was still experiencing rolling aftershocks as rescuers continued combing through debris. In Taiwan's capital, the famed Taipei 101 commercial building lit up to memorialise the victims of the quake. «Do not go to the mountains unless necessary,» warned President Tsai Ing-wen in a late-night post. «Aftershocks may occur in the next few days and everyone, please be vigilant and watch out for your own safety.» - Regional impact - In Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines, authorities initially issued tsunami warnings but by around 10:00 am (0200 GMT), the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat had «largely passed». In the Taiwanese capital, the metro briefly stopped running but resumed within an hour, while residents received warnings from their local borough chiefs to check for any gas leaks. Across the Taiwan Strait, social media users in China's eastern Fujian province and elsewhere said they also felt strong tremors. Residents of Hong Kong also reported feeling the earthquake. China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, was «paying close attention» to the quake and «willing to provide disaster relief assistance», state news agency Xinhua said. In Washington, the White House said the United States is prepared to provide «any necessary assistance» in the wake of the disaster. Fabrication at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company -- the world's biggest chip maker -- was briefly interrupted at some plants, a company official told AFP, while work at construction sites for new plants was halted for the day. The company later said in a statement that a «small number of tools were damaged at certain facilities, partially impacting their operations» but that no «critical tools» had been damaged. It said it was deploying «all available resources for full recovery, and impacted facilities are expected to resume production throughout the night». © Agence France-Presse

The number of new prostate cancer cases around the world will more than double over the next two decades as poorer countries catch up with the ageing of richer nations, according to a Lancet report published Thursday. «Our findings suggest that the number of new cases annually will rise from 1.4 million in 2020 to 2.9 million by 2040,» said the medical journal, based on a study of demographic changes. Researchers behind the study said the rise in cases is linked to the increased life expectancy and changes in the age pyramid around the world. Prostate cancer is the most widespread cancer amongst men, accounting for about 15 percent of cases. It mostly emerges after the age of 50 and becomes more frequent as men age. As life expectancy improves in developing countries, the number of prostate cancer cases also increases, the researchers said. They stressed that public health policies could not affect the change as they could with lung cancer or heart diseases. Hereditary factors are much less manageable than, for example, smoking is in the cause of lung cancer. A link with weight has been established but it is not yet known if this a direct cause of prostate cancer. Researchers also said that health authorities had to encourage earlier screening in developing countries as the disease is often diagnosed too late to give an effective treatment. © Agence France-Presse  

Coral samples taken by the Monaco Explorations as part of its Indian Ocean expedition in November 2022 from Aldabra, one of Seychelles' UNESCO World Heritage sites, are flourishing in the Oceanographic Institute in Monaco. This was confirmed by Seychelles' Minister for Blue Economy and Fisheries, Jean-Francois Ferrari,  during the 15th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) last month. The MBI is co-organised by the Oceanographic Institute – Prince Albert I of Monaco Foundation and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.  Ferrari described Aldabra as a living laboratory and said, «The preliminary results from the expeditions are fascinating. We had the opportunity to interact with many scientists.  Aldabra is a living coral bank. They've stated that about 82 percent of corals found elsewhere in the region could originate from Aldabra.» For the successful transfer and preservation of colonies collected from Aldabra Atoll, leading experts such as Dominique Barthélémy from Océanopolis Aquarium in Brest, and Olivier Brunel from the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco, provided invaluable support, ensuring the seamless logistics and preparation for the colonies' transportation. These colonies, destined to be conserved in public aquariums as part of the World Coral Conservatory initiative, are an important stride in coral conservation efforts, underpinned by close scientific collaboration between Seychelles, France, and Monaco. Ferrari emphasised the importance of the samples being stored and propagated in these laboratories. Ferrari at the 15th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) last month. (Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy) Photo License: CC-BY  «It's good that apart from the Oceanographic Institute, they are also being stored in three other laboratories in Europe as well. If one day we lose the corals at Aldabra because of a bleaching event, these samples will be crucial in the rehabilitation of the area,» he said. In a press statement on Tuesday, the Department of the Blue Economy said the results of the conservation efforts have been promising through its positive growth maintained under controlled conditions. «Species like 'Acropora valida' exhibiting a 50 percent growth rate and 'Galaxea fascicularis' showing an impressive 100 percent growth rate in aquariums. Additionally, the successful transportation of 56 out of 58 collected colonies to various public aquariums across Europe marks a significant milestone in the preservation of coral diversity,» said the department. Through this expedition, Seychelles gained access to cutting-edge scientific research and expertise, enhancing its capacity for understanding and managing its marine ecosystems. The transfer and preservation of Aldabra coral colonies for conservation in public aquariums not only contribute to raising awareness about the importance of coral reefs but also bolster the island nation's efforts in promoting sustainable Blue Economy practices. The expedition took place over a period of two months and scientists carried out various research and fields around the Aldabra Atoll, on the Saya de Malha Bank, and around the island of Saint Brandon. «We are expecting positive results from the Saya de Malha part of the expedition as well. Especially about the seagrass research and information about the species found on the sea bed. They've even found a new species of shrimp. These are all information that has been shared with both Seychelles and Mauritius because the area is jointly managed under the Joint Management Agreement,» said the minister. 