[Government of Mauritius] The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, proceeded, this afternoon, with the inauguration of two Sub Halls, namely the Railway Square Moka Sub Hall and the Réduit Sub Hall.

[Government of Mauritius] An exhibition entitled, "Sculptures marines - objets de l'homme façonnés par la mer", was launched, this afternoon, at the National History Museum in Mahebourg in the context of the International Museum Day (IMD), observed annually on 18 May. It is open to the public till 15 July 2022.

[Government of Mauritius] The newly appointed High Commissioner of the Republic of Ghana to Mauritius, Mr Charles Asuako Owiredu, paid a courtesy call to the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, this afternoon, at the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development House, in Phoenix.

[L'Express] "It is better to know nothing than to know what ain't so." The hackneyed indictments of the Bank of Mauritius (BoM) for having revoked the banking license of the Bramer Bank Corporation Ltd (BBCL Ltd) in April 2015 under my stewardship have morphed into blistering invectives. Seven years after, the BoM continues to be maligned for the demise of the BAI Group.

[Government of Mauritius] The newly appointed High Commissioner of the Republic of Ghana to Mauritius, Mr Charles Asuako Owiredu, met the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, yesterday, in Port-Louis.

[Government of Mauritius] A High-Level stakeholders' meeting for the establishment of a Fisheries Law Enforcement Academy, was held, this morning at Le Meridien in Pointe aux Piments. The initiative is a joint collaboration of the Open University of Mauritius and the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) of South Africa.

[The Conversation Africa] Sub-Saharan African countries are the most ethnically diverse in the world. Within each African country there are more ethnic groups than there are in most of the world's countries.

[Government of Mauritius] A half-day workshop to mark the first International Day of Women in Maritime under the theme "Training-Visibility-Recognition: Supporting a barrier-free working environment" was held, yesterday, in Ebène. The objective was to support an accessible and conducive working environment for women in maritime that is enabling, supportive and inclusive.

[Government of Mauritius] The maximal use of e-marketing methods by women cooperative societies to promote the sales of their products was highlighted, today, by the Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah. He was speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop focusing on e-marketing for women cooperative societies at the National Cooperative College (NCC), Bois Marchand, Terre Rouge.

[Government of Mauritius] To mark the International Museum Day 2022, two main activities were held in Port Louis, yesterday, namely the inauguration of a stamps exhibition at the Natural History Museum, and the launching of a brochure and an exhibition on the heroic, mythical and historical figure of Ratsitatanina at the Intercontinental Slavery Museum (ISM). The Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, was present at both events.

[Government of Mauritius] Backup licences for students from the University of Mauritius, the University of Technology, the Open University of Mauritius, the Université des Mascareignes and Polytechnics Mauritius, were handed over to representatives of these universities by Veritas Technologies, today, at the Caudan Arts Centre in Port Louis.

[Government of Mauritius] The prize giving ceremony to reward the winners of the science communication contest, entitled '4-Minute Science', was held, this morning, at the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre in Bell Village, in the presence of the Acting Chief Technical Officer of the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mr Ricaud Auckbur; the Director of the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre, Dr Aman Kumar Maulloo; the Regional Manager of the Mauritius Commercial Bank, Mr Norbert Coignet; and other personalities.

[Government of Mauritius] The Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) organised, today, at Voilà Hotel in Bagatelle, a workshop focussing on the challenges faced by Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) contractors in the construction sector.

[L'Express] Considering the number of legal, economic and political issues that made the headlines this week, we sit down with Reza Uteem to talk about his take on all of these and the situation in the country in general...

[L'Express] The question was simple, and to any independent observer, totally innocuous! All the leader of the opposition was asking is if we can put an end to foreign workers coming to the island and being eligible to vote after only two years of staying in the country. He also made some suggestions about registering voters and making sure that the now notorious 'computer rooms' are used properly to 'ensure the integrity of the database'.

[The Conversation Africa] Back in the 1980s there were just ten or so pink pigeons left in the wild. Known to scientists as Nesoenas mayeri, the species is found only on Mauritius, the Indian Ocean island that was once home to the dodo. Like the dodo, the pink pigeon made an easy target for cats, rats and other predators introduced by humans, who also chopped down almost all of their native forest. Unlike the dodo, however, the pink pigeon has since made a remarkable recovery.

