Local Mauritius

3-member uniformed gang on robbery spree

A well organised gang of thieves composed of three people is terrorising residents of the north. Their modus operandi is brazen. The gang members dress up as police officers and con people. They also come armed with knives. On Wednesday, two Toyota cars bearing number plates U 913 and 4658 ZV 07 were stolen in [...]

03 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Workers say no to unjustified layoffs

The office of the Ministry of Labour was under siege on Thursday. Employees of Cernol Ltd, Ambre Hotel and some 20 Indian nationals employed at Ivy Leathers Limited factory led by trade unionist Atma Shanto staged a protest in front of the ministry office at Victoria House, Port Louis. They were protesting layoffs in their [...]

03 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

MES to issue certificates, Bunwaree assures students

The Brevet de Technicien Certificate (vocational training certificate) will be awarded only by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate (MES). The assurance was given by the minister of Education and Human Resources Dr Vasant Bunwaree at a press conference on Thursday following several working sessions with representatives of the ministry, Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD), [...]

03 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Ex-DBM director arrested for bribery

Charged with accepting bribe, former DBM managing director Benyram Chooramun was arrested on Tuesday June 1. The offence was committed in 2002 when he allegedly pocketed Rs25m from Harry Sookun for the award of a banking licence to the latter’s defunct First City Bank. Chooramun is also accused by the Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC) [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Government to launch zero plastic campaign on World Environment Day

To mark World Environment Day (WED), the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development is organising a National exhibition at the Grand Baie International Conference Centre from June 6 – 11. The exhibition will regroup a wide range of exhibits from various organisations of the private and public sectors under the themes of ‘Maurice Ile Durable’, [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Bagatelle bridge to be ready in June

The construction of Bagatelle bridge on the M1 Motorway is progressing rapidly. According to a source from the ENL group, construction work is scheduled to be complete by the end of July, two months before the grand opening of the Bagatelle Commercial Centre. The aim of the bridge is to ensure smooth flow of traffic [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Spelling bee contest winners announced

The finals of the 10th edition of the National Spelling Bee competition, organised by the English-Speaking Union (ESU), took place on Wednesday at the Curepipe Town Hall. This was attended by Sharmilla Bhima, president of ESU, Craig White, public affairs officer of the United States of America and Sir Victor Glover, patron of the ESU. [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Loan paid up, says Jugnauth

At the National Assembly on Tuesday, vice prime minister and minister of Finance, Pravind Jugnauth made a statement on the acquisition of MedPoint clinic with the loan sanctioned by the Development Bank of Mauritius (DBM). Jugnauth referred to last week’s private notice question and said that in February 1992, DBM Ltd sanctioned a loan of [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

La Flora post office opens

A new post office and delivery centre at La Flora officially opened on Wednesday. The inauguration ceremony was conducted by minister of Information and Communication Technology Tassarajen Pillay Chedumbrum. Also present on the occasion were parliamentary private secretary (PPS) Pradeep Peetumber and chief executive officer of the Mauritius Post Ltd (MPL) Giandev Moteea. Chedumbrum outlined [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Bodha eyes 8 pc growth in tourists from France

Minister of Tourism and Leisure Nando Bodha unveiled a new advertising campaign of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) at Le Labourdonnais Hotel, Port Louis, on Wednesday. The campaign aims to promote the local destination in France and to achieve an eight per cent growth this year. Bodha said the MTPA was targeting the French [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

MRA introduces new e-tax payment system

The Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) launched the Electronic Current Payment System (E-CPS), a new online service, on Wednesday. The new website is part of the MRA’s initiative to encourage more taxpayers to complete their returns online. Professionals in private practice and those involved in rental market are concerned by this quarterly exercise. Three criteria are [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

ENL creates Rs 4.7-billion marina project

The first residential units of La Balise Marina project, which is the first Integrated Resort Scheme (IRS) marina development project in Mauritius, will be delivered during the second semester of 2012. The project, developed by ENL Property, is estimated at Rs 4.7 billion. The major shareholders, including ENL Limited, Investec Bank (Mauritius) Ltd, and MCB [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Action plan to modernise parliamentary process

Modernising the parliamentary process through the use and support of ICT tools is the main objective of the three-day workshop that is being organised by the National Assembly in collaboration with the Africa i-Parliament Action Plan. Africa i-Parliament is an Africa-wide action plan implemented by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to [...]

02 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Japan Vs Peru Watch Online

Japan Vs Peru Japan Vs Peru on June 1 in Niigata for the Kirin Cup and will face the Czech Republic on June 7 in Yokohama, while Peru and the Czech Republic will meet on June 4 in Matsumoto Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni called up teen sensation Takashi Usami on Friday for the Kirin Cup [...]

01 Jun 2011, MauritiusHot

Judge Jesus appoints Chagos arbitrators

To break the dead lock on the constitution of an arbitral tribunal consisting of five members, Mauritius requested the president of International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Judge José Luis Jesus to assume the role of appointing the three independent arbitrators to complete the bench. This was announced by the Prime Minister [...]

01 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Tengur condemns Nielsen Report on petrol products

The president of the Association for the Protection of the Environment and Consumers (APEC), Suttyhudeo Tengur, in his open letter to the press has questioned certain moves made by the minister of Industry and Commerce Showkutally Soodhun concerning the Nielsen report. According to him, the minister made some alarming declarations last week in the Parliament [...]

01 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

Dealers fret ban on Japanese cars

Vehicle importers are currently facing a crisis as nearly 25 car showrooms are out of vehicle or have only one or two cars. They are still waiting for the new regulation concerning radioactivity but many are disappointed. This was stated by Zaid Ameer, president of Dealers of Imported Vehicles Association (DIVA). On May 28, three [...]

01 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

LMS calibrates 13,123 measuring equipment

The Legal Metrology Services (LMS) organisation, under the aegis of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, is responsible for the control of weighing and measuring equipment, which are used in trade. LMS recently inspected trade premises, petrol pumps and packers. About 13,123 instruments were calibrated by the LMS of which 2,997 were done during mobile [...]

01 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

STC to introduce low sulphur fuel in 2011

The State Trading Corporation (STC) plans to import a new type of diesel by 2012 to reduce air pollution. The new type of fuel will be in line with international standards. The aim is to reduce the sulphur content in fuel from 500 to 50 parts per million (ppm). The STC has already started negotiations [...]

01 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily

MRASA talks salary, hours

During the Mauritius Revenue Authority Staff Association’s (MRASA) annual general meeting (AGM), several issues including salary review, number of working hours, uniform allowance and annual leaves were discussed. The AGM was held on Tuesday at Rabita Hall, Port Louis in the presence of the director general of MRA, Sudhamo Lal and the two negotiators of [...]

01 Jun 2011, The Independent Daily