Seychelles’ cruise ship season for 2024-2025 began on Monday with the arrival of SH Diana of the Swan Hellenic fleet in Port Victoria. Thirty-eight confirmed port calls are expected for the season. The director general for Destination Planning and Development in the Department of Tourism, Paul Lebon, officially declared the season open during a ceremony aboard the SH Diana where he described the efforts being done by the Department to promote sustainability within cruise tourism.  “There are various studies that we’ve been involved in as far as the tourism department is concerned, in regard to how we can push cruise tourism in a sustainable manner going forward. We’re working with various entities, such as the UN and other agencies, to find out how we can maximise and really tap into cruise tourism.” He added that “Some of our efforts include the Sustainable Seychelles Label, that we launched some months back, and I would like to take this moment to invite all of you cruise ship partners...to come onboard this journey with us.” Lebon further explained that through the Sustainable Seychelles Label, the Tourism department will be implementing a series of pledges that will promote sustainability and will be starting off with certain pledges, the first being tree planting. “It’s not necessarily a specific type of tree, it will involve various types of vegetation that are common along the coast to stop degradation. Now we are opening the invitation to take part in it, including our cruise ship partners and clients,” said Lebon. Describing this cruise ship season as an opportunity to develop the economy further, the chief executive officer of the Seychelles Port Authority (SPA), Sony Payet, said that “As we set sail into this new season, we are not just opening our doors to the majestic vessels that grace our shores; we are also unlocking opportunities that have the potential to transform our economy and elevate our tourism industry to new heights. This season is not merely a series of arrivals, it is a beacon of hope and promise for our communities, our businesses, and our future.” Payet mentioned that during this cruise ship season, which is expected to last until the third week of May, Port Victoria will welcome 38 confirmed port calls from cruise liners that will vary in size. Twenty-five of these will be handled by port agents from Mahe Shipping and 13 will be handled by Hunt Deltel. “Historically, cruise tourism has generated significant revenue. and this year we expect even greater outcomes,” said Payet. Following the ceremony, the guests were able to explore the SH Diana, and the various amenities it offers, such as the restaurants, gym, spa, library and even a laboratory for visiting scientists to work in. The SH Diana is a vessel of the British cruise line fleet named Swan Hellenic that travels from both ends of the Earth’s poles, where there can be very low temperatures, therefore, the majority of its amenities are inside the ship. Its different installations are meant to keep the ship sustainable such as refillable bottles and stations for guests to access water.  Onboard the SH Diana (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY  

Uganda loses about $2.5 billion to corruption every year, equivalent to almost a quarter of its annual budget, the country's anti-graft head told AFP on Monday. Corruption is a huge issue in the East African nation, which is ranked a lowly 141 out of 180 countries on Transparency International's corruption index. While President Yoweri Museveni has repeatedly promised change, several major corruption scandals involving public officials have surfaced recently, triggering anti-graft demonstrations. «The country loses about 9.144 trillion shillings ($2.5 billion) annually, money enough to cover 23 percent of this year's national budget,» said Beti Kamya Turwomwe, head of the Inspectorate of Government. «Losing such colossal sums that would have gone into delivery of services to the citizens is a wake-up call to all the citizens to fight the vice,» she said. Turwomwe said her department had recovered just $2 million of the vanished money, which she blamed on a lack of funding and staffing. Her comments follow the government body's annual July-June report -- based on research by international think tank the Government Transparency Institute -- which was presented to parliament last week. It found that the highest area of corruption was the environmental protection sector, estimating losses of 2.8 trillion shillings or $700 million a year. A report summary shared online said the figures are based on a «variety of methods and data sources», without being more specific. «Overall, the estimates on cost of corruption are considered to be lower than actual in Uganda since some costs are in kind while others are non-measurable due to lack of data,» the summary said. It found that utility costs, such as bribing officials for access to water and electricity, result in a loss of almost $130 million. The report comes a week after Museveni pardoned a government official who had served five years of a 10-year sentence after swindling $1.2 million from government coffers, provoking outrage from civil society groups. © Agence France-Presse

Mourners and leaders around the world on Monday voiced horror and a desire for peace at tearful memorials remembering the unprecedented October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked a year of devastating war in Gaza. People from Sydney to Rome and Warsaw to Washington grieved for those killed and urged freedom for those taken hostage one year ago, while rallies also called for peace in the Palestinian territories. Protesters rallied in India's capital New Delhi and chanted «Free free Palestine» and pro-Palestian demonstrations were expected in the Netherlands. The Hamas onslaught left 1,205 dead on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures. Some 251 people were captured and taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip by militants, of whom 97 are still held captive in the coastal territory, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 41,909 people, the majority civilians, have been killed since the start of the war. The figures have been deemed to be reliable by the United Nations. - 'Dark day' for Israelis, Palestinians - Leaders from around the world condemned the deadliest in Israel's history. «Let us bear witness to the unspeakable brutality of the October 7 attacks but also to the beauty of the lives that were stolen that day,» US President Joe Biden said. «History will also remember October 7 as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day,» he added. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, during a speech at the Great Synagogue in Rome, said «Let us not forget the inhumane aggression perpetrated a year ago by Hamas.» Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya «unequivocally condemned» the Hamas attacks on Israel but said his nation was «gravely concerned» by the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip one year on. «Japan is seriously concerned about the rising tensions beyond Israel and the Gaza Strip throughout the Middle East region, including the West Bank, Lebanon, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and Iran,» he said. - 'Until they come home' - Members of Australia's Jewish community gathered in Sydney for a vigil, where many held Israeli flags and lights in the shape of candles. «Today is very emotional day,» said 48-year-old Zack Shachar, whose cousin Naama Levy was taken hostage on October 7. «In the last year, we participated in any event, we read the names of the hostages every week in a different place in the city, and we will continue to do it until they all come back home.» One hostage who did not make it home alive was Polish-Israeli Alex Dancyg and on Monday his family inaugaurated a plaque in his memory in Warsaw. «We need to come here to (remember) my father, but also to put again the hostages on the agenda because that's the important thing now,» said Yuval Dancyg, Alex Dancyg's son. «We also still have one (hostage in captivity), our uncle. He's still in there. We're still in the situation,» he added. - 'Everyday people are dying' - In New Delhi, around 150 protesters gathered in a peaceful rally to support the Palestinian people. «Every day people are dying, they don't have food, they are starving,» said social activist Bhavna Sharma. Sharma, 52, carrying a placard that read «Stop the massacre», said she condemned India's support of Israel, including sales of arms. «Why are we sending arms to Israel?» she said. «Why are we supporting Israel in any way?» Saba Dave, 29, a development consultant, said she took part in the rally because she wanted peace. «We were always against violence, so to continue that tradition of anti-violence, I am here,» she said. © Agence France-Presse