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached a staff-level agreement with Seychelles on the second review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). An IMF delegation, led by Todd Schneider, was in Seychelles from March 21 to April 3, to conduct discussions on the second review of the island nation's economic and financial programme, which is supported by the EFF arrangement and the RSF. The team met with the authorities and private sector representatives for the 2024 Article IV consultation. The three-year arrangement for Seychelles under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), in an amount equivalent to $56 million, as well as a three-year arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), amounts to the equivalent of $46 million. The IMF said that Seychelles' economy continued to recover in 2023 and is moving closer to prepandemic norms despite external shocks and a complex disaster from flooding and an industrial explosion. «Following a post-pandemic surge in economic activity in 2022, real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth slowed to an estimated 3.2 percent in 2023, despite a continued increase in tourism activity, with visitor arrivals reaching a level equivalent to over 91 percent of the prepandemic high and tourism earnings continuing to rise,» said Schneider. This was echoed by Seychelles Minster for Finance, Trade and National Panning, Naadir Hassan, who said, «In 2023, we experienced a 3.2 percent growth in GDP, which is in line with the long-term trend that we have experienced in Seychelles, getting back to our pre-pandemic levels.»  Hassam added «We can expect that the economy will continue to grow in the next year, and we are forecast a growth of 3.69 percent,» while noting the impact of the December 7 disasters, of flooding and explosions at a quarrying company, on  Seychelles' economy.  Schneider said Seychelles' real GDP growth is expected to reach about 3.7 percent in 2024 on the back of a continued increase in visitor arrivals together with buoyant activity in IT, construction, and the financial sector. «This outlook incorporates some drag on activity linked to the impact of the December 2023 flooding and explosion at Providence Industrial Estates,» he added. According to the IMF, Seychelles' government made good progress in implementing the EFF and RSF meeting almost all quantitative targets under the programme and making notable progress on macro-structural benchmarks and climate-related reform measures. «The government achieved a primary fiscal surplus of 1.7 percent of GDP in 2023. This was an over-performance relative to the EFF programme target. Underspending on both recurrent and capital budget lines more than offset lower-than-expected revenues,» said Schneider. IMF said that Seychelles' economic outlook is generally positive but given its high vulnerability to external shocks and climate change, continued efforts to reduce public debt, rebuild fiscal and external buffers, bolster the efficiency of public spending, and ensure support for the most vulnerable segments of the population, are critical. «While the outlook remains positive and risks are roughly balanced, the Seychellois economy remains highly vulnerable to external shocks and climate change in the medium- to long-term,» said Schneider. He added that «the downside risks to the outlook include potential upward pressure on commodity and transport prices from the conflict in Israel and Gaza, continued attacks in the Red Sea, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and continued vulnerability to climate-related shocks.»

The Netherlands and Seychelles will work closely on fighting cryptocurrency crimes and a mission from the northwestern European country is expected in the island nation this year, said the outgoing Dutch ambassador on Tuesday. The outgoing Ambassador of the Netherlands to Seychelles, Maarten Brouwer, made the announcement to reporters after his farewell visit to President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House. Brouwer said that during his mandate, one of the strong points was the cooperation between the public prosecutors' offices in both countries working on cryptocurrency. The expected mission from the Netherlands aims to «start talking about what is happening here in Seychelles and what we notice of it,» he said.  He added that cryptocurrency is one of the markets criminals use to finance their needs. «We have a clear interest in trying to fight what are global organisations to attack them by not only confiscating their drugs that come into the ports but also to undermine their financial structure,» said the outgoing ambassador. Brouwer explained that his country needs to consult different countries and regions to understand how they run their operations. Maritime security and the passage of container ships in the Red Sea were also discussed during the meeting. «It is of importance for the Seychelles because if ships cannot sail through the Red Sea and goods need to be delivered to Europe or coming through Europe it will increase the costs quite substantially,» he said. He added that the Netherlands is the sixth shipping nation in the world and «quite a lot of the cargo that we export passes through the Red Sea.» Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, recently joined a US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure the safety of such vessels passing through the Red Sea. The Netherlands is also part of the operation. Seychelles and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in April 1977.

