The Seychelles' Port Victoria extension and rehabilitation project has been revised from 600 metres to 310 metres to cater for an escalation in costs of materials and building resources since the conception of the project in 2018. This was announced by the deputy chief executive of the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA), Philippa Samson, in a scoping meeting with different terminal operators. «The new quay will cater for container vessels and tankers primarily and the existing quay that is 370 metres will used for lighter activities until such time that we remove it,» she said. Samson added that many things have changed «since we secured the financing for this project in 2018. We had COVID, we had a huge escalation in the prices in the construction industry. So, we had to really look at what is possible with the financing that we have.» For the extension project, the SPA received $41 million – namely $35 million from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The European Union (EU) has also provided a grant of around $6 million. Since the project was approved in 2017 and an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), there have been major changes to the plan and scope of the project. The Ports Authority and the Department of Environment found it necessary to do an addendum to the ESIA. The meeting on Thursday was part of this process. Following the presentation of the changes to the project, several people, mainly terminal operators, raised concerns primarily about the fact that the new quay is also meant to be raised by a height of one metre. They were concerned about whether this would affect operations. Samson said that this raising of the level of the new quay is meant to cater to the expected sea level rise in the future. «It is understandable because it is different from what we originally advertised and what we envisioned together. So, they do have concerns about how the new port will cater to the traffic. But we would like to reassure them that we have done forecasts and we see what is planned with the existing services from the shipping lines and the planned use of mobile harbour cranes. We foresee that it will be manageable at least for the next 20 years,» he added. Samson said maybe by then «We would have renovated the next part of the quay but it is still left to be seen how things play out but the forecasts show that we can make do with these 310 metres,» she explained. Participants have been given seven days to formally submit their comments regarding the proposed change to the project. The Port of Victoria of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, is the only port that handles the import and export of goods for the country.

A small flight school on Vancouver Island has completed Canada's first paid flight in an electric aircraft.

Sheree Fertuck, a 51-year-old mother of three, vanished on Dec. 7, 2015. She was last seen leaving her mother's farm near Kenaston, south of Saskatoon, en route to a gravel pit where she worked.

Someone trying to make a quick buck scalping reservations at popular Squamish-area campsites has had the reservations cancelled.

Ontario billionaire Frank Stronach, 91, is accused of committing sexual offences against three women between 1980 and 2023, according to court documents that provide further details of charges first announced by Peel Regional Police a week ago.

The US-led bloc has not agreed on a long-term plan to fund Kiev’s war effort, NATO head Jens Stoltenberg has admitted Read Full Article at RT.com

India’s Modi tells Ukraine’s Zelensky that a “human-centric approach” and “diplomacy” are key to resolving its conflict with Russia Read Full Article at RT.com

Kiev is running out of time to reach a deal with Moscow before it is forced to surrender, Dmitry Medvedev has said Read Full Article at RT.com

Despite public calls to end the war in the Middle East, in reality all Washington is doing is encouraging a greater conflagration Read Full Article at RT.com

China’s automakers outdo US rivals for first time in 2023, with over 13 million new vehicles sold globally, researcher JATO Dynamics finds Read Full Article at RT.com

Over the past day, Syrian militants attacked pro-government forces’ positions in the Idlib de-escalation zone nine times

This was not a warning, neither was it an ultimatum as Zelensky nervously took it, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said

The Russian president has clearly stated President Zelensky’s illegitimacy, but this doesn’t mean that there are no legitimate representatives there, Putin`s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said

The Court of Appeal panel hearing the Vybz Kartel retrial matter has received a report from the Supreme Court showing that two cases have been sent back for retrial in the Home Circuit Court since 2018. They are murder matters sent back for retrial...

Five people, including a father and his two sons, have been murdered in Hanover between last night and early this morning.  The father and sons were reportedly killed in a home invasion last night in Johnson Town in the parish. In another...