The Seychelles and the United Kingdom will continue to work together to strengthen economic growth, the fight against corruption and also combat climate change.  The UK Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury, made the statement after meeting with the President of Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, at State House on Monday.  Collins is visiting the island state until October 9 to improve bilateral relations between the two nations, focusing on key areas such as economic security, financing for hospitals and other infrastructure projects with UK Export Finance and the signing of a partnership in health and education between the University of Oxford and the University of Seychelles.  “We are going to be signing a new partnership for economic security,” said Collins, speaking about an agreement to tackle illicit financing, aimed at promoting greater transparency in Seychelles. He said that “It is a partnership that is going to deliver greater controls, greater security, greater understanding.” Left to right: British High Commissioner to Seychelles, Jeff Glekin, Lord Collins of Highbury, President Wavel Ramkalawan and Seychelles' Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde (State House) Photo License: CC-BY     During his visit in Seychelles, Collins will give the opening remarks at the African Beneficial Ownership Transparency Network's first in-person meeting, which is being held in Seychelles and is organised by the African Development Bank and the UK. The network works with African members to combat corruption and illicit finance by improving corporate ownership disclosure.  Being the first UK minister to visit Seychelles since 2013, he will also be having meetings with civil society organisations that collaborate with the British High Commission.  He is also going to announce a health research partnership between Oxford University and the University of Seychelles.  The primary objectives of this partnership are to improve research capabilities and establish learning opportunities for Seychelles' government ministries, departments, and agencies.  “I am delighted to be visiting Seychelles as the first UK Minister in over a decade to do so. Together, our collaboration helps protect our natural environment, tackles climate change and illicit finance, encourages economic growth and boosts prosperity for both our countries,” Collins said.

The Seychelles Island Foundation (SIF) is not against a hotel development on Assumption Island as it will bring many benefits for the island and the Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage site next to it, but is questioning whether the current project is suitable for the island, given its fragility. The Assumption Hotel development project is awaiting approval from the Planning Authority, after already having the green light from the environment ministry after the completion of an environmental impact assessment (EIA). The Qatar-based developer, Assets Development Company, which owns several luxury tourist establishments in the Maldives and elsewhere in the world, plans to build 37 luxury villas and 4 restaurants on the island. In an interview with reporters during a visit to the island late last month, the chief executive of the state-owned Islands Development Company (IDC), Glenny Savy, said he had a meeting with the board of directors of the SIF, at which further studies were requested, and all their requests were approved. However, SIF still has reservations. Assumption is 27 kilometres from Aldabra and is geologically similar. According to Dr Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, the chief executive of SIF, which manages Aldabra, Assumption has long been considered a potential ark for endemic species of Aldabra in the event of a catastrophic occurrence. It is seen as a second home for the preservation of species from Aldabra. Frauke said in an SIF press conference on Monday, “These are our main concerns, and we have made this very clear to IDC. […] SIF is not against development, but the development needs to be compatible with the Aldabra Group, with strict biosecurity measures in place and all processes followed.” She said that there is a biosecurity management plan for the Assumption development, “but we have no information on the conditions of when it comes into place and any other specifications.” Bernard Georges, the chairman of the SIF board, who is also the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly, told reporters that the Foundation was not involved in the concept of the development and did not get the possibility to express what needed to be considered in the project development. “What we would have liked but that did not happen was that before the project started with the construction of the runway was that we were invited onboard for the whole project,” he explained. “We have been told it will be a six-star airconditioned hotel because of the people coming to the establishment. There will be 350 staff who will need housing facilities. We have seen in the plan that the hotel will extend all along the large beach on the island, which is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Seychelles' territory,” added Georges. He said that it seems the developers were not given any parameters for the development on a fragile island like Assumption. “So, they have simply designed a six-star hotel...and in my opinion they did not take any consideration for the island. What we are doing now is reverse engineering, something that has already been planned, to make it environmentally friendlier,” he added. Georges said, “We must not forget that Assumption is part of the Aldabra Group and Aldabra has a special designation under the Marine Spatial Plan and our environmental laws and that is why we are making those statements today.” On the subject of UNESCO being informed of the project development, Fleischer-Dogley said, Seychelles signed the World Heritage Site Convention and “we have obligations. We have to submit heritage outlook reports and fill in questionnaires on any situations happening and also to IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and they will evaluate.”

All but one of Seychelles' ambassadors met with President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House on Monday, where they discussed previously completed work and plans for the future.  This is the second meeting with the ambassadors that has been hosted by President Ramkalawan, his first being in 2022.  “We discuss various things, including giving a summary of our work for the past two years, where we talk about our action plans, as well as take direction from the President, in what we have to do over the next two years,” said the dean of ambassadors, Claude Morel, to the press.  The meeting is held every two years, where it kicks off the biennial Ambassadors' Retreat, before they also meet in the Honorary Consuls Conference.  “During the retreat we will be discussing in detail our plans, and what actions each of us will take, to reinforce our work, and bring better benefits to our country,” added Morel.  He explained that they want to show the community what they are doing and how they are advancing diplomacy to help move the country forward.  He also described Seychelles’ diplomacy as being in good health, vibrant and dynamic, where there are not many strong difficulties that need to be addressed, but they need to continue to adjust to development happening all over the world.  According to the Foreign Affairs Department website, there are twelve ambassadors in the Seychelles Foreign Service at the moment. In addition to serving as ambassadors, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, and the Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Vivianne Fock Tave, oversee the political and administrative affairs of the Department, respectively.  With more than 25 years of experience, Ambassador Claude Morel is currently the most senior ambassador.

Pope Francis on Sunday announced the creation of 21 new cardinals to represent the Catholic faith's worldwide reach, who will be nominated at a council held on December 8. Five of the new cardinals come from the Argentine pontiff's native Latin America while countries including Indonesia, Japan, Serbia, the Philippines and India will also be represented, according to a list published by the Vatican. «I am pleased to announce to you that on December 8 I will hold a consistory for the nomination of new cardinals,» the pope declared as he delivered his Angelus prayer on St Peter's Square. «Their provenance expresses the universality of the Church and manifests the indissoluble bond between the seat of St Peter and the wider Churches of the world,» the 87-year-old added. Italy will nonetheless take the lion's share with four new cardinals, although only three will be able to vote in elections for Francis's successor as the fourth has already passed the age limit for papal ballot eligibility. At 44 years of age, Mykola Bychok, the Ukrainian current archbishop of Melbourne in Australia, is the youngest to be tapped for the high clerical mantle. © Agence France-Presse