Rwanda on Sunday begins sombre commemorations for the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide, a mass slaughter orchestrated by Hutu extremists against the Tutsi minority over 100 bloody days. More than 800,000 men, women and children, mainly ethnic Tutsis but also moderate Hutus, were killed in the murderous onslaught that saw families and friends turn against each other in one of the darkest episodes of the late 20th century. Three decades on, the tiny landlocked nation has rebuilt under the iron-fisted rule of President Paul Kagame, but the traumatic legacy of the genocide lingers, reverberating across the region. In keeping with tradition, April 7 -- the day Hutu extremists and militias unleashed their horrific killing spree in 1994 -- will be marked by Kagame lighting a remembrance flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where more than 250,000 victims are believed to be buried. Kagame, whose Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebel army helped to stop the massacres, will deliver a speech and place wreaths on the mass graves, with some foreign dignitaries in attendance for what has been dubbed «Kwibuka (Remembrance) 30». - 'Never again'  - Sunday's events mark the start of a week of national mourning, with Rwanda effectively coming to a standstill and national flags flown at half-mast. During those days, music will not be allowed in public places or on the radio, while sports events and movies are banned from TV broadcasts, unless connected to the commemorations. The United Nations and the African Union among others will also hold remembrance ceremonies. «This year, we remind ourselves of genocide's rancid root: hate,» UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message marking the anniversary. «To those who would seek to divide us, we must deliver a clear, unequivocal and urgent message: never again.» The international community was heavily criticised for failing to protect civilians, with the UN sharply reducing its peacekeeping force shortly after the outbreak of the violence. - Shot, beaten or hacked to death - The assassination of Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana on the night of April 6 when his plane was shot down over Kigali triggered the rampage by Hutu extremists and the «Interahamwe» militia. Their victims were shot, beaten or hacked to death in killings fuelled by vicious anti-Tutsi propaganda broadcast on TV and radio. An estimated 100,000 to 250,000 women were raped, according to UN figures. Hundreds of thousands of people, mainly ethnic Hutu fearing reprisal attacks, fled in the aftermath of the genocide to neighbouring countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mass graves are still being found in Rwanda to this day. In 2002, Rwanda set up community tribunals where victims could hear «confessions» from those who had persecuted them. A staggering 1.2 million cases were heard over a 10-year period, although rights watchdogs said the system also resulted in miscarriages of justice, with some complainants using it to settle scores. Today, Rwandan ID cards make no mention of whether a person is Hutu or Tutsi. Secondary school students learn about the genocide as part of a tightly controlled curriculum. - 'Scars of the past' - Around two-thirds of Rwanda's population was born after the genocide. Many are eager to help rewrite their nation's painful history and craft a new narrative. «Ever since I was little, Rwanda's story has been one of rebuilding,» project manager Roxanne Mudenge, 27, told AFP. «The scars of the past are still there, but there's a different energy now, a sense of possibility.» According to the Rwandan authorities, hundreds of genocide suspects remain at large, including in neighbouring nations such as the DRC and Uganda. So far, only 28 have been extradited to Rwanda globally. France, one of the top destinations for Rwandans fleeing justice at home, has tried and convicted half a dozen people over their involvement in the killings. At the time, the French government had been a long-standing backer of Habyarimana's regime, leading to decades of tensions between the two countries. In 2021 President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged France's role in the genocide and its refusal to heed warnings of looming massacres, prompting Kagame to applaud the French leader for taking «a big step». Although Macron stopped short of an apology and denied complicity in the bloodshed, Kagame said the rapprochement could pave the way for «a better» relationship between the two nations. Ties between Kigali and Kinshasa have been characterised by even deeper acrimony, with the RPF accused of killing tens of thousands of civilians during its pursuit of genocide perpetrators in the Congo. Kagame's government has been accused of arming Tutsi-led M23 rebels in eastern DRC. Kigali has denied the allegations but says Tutsis in its larger neighbour are victims of persecution. © Agence France-Presse

Left-wing pan-Africanist Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Tuesday became Senegal's youngest president, pledging systemic change after years of deadly turmoil and announcing his mentor, opposition figure Ousmane Sonko, as prime minister. Faye, 44, has never previously held an elected office. He swept to a first-round victory on a promise of radical reform just 10 days after being released from prison. He took the presidential oath in front of hundreds of officials and several African heads of state at an exhibition centre in the new town of Diamniadio, near Dakar. He then returned to the capital, with his motorcade greeted by hundreds of jubilant residents who lined the roads leading to the presidential palace. His predecessor, Macky Sall, symbolically handed Faye the key to the presidential headquarters before leaving the palace. «Before God and the Senegalese nation, I swear to faithfully fulfil the office of President of the Republic of Senegal,» Faye had said earlier in the day. Just hours later, his new administration appointed firebrand opposition leader Sonko prime minister. «Mr Ousmane Sonko is named prime minister,» said Oumar Samba Ba, the general secretary of the presidency, as he read out a decree on the public television