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz has advised that no ban is currently in place on ride-share applications amid the refusal of local telecommunications companies to block the apps. Vaz announced the ban on ride-share applications in his Sectoral...

The absence of a comprehensive psychiatric report has resulted in the postponement of sentencing for Simeon Ramsay who pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter for the death of his parents. When the matter was mentioned in the St Catherine Circuit...

MINA: The Interior Ministry announced on Friday that the Hajj Security Forces apprehended 18 suspects at Makkah’s entrances for violating Hajj rules and regulations by transporting 91 persons without Hajj permits. The Saudi Press Agency reported that the suspects, a GCC national, an expatriate and 16 Saudi citizens, were detained on Thursday.

ALKHOBAR: Since the non-profit ZADK Culinary Academy officially opened its doors in 2019, it has cooked up some hearty dishes and continues to break records, do good, and train the region’s future culinary masters. “ZADK won the Quality Award in Education and Training from the Ministry of Tourism, and has gained the trust of the Human Resources Development Fund, which supported the delivery of diploma courses for 100 male and female chefs and helped 240 others train for a qualifying certificate in the mini cooking program,” Rania Moualla, the academy’s founder, told Arab News.

RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Media Salman bin Youssef Al-Dossary has inspected media offices at the holy sites where he was briefed on the techniques used by the Saudi Broadcasting Authority in covering the Hajj rituals in Arafat. He also visited the Arafat Tower and was briefed on the authority’s mobile television studio. Al-Dossary visited the media centre in Arafat, which has all necessary equipment to facilitate the work of local journalists and their international partners. He also toured the ministry’s office in Mina to inspect the facilities there.

RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawa and Guidance has prepared 2,945 mosques and musallas for Eid Al-Adha prayers in Riyadh and affiliated governorates. The ministry said its Riyadh branch is conducting inspection tours, as well as carrying out maintenance and cleaning work, and is providing all mosques in the region with necessities including incense to ensure that all mosques and musallas are ready to receive worshippers.

RIYADH: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Jeddah on Friday to perform Hajj as the first day of the annual pilgrimage got underway.  El-Sisi arrived in the Kingdom on Thursday and later prayed at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.  Wearing the ihram, the president was seen off by the governor of Madinah Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz earlier on Friday at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport.

Russia is passing now through a challenging but important period, which united its society and accelerated the country’s development, the head of state noted

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Claudia Sheinbaum on being elected the president of Mexico

Russian frozen assets will be used as collateral for issuing loans to Ukraine, according to the statement

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The price hike in services was 1.53% against April 2024 and by 8.55% year on year

«In the services sector, the price growth rate dropped to 0.13% amid slower rise in prices for air tickets and services of sanatoriums,» the ministry added

CTVNews.ca is following several weather advisories across Canada. Follow along for updates.

Princess Anne will be in Newfoundland and Labrador next month to mark the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of the National War Memorial in St. John's.

A Vancouver couple suffered “considerable anxiety” after a crane at a neighbouring construction site was repeatedly left dangling over their property, according to a lawsuit they filed against the developer.

Sexual assault charges laid against Canadian businessman Frank Stronach involve three women who police allege were victimized in 1980, 1986, and 2023, according to documents recently filed in a Brampton court.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city is facing an «urgent crisis» as work continues to repair a water main break last week that triggered city-wide water restrictions.

La République de Madagascar se félicite des efforts sérieux et crédibles du Royaume du Maroc pour aller de l'avant vers un règlement du différend autour du Sahara marocain. Cette position a été exprimée dans un communiqué conjoint publié à l'issue des entretiens, vendredi à Rabat, entre le ministre des Affaires étrangères, de la Coopération africaine et des Marocains résidant à l'étranger, M. Nasser Bourita, et la ministre des Affaires étrangères de la République de Madagascar, Mme (...) - INTERNATIONAL / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

CCTV footage captured the distressing scenes at Banbury train station on Saturday (June 8) as a buggy with a three-month-old child inside rolled towards the tracks and hit the Cross Country train.