The mountains on Praslin, Seychelles' second most populated island, have been left with many scars after forest fires and erosion over the years and one nature conservation organsation has worked to restore the natural environment for the past 15 years. Dr Victorin Laboudallon told SNA that this is why the Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of Seychelles (TRASS) was created in 2009 and his vision was to rehabilitate and restore the affected areas' natural habitat. Laboudallon, a well-known Seychellois conservationist, was presented with his Honorary Doctorate Award for his outstanding contribution to the country in 2019. With the help of the community, partners and authorities, the non-governmental organisation has celebrated many accomplishments across the past decade and this includes rehabilitating 100 hectares of land, especially in the water catchments and eroded areas. TRASS after 15 years TRASS is celebrating its 15 years of existence, tracing the achievements of the help of so many volunteers and members, which led the team to done wonders to restore the greenery and wetlands on Praslin. Areas considered as government properties have been rehabilitated by the relevant authorities but this is not the case for privately-owned properties for several reasons, which includes financial costs. This is where TRASS comes in. Rehabilitation projects were done on several mountains and water catchment areas including at the Anse Possession mountainside, La Pointe Chevalier and Newcome, among others. With the help of so many volunteers and members,  TRASS has done wonders to restore the greenery and wetlands on Praslin. (TRASS) Photo License: All Rights Reserved    Seeing the devotion, determination and effort of Laboudallon and his small team at that time, many people volunteered to lend a hand in helping to preserve the natural beauty of Praslin by planting trees in many affected areas. TRASS' vice chairperson, Marc Jean-Baptiste, told SNA, «We are satisfied with all that we have accomplished during the past 15 years of our existence from managing to secure an area where we use as our base and we have our nurseries there as well. We have also been able to rehabilitate several areas after the fires, restored water catchment areas and we have managed to rally quite a large group of volunteers as well.» He added that people believe in our work and with their help, TRASS has completed many projects. TRASS at work TRASS says it is fully committed to its restoration and rehabilitation works and it is continuously finding new ways to achieve its goals. The organisation is working on an ongoing project right now using the Ridge-to-Reef Approach for Integrated Management of Marine, Coastal and Terrestrial Ecosystems in Seychelles. Jean-Baptiste noted that it simply means that anything that happens on the ridge impacts the reef. «The main aim is to restore the water catchments areas and rehabilitate certain areas which have been degraded, affected by fires and we also remove invasive plants and we replace them with native and non-invasive plant species, aimed at re-creating these ecosystems,» he explained. A new nursery focusing on agroforestry was opened this year under this project and TRASS received funding for the expansion of the existing plant propagation facilities through the construction of this second nursery. Jean-Baptiste added that this will help to complement what the farmers already have and preserve and conserve the plants on the brink of extinction. TRASS has also undertaken some work in wetlands on Praslin. The mangrove root systems act as filters for pollutants and other elements from the water, improving the water quality flowing from rivers and streams into the ocean. «So we restore wetlands by planting mangrove trees so that we can have a good filter system to improve the water quality that flows onto our reefs,» he explained. Funding of projects can sometimes be a constraint for TRASS, so they seek assistance by writing projects and members pay a fee every month. «We have two working seasons, in the wet season, we start planting on the mountains just after the first rain, the last tree planting will be around April or maybe May, but after that we work in the nurseries and if need be we do coastal work as well, mainly in the wetlands,» Jean-Baptiste said. TRASS says it is fully committed to its restoration and rehabilitation work. (TRASS) Photo License: All Rights Reserved    TRASS gets a lot of support from the local community, from people who believe in their work, those who see the determination and courage of the devoted members and volunteers, and many sponsors. It is committed to continuing working in close collaboration with private landowners, the government, the private sector and other relevant non-governmental organisations to ensure the restoration and rehabilitation of affected and degraded areas. The NGO also has nurseries with a variety of plants and various palm trees can also be found there which are used in restoration work in affected areas as well. Vision for the future «We want to make our base a very sustainable area through various initiatives and we also wish to employ permanent staff members because right now we do not have a proper budget. Accommodating university students who want to write projects and do their research and who can also lend us a hand with the projects and source out funding is also on the plan for us,» Jean-Baptiste highlighted. He said one of TRASS' main future goals «is to valourise the rare plant species in Seychelles. We have a botanical trail on the site where our office is based and we have great plans for it. So when visitors go up the trail, they will not only see the plants but information boards all along the way up. There is a viewpoint at the top and we plan to have a tower and put binoculars so that people can see what we mean when we say the scars on the mountains left behind by the forest fires, and what we mean when we talk about rehabilitating the areas.» Beekeeping is another area of focus soon under the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA+) Seychelles programme. One component of this project is to develop agroforestry-beekeeping as an ecological and economic practice. Honeybees are vital elements in crop production as they are major pollinators. Hence, the practice of beekeeping in agroforestry can also be a sustainable land management practice to be effectively used in rehabilitating degraded areas, conserving our biodiversity, and also becoming an economic incentive in this process. TRASS celebrated its 15th anniversary on September 27. 

Thousands of protesters marched through central London on Saturday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon as the war in the Palestinian territory neared the one-year mark. Pro-Palestinian supporters from across the country began the march from Russell Square to Downing Street demanding an end to the conflict, which has killed nearly 42,000 people in Gaza; At Saturday's 20th «National March for Palestine» in London, familiar chants -- «ceasefire now», «stop bombing hospitals, stop bombing civilians» and «from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free» -- were joined by shouts of «hands off Lebanon». The rally came ahead of the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack in Israel by fighters from Palestinian group Hamas which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,825 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the territory's health ministry and described as reliable by the United Nations. Zackerea Bakir, 28, said he has attended dozens of marches around the Uk. Large numbers continue to turn up because «everyone wants a change», Bakir told AFP. «It's continuing to just get worse and worse, and yet nothing seems to be changing... I think it's tiring that we have to continue to come out,» said Bakir, joined at the rally by his mother and brother. - Policing operation - Several protesters carried posters reading «Starmer has blood on his hands». UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, as well as suspended some arms licences to Israel. However, many at the rally said it was not enough. Sophia Thomson, 27, found the Labour government's stance «hypocritical». According to Thomson, the size of the protests «goes to show the government doesn't speak for the people». «It's not good enough. It's not good enough,» added Bakir, calling for the government to «stop giving a carte blanche of support to the Israeli government». London's Metropolitan police put in place a «significant» policing operation ahead of planned protests and memorial events. While the rally was largely peaceful, two were arrested for assaulting an emergency worker, according to the Met. Three others were arrested as tensions rose between the main march and a counter protest. While exact numbers at the demonstration were unclear, «it appears to be greater than other recent protests», the Met said on X. Another rally also took place simultaneously in the Irish capital, Dublin. A memorial for the October 7 attack will be held in London on Sunday. © Agence France-Presse  

Seychelles will host the 2024 Optimist African Championship from October 12 to 19 with the participation of 76 young sailors from 16 nations. This is the second time Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean organises the event. The last time was in 2019. The chairman of the Seychelles Yachting Association (SYA), Michel Bristol, told reporters recently, «The competition was originally scheduled for September, but due to an issue with the shipping of boats, we had to reschedule to this new date.» The change in date has impacted the number of participants competing, going down from 20 teams and 102 participants to 76 participants. The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by young people up to the age of 15. It is one of the two most popular sailing dinghies in the world, with over 150,000 boats officially registered with the class and many more built but never registered. It is practiced in over 120 countries and is one of only two sailboats at the International Class by World Sailing exclusively for sailors under 16. The Optimist African Championship comprises two competitions, the Optimist Individual African Championship and the Optimist Team Racing African Championship. Although called, the African Championships, there will be sailors from nations outside of Africa also competing. Bristol explained that to get more participants, the organisers felt that they should open the tournament up to other nations and make teams more competitive. The chairman of the local organising committee, Alain Alcindor, shared that there will be two categories for prizes, an overall class featuring all the sailors and an African class, reserved for the African sailors. Alcindor said a lot of help is needed for the championship in Seychelles and called for volunteers with boats to help them out. «We will need a lot of boats. We do not need big boats but more those that we as organisers and the coaches can use to go out and watch their athletes,» he explained. Those willing to help can contact Alcindor or telephone number 2722328 or the SYA through Facebook or WhatsApp. The venue for the competition is also being prepared, and organisers expect everything to be in place by September 4 with athletes set to arrive in Seychelles from September 5. Team Seychelles will include six sailors: Dominic Esparon, Michael De Speville Mason, Elisha Moustache, Melchoir Constance, Fabrice Julie and Noah Michaud. In the 2023 edition in Morocco, Gino Pichetti of Argentina was the grand winner. Seychelles was represented by Odysius Melanie who finished 52nd, while Joshua Allcorn was 63rd out of 89 participants. In the event held in Seychelles in 2019, Ronâncio Paulo of Angola took first place and Seychellois Dean Mathiot, who finished 17th, was the top performer from the island nation.  