station RTS. Sonko, 49, was at the centre of a two-year stand-off with the state that triggered bouts of deadly unrest. He was disqualified from running in the most recent race and picked Faye as his replacement on the presidential ballot. The former tax inspector is Senegal's fifth president since independence from France in 1960 and the first to openly admit to a polygamous marriage. «I am aware that the results of the ballot box express a profound desire for systemic change,» Faye said in a brief speech after taking the presidential oath. «Under my leadership, Senegal will be a country of hope, a peaceful country with an independent judiciary and a strengthened democracy,» he added. Faye and Sonko were among a group of opposition politicians freed from prison 10 days before the March 24 presidential ballot under an amnesty announced by former president Macky Sall, who had tried to delay the vote. «I have painful memories of the martyrs of Senegalese democracy, the amputees, the wounded and the former prisoners,» Faye said Tuesday, referring to the past three years of political unrest that left dozens dead and hundreds arrested. «I will always bear in mind the heavy sacrifices made in order never to disappoint you,» he added. Faye also reiterated to foreign partners «Senegal's openness to trade that respects our sovereignty and meets the aspirations of our people, in a mutually beneficial partnership». Commonly known as Diomaye, or «the honourable one», his promise of radical change won the election with 54.3 percent of the vote. - Reconciliation, sovereignty - Working with his populist mentor Sonko, Faye's campaign set out priorities of national reconciliation, easing the cost-of-living crisis and fighting corruption. He has also vowed to restore national sovereignty over key assets such as the oil, gas and fishing sectors. Senegal is due to start hydrocarbon production later this year. Faye also wants to replace the CFA franc, which he sees as a French colonial legacy, with a new common regional currency, and to invest more in agriculture with the aim of reaching food self-sufficiency. After three tense years in the traditionally stable nation, his democratic victory has been internationally hailed, by Washington, Paris, the African Union and the European Union. On the international stage, Faye seeks to bring military-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger back into the fold of the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc. On Tuesday, he urged «more solidarity» between African countries «in the face of security challenges». The military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea all sent representatives to Diamniadio, including Guinean president General Mamady Doumbouya. Burkina Faso's leader Captain Ibrahim Traore wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Faye's mandate represented a «symbol of a new era for an uninhibited, free and sovereign Africa». He added he was ready to work together on «the renovation of sub-regional and international cooperation». UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the inauguration «a testament to the Senegalese people, that they fought for their right to vote». - New generation of politicians - A practising Muslim from a humble background with two wives and four children, Faye represents a new generation of youthful politicians. He has voiced admiration for US ex-president Barack Obama and South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela. However, Faye and the government he will shortly lead face major challenges. The biggest appears to be creating enough jobs in a nation where 75 percent of the 18-million population is aged under 35 and the unemployment rate is officially 20 percent. Faced with such dire economic prospects at home, many young Senegalese have chosen to risk their lives to join migrants trying to reach Europe. © Agence France-Presse

Seychelles is on the right track as it continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the December 7 disasters, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission chief on Tuesday. Todd Schneider made the statement to reporters after meeting with the President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, at State House.   “We talked about Seychelles’ economic performance in 2023, which was slightly lower than we had anticipated, mainly due to the December disasters, but otherwise it was a relatively stable outcome from 2023,” said Schneider.   The country suffered two major blows on December 7, 2023. Heavy rainfall caused severe damage to roads, flooding, and landslides, with damage to several properties and three people died. The same day, an explosion of four containers of explosives at a quarrying company in the Providence Industrial estate caused massive damage to residential homes and commercial buildings, along the east coast of the main island of Mahe. The IMF mission is in Seychelles to conduct the second review under the new Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which was agreed in May 2023. The three-year arrangement for Seychelles under the EFF in an amount equivalent to $56 million, as well as a three-year arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), equivalent to $46 million. The last review of the EFF was done in December 2023, which allowed for the immediate disbursement of about $12.3 million to help strengthen macroeconomic stability, boost inclusive growth, and strengthen fiscal and monetary policy frameworks. It will also support efforts to build resilience to climate change, exploit synergies with other sources of official financing, and catalyse private financing for climate-related investments. The IMF executive director representing Seychelles, Robert Nicholl, also met with Ramkalawan on Tuesday. He explained that his discussions were mainly about some of the fundamental characteristics that make things challenging for Seychelles, such as its size, which makes it vulnerable to external shocks. “Like many small countries, the after-effects of the pandemic have been quite hard, especially with Seychelles having a been tourism industry, but I would say that Seychelles is doing very well and is in a good position,” added Nicholl.