[Government of Mauritius] As from 19 May 2022, street vendors will no longer be allowed to work at the Ruisseau du Pouce and other nearby temporary markets and will be relocated to the Hawkers' Palace in the Victoria Urban Terminal, in Port Louis.

[Government of Mauritius] The Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, had pre-budget consultative meetings, this afternoon, in Port Louis, with representatives of the Mauritius Bankers Association, Mauritius Finance, and Insurers' Association.

[Government of Mauritius] Mrs Marie Suzanne Tailly, born in Port Louis on 18 May 1922, celebrated her 100th birthday, today, in Calodyne.

[Government of Mauritius] The Chairperson of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, Mr Joseph Christian Léopold, paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, today, at the State House, in Réduit.

[Government of Mauritius] The Chairperson of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly (RRA), Mr Joseph Christian Léopold, met the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, this afternoon, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

[Government of Mauritius] The engagement of the European Union (EU) towards the inclusion and acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) people was highlighted by the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the (EU), Mr Vincent Degert, today, at the Voila Hotel, Bagatelle. He was speaking at the opening of a round table discussion in the context of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, annually observed on 17 May.

[Government of Mauritius] The present constitutional and legal provisions relating to General Elections, including the provisions for the registration of electors, have stood the test of time and served the country well by guaranteeing political and social stability. Since independence the present electoral system has consistently delivered credible and free and fair elections acknowledged internationally and contributed significantly to Mauritius being recognised as a full democracy.

[L'Express] The Sri Lankan government, embattled by an unprecedented economic crisis and going through a switch of prime ministers, is struggling to achieve stability. Here is why that is bad news for our country.

[Government of Mauritius] The target of the Government for the tourism sector is to reach at least one million of tourist arrivals by end of this year and welcome some 1.3 million tourists by June 2023. On the social plan, in a bid to provide decent housing to citizens, the construction of 12 000 social housing units will kickstart soon.

[Government of Mauritius] The Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram, met with the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, for the policy dialogue in the context of the preparation of the 2022 - 2023 Budget, yesterday, in Port Louis.

[Government of Mauritius] The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Mohammad Anwar Husnoo, discussed with the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, his priorities during the policy dialogue held, yesterday, in Port Louis, in the context of the preparation of the 2022 - 2023 Budget.

[Vanguard] The Director of Competitions of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Mr Samson Adamu has confirmed to thenff.com that Mauritius won a case it filed against Sao Tomé and Príncipe concerning their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary qualifying fixture, and will therefore join the combatants in Group A of the qualification series starting next month.

[Government of Mauritius] In the context of the Alumni of Egyptian Universities and Egyptian Training programme, a networking dinner to celebrate the Egyptian-Mauritian Friendship Group was held, last evening, in Ebène. The event, jointly organised by the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt with the Friends of Egyptian Association in Mauritius, aimed at opening new avenues of cooperation in the education sector.

[Government of Mauritius] The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, effected a site visit, this morning, at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National (SSRN) Hospital, in Pamplemousses, to meet the Head of the Paediatric Surgery Unit and Senior Consultant in kidney transplant-Paediatric, Liver Transplant and Paediatric Surgery of the Narayana Health City in Bangalore, India, Dr Ashley Lucien Joseph D'Cruz.

[Government of Mauritius] The Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, spelt out to the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, his priorities regarding the cultural and creative sectors during the policy dialogue held, this afternoon, in Port Louis, in the context of the preparation of the 2022 - 2023 Budget.

[Government of Mauritius] An award of certificate ceremony was held, yesterday, at SME Mauritius Ltd Branch's in Bel Air for 12 women who participated in a Pastry course offered on a twelve-week period. On that occasion, pastry products prepared by participants were presented.

[Government of Mauritius] The Minister of Public Service, Administrative and Institutional Reforms, Mr Teeruthraj Hurdoyal, met with the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, this afternoon, during a Policy Dialogue meeting to present proposals for his Ministry in the context of the 2022/23 Budget.

[Government of Mauritius] The Gender Country Profile (GCP) for the period 2021-2027, was presented, today, by the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mrs Kalpana Devi Koonjoo-Shah, and the European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Vincent Degert, in Port Louis.