Mauritius will hold legislative elections on November 10, the presidency announced on Friday, just a day after Port Louis sealed a landmark deal to regain sovereignty over a chain of islands from Britain. Parliament was to be dissolved immediately, President Prithvirajsing Roopun's office said, with candidates to be nominated by October 22. A five-year deadline meant parliament was due to be dissolved by late November in any case. But the announcement came just after Mauritius secured a long-awaited deal with Britain on Thursday to regain control of the Chagos Islands. For years, Britain had resisted international pressure to hand back the remote Indian Ocean archipelago because it maintains a military base jointly with the United States on the biggest island, Diego Garcia. Under the deal, Britain will retain a lease to keep the military base open for an «initial» 99 years. Mauritius is a prosperous and stable democracy in a sometimes volatile neighbourhood. It is predominantly Hindu but with sizeable Muslim and Chinese constituencies, as well as groups from Creole and European backgrounds. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth inherited his position in 2017 on the death of his father, Anerood Jugnauth, as head of the centre-right Morisian Alliance. He confirmed his standing with victory in the 2019 election, when his coalition won 42 of 70 seats. - 'Justice' - Britain decided in 1965 to separate the Chagos islands from Mauritius and set up a military base there, which it later developed alongside the United States. The base is home US long-range bombers and ships and was used during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Thursday's deal was hailed by US President Joe Biden as a «historic agreement». Biden said the base «plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security». «For the first time in more than 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure,» the UK foreign ministry added. Jugnauth said Thursday that the deal showed how a small country can «win justice against major powers». «Today, 56 years after our independence, our decolonisation is complete. Now our national anthem can sound out even louder across our territory,» he said. Britain evicted thousands of Chagos islanders when it built the base in the 1970s. The new treaty, which has yet to be finalised, could pave the way for their return, though that is considered unlikely given the current lack of any permanent population. © Agence France-Presse

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu will undertake his first state visit to India on Sunday, aiming to repair frail ties between the two South Asian neighbours. Pro-China Muizzu came to power a year ago on a promise to evict dozens of Indian troops deployed in his small but strategically located archipelago. Most South Asian leaders are invited to New Delhi soon after they assume office, but it has taken almost a year for India to accord Muizzu a state visit. India met Muizzu's May deadline to withdraw a contingent of 78 soldiers stationed in the Maldives to operate two helicopters and a fixed-wing plane. However, the aircraft remained and are being operated by a civilian Indian crew. «President Muizzu remains committed to enhancing bilateral ties with nations that play a crucial role in the development and growth of the Maldives,» his office said while announcing the Delhi visit. The two sides will focus on «strengthening bilateral cooperation and further enhancing the longstanding relationship between the two nations,» the president's office said in a statement. In June, Muizzu travelled to Delhi as one of many Asian leaders to grace Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inauguration following his victory in a third consecutive election. India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar travelled to Male in August and said that Delhi was «committed to deepening India-Maldives ties». Known as a luxury holiday destination with pristine white sand beaches and secluded resorts, the atoll nation has also become a geopolitical hotspot. India is apprehensive about China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean. Global, east-west shipping lanes pass the nation's chain of 1,192 tiny coral islands, stretching around 800 kilometres (500 miles) across the equator. India's government has traditionally regarded the Maldives, as well as neighbouring Sri Lanka, to be within its sphere of influence. Since coming to power, Muizzu has toned down his anti-Indian rhetoric and has stated that he would not disrupt the regional balance by replacing Indian forces with Chinese troops. © Agence France-Presse

After more than 50 years, the United Kingdom has declared it is relinquishing sovereignty over a secluded but strategically significant group of islands in the Indian Ocean. This, agreed after years of discussions, will see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a historic gesture. It includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, which the United States government uses as a military base for its long-range bomber planes and navy ships. The decision was announced in a joint statement by the Prime Ministers of the UK and Mauritius, putting an end to decades of frequently contentious discussions between the two nations. The decision was made possible in part, by the US-UK base's continued presence on Diego Garcia, which is crucial, given the escalating geopolitical rivalry in the region between China, India, and the West. Although a treaty still needs to be finalised both parties have committed to finishing the deal as soon as possible. The joint statement said, «The treaty will address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians.  Mauritius will now be free to implement a programme of resettlement on the islands of the Chagos Archipelago, other than Diego Garcia, and the UK will capitalise a new trust fund, as well as separately provide other support, for the benefit of Chagossians.» Speaking to the reporters, the chairman of the Chagossian Association of Seychelles, Pierre Prosper, said that they are happy to learn about the news although they are a little concerned as as they have been disappointed many times in the past. They also do not know what will happen to the Chagossians. «We hope that the Mauritian government will engage will the whole Chagossian community, all over the world, so we can move forward,» said Prosper, who revealed that many Chagossians had some reservations about the island being returned to Mauritius. «That is because when Mauritius gained independence, part of the agreement with the UK government, was that Chagos was separated from the Colonial Administration of Mauritius,» explained Prosper. He said Mauritius accepted «when we began our fight, they went behind us and sought the UN and all, until we got here today. We are afraid of a repeat of the past, where Mauritius did not have the interest of these people at heart, so what should we expect from them now.» More than 2,000 Chagossians have been fighting to return to their home since they were expelled from the islands between 1967 and 1973 to allow the United States to build a military base on Diego Garcia. More than 200 were deported to Mahe, the main island of Seychelles when the country was still a British colony. The rest were deported to Mauritius, also a British colony at the time. 

The Seychelles International Airport has welcomed 300,003 arriving passengers as of week 38, marking a strong recovery in travel demand, following a slower period in previous months. The Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) said in a press statement that it remains confident it will meet and potentially surpass its 2024 projections, which stand at over 420,000 passenger arrivals. The visitor arrival shows a steady rise in travel to Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. It reinforces the Seychelles International Airport's status as a vital hub for regional travel, and an increasingly important gateway for international visitors, contributing significantly to the nation’s economy. The chief executive, Garry Albert, commented, “These numbers are a clear indication that we are on track to achieve our targets for the year. With the winter season beginning at the end of October, we anticipate even greater volumes of passengers as major airlines resume flights to Seychelles.” Several international airlines are resuming operations in alignment with the European winter season. The key airlines returning to Seychelles in the third and fourth quarters of 2024 include Condor, which resumed services on September 21, Edelweiss on September 22, and Aeroflot on October 2. These are in addition to Emirates’ new connecting flight between Seychelles and Madagascar since September 3, and the anticipated return of Turkish Airlines, which is poised to resume services on October 28. Also expected this year is the non-stop charter flight operated by Sichuan Airlines, from Chengdu Province in China, due in November. 