The Electoral Commission of Seychelles is urging people to ensure that they complete the registration process for the voters' register on time. The chief registration officer, Sheena Boniface, made the statement at the official certification of the Voters' Register 2024 at the National Library on Tuesday. Boniface told reporters that this is due to the registration procedures that include home verification visits. «This is one of the reasons why we ask people to complete the procedures in advance and not to wait for an election year. These visits take time. For example, following a visit to a post-secondary school last year, we received 93 applications for registration in one day, which means 93 home visits that we have to plan according to the applicants' schedule, including other applications,» she explained. Boniface said, «One of the challenges that we've faced in 2023, is a lack of cooperation from the applicants. Some clients make it difficult to conduct verification visits either through the descriptions they give, or they are not available most times. Sometimes our staff are conducting visits until 6.30 p.m. Even though they scheduled a specific time with the client they may have to visit someone two or three times because they are not home.» She added that delaying these procedures may mean that the person in question may not be added to the voters' register on time for the next election. «We always say that you need to be election-ready. An election may be announced at any time. Apart from the main election that happens every five years, if a member of the National Assembly resigns; an election needs to happen,» said the chief registration officer. The official ceremony for the certification of the voters' register was held in the presence of the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Danny Lucas, and other officials of the Commission. The chief registration officer officially certified the register, before presenting a copy to chief electoral officer, Manuella Amesbury. The register applies to transactions recorded between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, and there are 73,343 registered voters on the register, out of which 37,756 are female and 35,587 are male. The district with the greatest number of registered voters is Anse Etoile with 4,008 voters, and the district with the least number of registered voters is Port Glaud, with 1,968 voters. There were also 827 deceased people removed from the register, of which 455 are female and 372 are male. Boniface confirmed that this was done according to information the Electoral Commission received from the Department of Civil Status. Boniface elaborated that according to the National Population Database (NPD), as of December 2023, 1,678 citizens would have turned 18 and therefore are eligible to vote.   She confirmed that only 226 have come forward to register their names on the voters' register. «Most of the people on this list are students so they may be studying abroad or they could have started their first jobs and not have the time to register. We cannot say for sure what are the reasons why the majority of them have not registered. According to the NPD, it is expected that there will be 1,607 people who will be turning 18 years old this year,» Boniface added. Apart from the people turning 18 years old, she said that the Electoral Commission also recorded several first-time voters and they are people of varying ages who had not yet registered even if they were eligible. In total, there were 669 applications. For 2023, there were also 11 applications from people who have naturalised citizenship, 27 from returning residents and 8 applications for re-instatements from prisoners. Boniface said the Electoral Commission also faced several challenges in 2023, namely the reluctance of eligible voters to register and the lack of response and support from political parties in mobilising their supporters to register and conduct transactions accordingly. 