[Government of Mauritius] The Commandant Supérieur des Forces armées dans la Zone sud de l'Ocean Indien (FAZSOI), General Laurent Cluzel, called on the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, today, at the New Treasury Building, in Port-Louis.

[Government of Mauritius] The President of the Institute for Research on Cultural Literature, India, Dr Banwarilall Jayodiya, paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, this afternoon, at the New Treasury Building, in Port-Louis. He was accompanied by a five-member delegation.

[Government of Mauritius] 'Today we are making an appeal for calm as we acknowledge that consumers are facing difficulties and that there are sufferings and that sufferings can sometimes bring about anger but violence cannot be the solution in any case. Violence is not a solution and the solution lies in dialogue'.

[New Dawn] Over 1,000 users benefit from cancer prevention service running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

[Government of Mauritius] A Health and Safety Week in the Public Service to mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work was launched, today, in Port-Louis. During that Week, from 21 to 28 April 2022, a series of activities will be organised to promote a safe and healthy working environment and ensure prevention of occupational accidents in the public sector.

[Government of Mauritius] The Citadelle Endemic Forest Project, an initiative of the Fondation Ressources et Nature (FORENA) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change and the GEF Small Grants Programme of the United Nations Development Programme, was launched, today at the Citadelle in Port Louis, by the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano.

[Government of Mauritius] The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Anwar Husnoo, effected a site visit, today in Goodlands, at the New Market Fair and Mini Traffic Centre to take cognizance of work in progress. A visit was also carried out at the site identified to construct a Multipurpose Complex at Goodlands which will cost some Rs 45 million. The Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, was also present.

[Government of Mauritius] "Good Corporate Governance will generate an atmosphere of collective trust for Mauritius and its corporate sector and go a long way in strengthening the Mauritius Brand", stated the Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, today, at the opening of the first Annual Corporate Conference held at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel, in Balaclava.

[Government of Mauritius] The Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Maneesh Gobin, was in Rodrigues, yesterday, to personally oversee the loading, on board the Black Rhino, of animals intended for the Mauritian market. A total of 160 heads, comprising 110 sheep, 32 goats, and 18 cattle, are currently on board the Black Rhino which is expected to reach Mauritius on 23 April 2022. This visit forms part of a follow-up and support process from the Mauritian authorities to Rodriguan breeders.

[L'Express] I hope Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth makes the most of the royal welcome extended to him by Indian Prime Minister and BJP Leader Narendra Modi and enjoys the wide smiles of his hosts. We hate to rain on his parade but he returns to a country where the smiles have long faded. And it's not just because the price hikes have reached unmanageable proportions.

[L'Express] Despite billions invested in water drainage projects each year, more and more places in Mauritius are facing flash floods in the context of the unprecedented ecological crisis we are in.

[Government of Mauritius] 'MauHeritage', a mobile application, aiming to enable users to get access to all national and world heritage sites in Mauritius, was launched today at Le Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, in Port-Louis, to mark the 2022 International Day for Monuments and Sites.

[Government of Mauritius] A Technical Committee has been set up at the level of the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Protection in July 2021 to look at the recommendations of the Competition Commission on the Pharmaceutical Sector and advise on the implementation of a regressive mark-up as advised by the World Health Organisation. This Committee will, at its next meeting, consider the proposals for regressive mark-up and make recommendations accordingly.

[Vanguard] Nigeria and Mauritius have retained their seats to serve for another four years in the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) from 2023 to 2026.

[L'Express] Yahia Nazroo is a passionate advocate for fairness in, and development of, the sport of horseracing in Mauritius. He is a founder member of the Mauritius Turf Club. The views he expresses in this article are his own personal views and do not bind anyone except himself. It does not constitute advice and is meant to be a constructive discussion about the changes to the landscape of the horseracing industry in Mauritius.

[Balancing Act] London -- With network access improving in a number of countries, there is renewed interest in using smart technologies as part of a digital transformation strategy (See Vodacom and FNB items, In Brief below). This week Russell Southwood talks to Viv Padyatchy, Founder and Director of Mauritius-based Cybernaptics Africa.