A delegation from Seychelles will participate in the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity from October 21 to November 1, 2024, an event marking a crucial moment for global environmental policy. As part of the delegation, there will be a senior project coordinator from the Biodiversity Conservation and Management Division, Indira Gamatis. She told SNA that preparation has already begun for the past several months with Seychelles weighing in on several points. These are the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) that provides the Conference of the Parties (COP) and its other subsidiary bodies with timely advice relating to the implementation of the Convention. She said Seychelles will focus on several agendas namely invasive alien species, nature-based solutions, conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity specifically island biodiversity as well as priority actions for coral reefs. “An agenda item that is very important to us, is the Biodiversity and Climate Change agenda item. To look much more at the synergies between biodiversity and climate change, which is very important for us in Seychelles considering our small island and of course all of the impacts climate change has on Seychelles and biodiversity. Similarly, it is also looking at how biodiversity can also aid in combatting the effects of climate change,” she added. In a recent virtual press conference, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia and COP16 President-designate, Susana Muhamad, highlighted the conference's ambitious goals, including elevating the profile of biodiversity within the climate crisis and materialising the principle of whole-of-government and whole-of-society mobilisation. According to Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, a record-breaking 14,000 delegates are expected to attend. The conference will focus on key themes including peace with nature and the synergies between climate change and biodiversity loss. One of the most anticipated outcomes is the potential operationalisation of the multilateral mechanism for sharing benefits from digital sequencing information (DSI) on genetic resources. This complex issue involves how industries and companies that use DSI, often from resources in the Global South, can fairly compensate for its use. Resource mobilisation is another important topic that will be covered at the conference. The main topic of discussion will be how to get more funding for biodiversity protection and how to access it; new funding methods may be developed as well. The private sector's role in biodiversity conservation will be a key focus, with dedicated forums and discussions on how businesses can implement the Kunming-Montreal Agreement framework. Japanese companies, in particular, are expected to bring innovative approaches to the table.

President Emmanuel Macron this week hosts dozens of leaders of French-speaking countries for a summit he hopes will help boost French influence in a world beset by crises, in particular Africa. The leaders will gather Friday and Saturday for the «Francophonie» summit, the first time the event has been held in France for 33 years. Macron is also holding bilateral talks with several top guests on Thursday. France's sway in Africa has been badly eroded by successive coups in Mali in 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger in 2023 which saw Paris-friendly governments replaced by juntas who cosied up to Russia. Meanwhile the crisis besetting Lebanon, a former French colony targeted by daily Israeli bombardment and now a ground incursion as Israel attacks the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, has again shown up France's lack of influence in the Middle East. Centrist Macron is hosting the showpiece event at a time when his own domestic standing has been chipped by the outcome of this summer's legislative elections which forced him to nominate rightwinger Michel Barnier as head of a minority government in a potentially testy «cohabitation.» One of Macron's key guests at the summit will be Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who is himself facing a political crisis after seeing off two no confidence votes in as many weeks. Macron kicked off a day of bilateral talks with a meeting at the Elysee palace in Paris with Georgia's President Salome Zurabishvili, herself a former French diplomat and dogged opponent of a new law in her country seen as anti-LGBT. The summit will use different venues on each day, with leaders gathering on Friday at a chateau in Villers-Cotterets northeast of Paris where Macron last year inaugurated a centre for the French language. On Saturday, proceedings will move to Paris. Louise Mushikiwabo, secretary general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) that groups 88 member states, acknowledged that the body had a «modest» influence. - 'Space for dialogue' - The OIF is not able to «resolve the complicated crises of the world, but can make things move forward,» she told AFP in an interview. While key African leaders such as Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi will be present, those of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have not been invited. One prominent guest will be Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby, an ally of France and regular visitor to Paris, whose Sahel nation still hosts French troops even after their departure from Mali, Burkina and Niger. Guinea has been invited despite its junta under General Mamady Doumbouya taking power in a 2021 coup. A delegation from Lebanon is coming but not its prime minister. Macron told l'Union newspaper he sees the Francophonie as «a space for mediation», «a space for dialogue to resolve political differences», citing a territorial dispute between the DRC and Rwanda on which he hopes to make progress at the summit. The OIF, whose missions are to «promote the French language», «peace, democracy and human rights», «support education» and «develop economic cooperation», estimates the number of French speakers at 321 million across five continents, making it the 5th most spoken language in the world. © Agence France-Presse

The Senegalese town of Kayar sits on the doorstep of the vast Atlantic Ocean, but it is a farm located further inland that provides part of its fish production. The farm's pioneering founder, Khadidiatou Sar Seck, began the project around 15 years ago in the West African country, where fishing is a key part of the national identity. Fish accounts for over 70 percent of household protein intake, and the fishing industry provides around 600,000 direct and indirect jobs in a population of 18 million people. But a resource that once seemed inexhaustible is becoming increasingly scarce due to overfishing, illegal catches and global warming. The volume of catches by traditional wooden fishing canoes plunged by 58 percent between 2012 and 2019, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). For Senegalese faced with a high cost of living and widespread unemployment, prices are rising and an essential foodstuff is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Hardly a day goes by without reports of a migrant boat leaving, being intercepted or capsizing on the perilous route between Senegal and Spain's Canary Islands. Many who board the boats are fishermen or those living along the Atlantic coast, which is heavily reliant on the industry. Like its predecessors, the new government has vowed to promote fish farming and attract industry investment. - Untapped potential - «Our objective is for aquaculture to make a major contribution to the country's marine production and to help achieve food sovereignty,» fisheries minister Fatou Diouf said at a conference on sustainable aquaculture in the capital Dakar in September. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has made food sovereignty a policy priority since coming to power in March. Despite its immense potential, Africa accounts for only around 1.9 percent of global aquaculture production, according to a 2024 report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Asia accounts for 91.4 percent. Aquaculture has long been practised in Senegal but has always struggled to take off. The country created a dedicated agency in 2006 but the practice still supplies barely one percent of the country's overall aquatic produce. For Seck, standing next to pools teeming with catfish and tilapia, the difficulty is that Senegalese people do not know the product, and finding quality varieties is difficult. Feed for farmed fish has to be imported and is expensive, access to land is challenging and marketing is complicated, she added. Seck sells her products directly to individuals, wholesalers and fishmongers. But the director of the national aquaculture agency, Samba Ka, has big ambitions for the industry. «Anything is possible if investment and partners follow suit,» he said. «We need everyone to get involved, to organise fairs and culinary workshops, to invite chefs, so that people know that this is something that can be eaten and that is good for health and nutrition.» - 'No more fish' – The national agency hopes to produce 65,000 tonnes of farmed fish in 2032 and create around 50,000 jobs. In a vast hangar around 100 kilometres (60 miles) southeast of Dakar, Demba Diop specialises in the production of young fish destined for farming. He had to «start from scratch» using his own funds to set up the farm, as banks knew little about the business, he said. Other barriers include the cost of feed and the availability of good quality young fish, both of which have to be imported from Europe. At Dakar's bustling Soumbedioune market, fishermen hauling their colourful wooden vessels onto shore had mixed reactions to the prospects for aquaculture. «We have enough fish in our seas, but unfortunately it's the foreign trawlers that deprive us of it,» said Olivier Gomes, 36, who ruled out turning to fish farming. Gomes said that he feared price competition from farmed fish. He was considering heading to Europe to make more money. But Alioune Badara, a 54-year-old former fisherman who lived in Europe for a few years before returning to Senegal, said he was tempted by the change. «Today, there are no more fish in the sea. If someone can help me financially with fish farming, I'm very interested,» he said. © Agence France-Presse