US communities along the path of the April 8 total solar eclipse are preparing for the year's biggest astronomic event, with millions of visitors expected to brighten local economies -- and snarl up logistics. Near the US-Canada border in Burlington, Vermont, which is set to experience the totality just before 3:30 pm (1930 GMT), many hotels have been sold out for months. The few remaining rooms, which typically go for around $150 a night, show online prices of $600-$700 for the night of the eclipse. «I don't know that we'll have anything quite like this again,» Jeff Lawson, a vice president in the chamber of commerce, told AFP. Lawson marveled at his city's «incredible luck» at an opportunity «quite literally falling out of the sky into your lap.» If skies are clear, the small city of 40,000 could see its population double for the day, with visitors arriving by car, train and even private jet, Lawson said. An estimated 32 million people live inside the «path of totality» -- under which the Moon will fully block out the Sun -- with an additional 150 million residing less than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the strip, NASA says. - Traffic jams - Preparations for the big day began years ago, Matt Bruning of the Ohio Department of Transportation told AFP. He said the agency reached out to counterparts along the last major US eclipse, in 2017, and «one of the things that we heard resoundingly was it's never too early to start planning.» Despite those efforts, there will inevitably «be delays, there will be heavy congestion,» he warned. Businesses are leaping into the bonanza with special events and in Cleveland, where local officials expect some 200,000 visitors, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame plans a four-day «Solarfest» of live music. The Perryman Group, a Texas-based research firm, estimates direct and indirect economic impacts of this year's eclipse could reach $6 billion. This year's path of totality is about 115 miles wide, wider than in 2017. It begins in western Mexico, arches up through the US cities of Dallas, Indianapolis, and Buffalo, before ending in eastern Canada. Many schools along the path will be closed or letting students out early, including in Cleveland and Montreal. Several airlines have advertised flights scheduled to pass under the eclipse, while Delta has even planned two special trips along the path of totality, the first of which sold out in 24 hours, the company said. NASA warns that only in the path of totality -- and only during the few minutes of the actual totality -- is it safe to look at the eclipse without eye protection. - 'Cosmic coincidence' - Almost all of the United States will get to experience a partial eclipse, but UCLA astronomer Jean-Luc Margot says the trip to see the totality is definitely worth the hassle. «If you have a 99 percent partial eclipse, that is a completely different experience than being in the path of totality,» he told AFP. He will be accompanying a group of UCLA alumni to view the eclipse in rural Texas, after similar trips in 2017 to Oregon and to Chile in 2019. When people finally see the eclipse, they «tend to be emotional,» Margot said. «It is such a beautiful event. It's due to this complete cosmic coincidence, that the angular size of the Sun and the angular size of the Moon are about the same.» Scientists have traditionally used the eclipses to observe the solar corona, an outer layer of plasma that's difficult to study due to the Sun's bright light, Margot said. New tools such as the space-based Parker Solar Probe have made such research less eclipse-dependent, but scientists will still be taking full advantage. NASA recently highlighted several studies being planned for the eclipse, from effects on Earth's atmosphere and animal behavior to even human psychology. «Eclipses have a special power,» NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said recently. «They move people to feel a kind of reverence for the beauty of our universe.» © Agence France-Presse  

Several people working for US-based charity World Central Kitchen were killed Monday in an Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip, according to the organisation's founder. World Central Kitchen «lost several of our sisters and brothers in an IDF air strike in Gaza. I am heartbroken and grieving for their families and friends and our whole WCK family,» chef Jose Andres posted on social media site X. Earlier, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory had said the bodies of four foreign aid workers and their Palestinian driver were brought to the hospital in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah after an Israeli strike targeted their vehicle. Hamas said in a statement that the aid workers included «British, Australian and Polish nationalities, with the fourth nationality not known», and that the fifth person killed was a Palestinian driver and translator. The Israeli military said in a statement that it was «conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident», adding that it had been «working closely with WCK» in the effort to provide aid to Palestinians. At the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, an AFP correspondent saw five bodies with three foreign passports lying nearby. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was «urgently seeking to confirm reports that an Australian aid worker has died in Gaza. These reports are very distressing.» World Central Kitchen has been involved in delivering the aid arriving by boat from Cyprus, and in the construction of a temporary jetty in Gaza. Since Hamas's October 7 attack, Gaza has been under a near-complete blockade, with the United Nations accusing Israel of preventing deliveries of humanitarian aid urgently needed by 2.4 million Palestinians. UN agencies have warned repeatedly that northern Gaza is on the verge of famine, calling the situation a man-made crisis because aid lorries are backed up on the Egypt-Gaza border awaiting long checks by Israeli officials. Israel has denied responsibility. Two charities have organised aid deliveries by sea from Cyprus, with the second flotilla, setting sail Saturday with around 400 tonnes of supplies, a fraction of Gaza's needs. Hamas's October 7 attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 32,845 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza. © Agence France-Presse