The second Seychelles executive leadership programme for 29 of the country's top government officials was launched on Thursday as part of a drive to modernise its civil service, in a ceremony held at the Savoy Resort and Spa. President Wavel Ramkalawan said his hope for this cohort is the same as for the last group, which to “ensure that we continue to build our people and ensure that we have Seychellois in all those positions guiding our nation, helping our people to not only discover their own talents, but also serving the people”. The programme is the result of Seychelles and the UAE signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to modernise and transform the island nation's public service, which took place in Dubai on March 29, 2022, on the sidelines of the World Government Summit. Since then, 27 chief executives and senior officials from Seychelles have graduated from the programme. Abdulla Nasser Lootah, the UAE's Deputy Minister for Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Knowledge Exchange, said «This is a remarkable day for us as we launch the second cohort of the Seychelles executive leadership programme. This is a five-month programme with six modules...And we see that there will be greater programmes in the future; some of the programmes will be general in nature, and some of them will be focused on certain domains.» These include the finance, health and education sectors as well as logistics, urban planning, among others. Meanwhile the Minister for Finance, National Planning and Trade, Naadir Hassan, told the press that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - sponsored programme, focuses on elements of digital solutions, foresight thinking and other new approaches to ensure that "the leaders in the different organisations in Seychelles have the right skill sets for them to be able to lead these organisations to ensure that they achieve their mandate.” Hassan also said, “This is especially important for us as the modernisation of the public service is one of the main pillars of the National Development strategy, where we are looking at developing leaders in the civil service.” He also explained that this would include the right attributes of strategic thinking to lead the country into the future. The participants of the executive leadership programme have already completed two modules of their training. They will also have the chance to work on a project, aimed at further modernising their respective organisations, as well as spend five weeks in the UAE.

Seychelles' authorities are currently testing and fine-tuning their early warning systems and preparedness in case of a flash flood, starting Wednesday morning. This is through a three-day tabletop exercise (TTX) being held at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort, bringing together members of the Disaster and Risk Management Division (DRMD). In her speech for the opening of the event, the United Nations resident coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles, Lisa Singh, explained that the initiative is to ensure that everyone, especially those most vulnerable, have access to timely and accurate early warning information. “Although disasters may not be a regular occurrence in common with other small island states, Seychelles is experiencing an increased frequency and intensity of flooding, drought, and storms,” said Singh. She cited the flash floods and landslide events in December 2023 and March 2024, highlighting “this worrying trend, which can have devastating effects on the economy and communities”. The TTX forms part of an effort to develop a robust early warning system (EWS) for Seychelles, which is financed by the European Union and Indian Ocean Commission through the Resilience Building and Disaster Management in the Indian Ocean (RDRM-IO) initiative. This is part of a joint effort spearheaded by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). During the three days, those attending are also expected to develop a roadmap that will help build an inclusive, people-centered early warning system "that leaves no one behind.” “The exercise this week will provide a practical platform to test and refine existing operational procedures, ensuring that the mechanisms in place are responsive, coordinated, and effective in reducing disaster risks,” she added. As a result of the TTX, the simulation due to be held on Thursday will evaluate the capacity of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to manage information flow, make quick decisions, and lead response efforts across different scenarios. The group will also provide recommendations at the end of the exercise.

More than 700,000 people are now displaced from their homes in Haiti, more than half of whom are children, the United Nations said Wednesday, as gang violence ravages the country. One of the world's poorest countries has been plunged into anarchy, with gangs taking over the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the security and health systems collapsing. The UN's International Organization for Migration agency said that by early September, some 702,973 people were displaced in the Caribbean country. «These latest figures show a 22 percent increase in the number of internally displaced people since June, highlighting the worsening humanitarian situation,» the IOM said. The agency called for greater international attention on the crisis. «The sharp rise in displacement underscores the urgent need for a sustained humanitarian response,» said Gregoire Goodstein, the IOM's chief in Haiti. «We call on the international community to step up its support for Haiti's displaced populations and the host communities that continue to show remarkable resilience in the face of these challenges.» The report said around 75 percent of those displaced were now sheltering in the country's provinces. The remainder are in Port-au-Prince «where the situation remains precarious and unpredictable», said the IOM, with people often living in overcrowded sites, with little to no access to basic services. The agency said 83 percent of displaced people were being hosted by families. «The strain on resources is immense, with the majority of host households reporting significant difficulties, including food shortages, overwhelmed healthcare facilities, and a lack of essential supplies on local markets,» it said. «It is crucial that efforts to restore stability and security across the country continue, alongside humanitarian aid to alleviate the immediate suffering of those affected.» On Friday, the UN human rights office said more than 3,600 people had been killed this year in «senseless» gang violence in Haiti. In October 2023, the UN Security Council approved sending a multinational stabilisation force, led by Kenya, to assist the Haitian police. The Security Council on Monday extended its authorisation of the multinational policing mission in crime-ravaged Haiti, but without any call to transform it into a UN peacekeeping mission, as floated by Port-au-Prince. © Agence France-Presse

Israel declared UN chief Antonio Guterres «persona non grata» on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to specifically condemn Iran's missile attack on Israel. «Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,» said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement. «This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers,» he said. Katz added that Guterres, who he said supported the «murderers of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Huthis, and now Iran, the mothership of global terror, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come». Following Iran's missile attack on Israel late Tuesday, Guterres condemned the «broadening conflict in the Middle East», slamming «escalation after escalation» in the region. «This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,» said Guterres. Israel has been a harsh critic of the UN, with ties between the state and the international body souring even more after the October 7 Hamas attacks. Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to halt the fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon. © Agence France-Presse

The National Assembly of Seychelles has approved an 11th amendment to the Constitution on Wednesday afternoon, which seeks to enhance and clarify various provisions related to the election and tenure of the President and the National Assembly. The Bill was presented to the National Assembly on Tuesday by Vice President Ahmed Afif, and after two days of debate, 24 members of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) ruling party voted for the amendment. All members of the United Seychelles (US), the main opposition party, voted against it. The Bill proposed a fixed date for the Presidential election, ensuring it is held, five weeks prior to the expiration of the President's term. The amendment aims to provide sufficient time for a possible second round of elections and to facilitate a smooth transition of power. It also proposed that elections for the National Assembly be held on the same day as the Presidential election and the change aims to streamline the electoral process and ensure consistency in the timing of elections. In the amendment, Article 52A, which allows the President to resign during his or her term and seek a fresh mandate from the electorate, is repealed and it aligns with the commitment to fixed-term elections and prevents the President from calling for an early election. The Bill also provided clear and detailed procedures for addressing a vacancy in the office of the President, whether due to resignation, removal, death, or incapacity. It ensures that the Vice-President assumes the role of President in specific circumstances and clarifies the limitations of their powers during this interim period. As for the protection of the President in legal proceedings, the Bill proposed to amend Article 59 to repeal the three-year limitation period for bringing proceedings against a former President. The amendment also clarified the discharge of presidential functions during temporary absences of both the President and Vice-President, by designating the Principal Minister to perform these duties with specific limitations on their powers. Currently, this is performed by the Designated Minister. In his response to the debates, Afif said this amendment is an important one, which will modernise the Constitution of Seychelles. «It will remove any advantages that a politician has in fixing a date for the elections. It removes the protection of a President so that anyone can bring a case against the President when he leaves office,» said the Vice President.  He added that «it will also make our election more economical, since the presidential and national assembly elections will take place at the same time, saving the country 10 million of rupees ($750,000).» This is the second amendment made to the Constitution of Seychelles in two years. In June 2022, the National Assembly voted for an amendment to the Constitution that gave the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) the right to enforce domestic law in relation to public security, environmental protection and maritime security. Effectively, the amendment gave a fifth function to the military and enables it to work alongside the Seychelles Police outside of states of emergency.  

Absa Bank Seychelles has launched a new digital payment solution service for merchants called the Mobi-Tap app, which will enable them to process contactless card transactions with a smartphone without needing a Point of Sale (POS) machine. In a press conference on Tuesday, the managing director for Absa Bank Seychelles, Mazim Mahmood, said this service would be especially beneficial for small business owners. «Normal people who have normal small businesses can now go digital. You could be a vendor at the beach who's selling bikinis, sarongs and hats you can now accept payment on credit cards. A lot of these payments were not coming through because the smaller vendors were not able to pick up a POS machine which costs around $400 to $500, it was expensive. Now with this solution, we are able to tap into that market,» he said. Mahmood added that Absa Bank has been working on solutions to make banking efficient and digital. There is a wallet service they launched earlier this year as well as payment through QR codes. The retail director, Murugan Pillay, said that they did several months of testing before the official launch and they found that the merchants who were using it have had positive reactions. Pillay confirmed that to register for this service, merchants must be business customers of Absa Bank Seychelles and possess a merchant ID and account with the bank. He clarified that this is an extra layer of security to ensure that all users of this service are legitimate. «We listened to our customers. They told us that POS machines are inconvenient to travel with, especially during events,» he added. Pillay explained that as of now the service is only available on Android phones and for local currency, however, there will be a second phase in the next couple of months to add foreign currency as well. He added that in order to encourage merchants to join this digital service, which he described as a fully green solution, Absa Bank has reduced the processing fee for the transactions from 3 per cent to 2 per cent. This is an introductory offer and that all merchants usually pay for each transaction through a POS. Seychelles joins five other African markets, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, where Absa has introduced this pioneering technology. During the event, Absa Bank presented a cheque for SCR 200,000 ($15,000) to the second winner of their card usage campaign, which was awarded each month from July 1 to 30 September.  To qualify, customers needed to use their Absa Debit or Credit Card 10 times or more within the month, which then automatically entered them into the monthly draw. Olivia Johnson, the lucky winner this time, said, «I was so surprised when I received the call that I had one. I usually just use my card whenever I need to pay for services or I use internet banking. This is a shock for me, I could barely believe it.»

The Seychelles Meteorological Authority (SMA) has announced that it forecasts the upcoming rainy season will be normal this year. The authority made the statement during the National Climate Outlook Forum (NCOF), which gathered stakeholders and policymakers at the Savoy Resort and Spa on Tuesday. Speaking to the SNA, the chief executive of the Authority, Vincent Amelie, explained that while they were expecting about 300 ml of rain during this period it is important to give all the stakeholders the information needed so that they know how to react during that time. «Although we expect around 300 ml of rain during that time, we do not know how it will be distributed. It could be spread over or happen in two or three days, which in turn can cause some issues,» he said. The participants at the forum were from various departments and the topics covered included the possible effects of the seasonal climate forecast on other socioeconomic areas, such as food security, health, disaster risk reduction, and water resources. Following the unprecedented amount of rainfall recorded in December last year, Amelie said, «There were many lessons learned, that we had to share with those attending the meeting. It is very important that we have decision-makers also present at the forum, as the information we are providing will help draft better policies where this issue is concerned.» Seychelles, an archipelago in the Western Indian Ocean, experienced heavy rainfall in December 2023, which caused severe damage to roads, flooding, and landslides, with damage to several properties and three people died. The meeting on Tuesday is part of SMA's approach of keeping people updated on the expected climate conditions for the upcoming rainy season based on outputs from the numerous model outcomes it uses. Amelie said, «SMA's models are good and the Authority is able to provide credible weather information.» SMA launched the Seychelles Meteorological Authority Observation Network Evolution (SMA-ONE) in December last year to measure weather changes, and accurately record the amount of rainfall. According to Amelie «as climate variability and change are a constant threat to our livelihoods in the Islands, thus a constant monitoring and update on weather and climate is essential.» The SMA also presented its plans to launch its WhatsApp group to provide those who subscribe with instant messages from the Authority. «We have also decided to release weather information when it is available earlier, even if we have it three or four days before so that people are better prepared in such instances,» said the chief executive. 

World leaders urged Israel against a full scale invasion of Lebanon after it's army said it began limited ground operations in the latest step in its showdown with Hezbollah. The two arch-foes have engaged in low-level clashes since the outbreak of war in Gaza, but tensions have skyrocketed in recent weeks as Israel shifted its focus to its northern border and staged a strike in which Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed. - Avoid 'greater suffering': UN - After Israel said its troops were engaged in «limited raids» in Lebanon, the United Nations warned against those raids turning into a «large-scale ground invasion». «The consequences for civilians have already been terrible,» Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the UN rights office, told reporters in Geneva. «We fear a large-scale ground invasion by Israel into Lebanon would only result in greater suffering.» While warning that Israel entering Lebanon would be «in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity», the UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon told AFP there was «no ground incursion right now». - Limited backing: US - US President Joe Biden indicated Monday he was opposed to Israel putting troops on the ground in Lebanon, adding: «We should have a ceasefire now». But late on Monday Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave Washington's backing to Israel «dismantling attack infrastructure along the border». - No troops for Hezbollah: Iran - Though Hezbollah's key backer Iran had vowed Israel's «destruction» for the killing of the millitant group's chief Nasrallah, it said ahead of the Israeli action that it would not deploy troops to Lebanon. «There is no need to send extra or volunteer forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,» said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani. The same applied to Gaza, where Israel has been locked in war with Hamas -- also backed by Tehran -- since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel that began the war. - Immediate Israeli withdrawal: Russia - Russia, which has close ties with Iran, urged Israel «to immediately cease hostilities, withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory and engage in a real search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict». «We express our solidarity with the leadership and people of friendly Lebanon, which has been subjected to armed aggression,» the Russian foreign ministry said. - 'Highly concerned': China - In the wake of the Israeli announcement, China said it was «highly concerned about the escalation» and was opposed to «infringements on Lebanon's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity». A foreign ministry statement also warned against «any actions that exacerbate conflicts and lead to a further escalation of the regional situation.» - 'Unlawful invasion attempt': Turkey - A frequent critic of Israel's strikes on Lebanon and conduct of the war in Gaza, Turkey slammed Israel's ground offensive as an «unlawful invasion attempt». «This attack must end as soon as possible and Israeli soldiers must withdraw from Lebanese territory,» the foreign ministry said. «All state and international organisations, especially the UN, must stop Israel without wasting any more time,» said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who added that Israel might even target Turkey. - 'False claims': Hezbollah - Yet Hezbollah itself denied that Israeli troops had crossed into Lebanon. «All the Zionist claims that (Israeli) occupation forces have entered Lebanon are false claims,» a Hezbollah spokesman told the, adding there had «not yet been any direct ground clash between (Hezbollah) resistance fighters and (Israeli) occupation forces». A source from the Lebanese army -- whose capabilities are dwarfed by Hezbollah's military might -- likewise said that it «had not observed any penetration by Israeli enemy forces into Lebanese territory». © Agence France-Presse

Joe Biden's choice of Angola as his first trip to Africa as president underscores the influence of the oil-rich country as the focus of one of the biggest US infrastructure projects on the continent in a counterpoint to China's investments. Biden's October 13-15 visit, which comes just months before his term ends, will centre on a massive multinational project to rehabilitate a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) railway that will connect mineral-rich inland countries with Angola's Atlantic seaport of Lobito. The Lobito Corridor will transport resources critical to the global economy, including copper and cobalt, from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia to the port for export. The project is a piece in the geopolitical battle between the United States and its allies and China, which owns mines in the DRC and Zambia among an array of investments in the region. Biden called it «the biggest US rail investment in Africa ever» when he met Angolan President Joao Lourenco at the White House in December. «For Washington, Angola is an example of an African state that has become less ideological and that is actively diversifying its relations from being overly exposed to China and to a lesser extent Russia,» Chatham House Africa programme director Alex Vines said. - Emerging power - «Washington also sees Angola as an emerging, middle power in Africa,» he told AFP. The Portuguese-speaking nation of 37 million people is Africa's second-largest crude oil exporter, according to 2022 figures from the International Energy Agency, with the oil industry making up about 90 percent of its exports. The eighth-largest economy in Africa in terms of GDP, according to IMF estimates, its people are poor and jobless. The youth unemployment rate stood at 58 percent in 2023, the World Bank says. «Angola is diversifying its international partnerships but also needs to increase FDI (foreign direct investment),» Vines said. «Growing US investment in Angola is important for Luanda as part of this strategy.» The country was devastated by a 27-year civil war that started immediately on independence from Portugal in 1975, when the UNITA rebel movement challenged the ruling MPLA that is still in power today. The United States recognised the Angolan government in 1993, becoming an importer of its oil. Since Lourenco's election as president in 2017, US-Angola relations have warmed significantly, Vines said. It is a turnaround from the Cold War years when Washington funnelled covert aid to UNITA. Angola's growing assertiveness is also shown in its mediation to end the conflict in the eastern DRC region of North Kivu, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been fighting government forces since late 2021. Talks in Luanda in late 2022 reached an agreement for a drawback of the M23, with a ceasefire announced in July 2024, which Kinshasa says has generally been respected. - Counterbalance to China - Peace and security as well as strengthening democracy would also be discussed during Biden's visit, the White House said. Rights groups and opposition activists have accused Angola's authorities of growing repression, including with new laws that would restrict media and clamp down on protests. But the focus is the railway project, which Washington has said could even be extended across the continent to the Indian Ocean. Beijing, meanwhile, agreed at a China-Africa summit in September to rehabilitate a separate railway line from inland mining countries to the Indian Ocean on the TAZARA route from Zambia to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Cesaltina Abreu, a sociologist at Catholic University in Luanda, cautioned that the United States «does not have friends, just interests». «The US also wants to counterbalance the growing China influence in Africa, specifically in southern Africa. But there's not any guarantee that the Lobito Corridor project will promote sustainable and inclusive development for local people,» she said. «We need to establish balanced relations with all superpowers and powers both on political and economic grounds,» said Heitor Carvalho, researcher at Lusiada University. © Agence France-Presse

Seychelles and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have reached a staff-level agreement on the third review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangements. The IMF mission is in Seychelles to conduct the review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which was agreed in May 2023. The last review was done in April 2024 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. An IMF team has been in Seychelles since September 18 and has observed that the government has made strong progress in implementing policies under the EFF and RSF programmes. «I am happy to report that we have reached a staff-level agreement on the completion of the review, and subject to approval by the IMF executive board, we should be in a position to release the equivalent of about $12 million when I meet the board in December,» said the mission chief of the IMF, Todd Schneider. Schneider's end-of-mission statement said that good progress has been made on a range of macro-structural issues, although several measures still need to be completed before the end of the year. «Economic growth appears to be slower than anticipated. Real GDP is projected to grow by 3 percent in 2024, compared to an earlier forecast of 3.7 percent,» said Schneider. This has been attributed mainly to the lower tourist arrivals after a reduction in the number of direct flights to Seychelles, as well as a decline in the average spending per tourist, although there is expected to be some recovery in the last quarter of 2024. «Despite the slowdown in tourism, the external balance of payments is expected to strengthen in 2024,» Schneider said. He explained that weaker income from tourism is expected to expand the current account deficit to 10.7 percent of GDP in 2024, compared to 7.2 percent in 2023. In a press conference on Tuesday, the Minister for Finance, Trade and Economic Planning, Naadir Hassan, said that the government is discussing with the various airlines to offer incentives to encourage airlines to continue flying to Seychelles, even outside the peak season. «We are quite confident that this is a temporary issue and that we have taken the necessary measures, to address it,» he added.   Aside from the EFF, which provides financial assistance to countries facing serious medium-term balance of payments problems because of structural weaknesses that require time to address, Seychelles is also part of the RSF programme. This provides affordable long-term financing to countries undertaking reforms to reduce risks to prospective balance of payments stability, including those related to climate change and pandemic preparedness. Schneider said, «The authorities are advancing in reform measures agreed under the RSF. Efforts in this area focus on climate-related public investment, developing a strategy for climate financing, and strengthening supervision to assess climate risks to the banking sector.»  Schneider met with President Ramkalawan on Monday. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY   The IMF Chief Of Mission also met with President Wavel Ramkalawan on Monday at State House, accompanied by the organisation’s resident representative Aissatou Diallo.

The Department of the Blue Economy in Seychelles has started a capacity-building programme to prepare technicians and specialists for the domestication of the United Nations Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty, said a top official on Monday. The director general of the Department, Chrissant Barbe, told reporters that this is the next step after Seychelles became the first African country to ratify the BBNJ Treaty in March. The workshop focused mainly on familiarising the technicians and specialists from different departments and entities with the BBNJ treaty and what this means for Seychelles and the rest of the world. The UN Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty, also known as the High Seas Treaty or the BBNJ treaty, is an international agreement that aims to preserve and sustainably use the marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. This includes the high seas, which are outside of countries' exclusive economic zones, and make up nearly half of the earth's surface “This is a big step forward for Seychelles. Fifty percent of our boundary is adjacent to the high seas, therefore it is highly beneficial for Seychelles to join this treaty. We expect that it will have a positive influence on the fishing industry as well as the tourism industry,” said Barbe. He stated that the resources needed in the country notably fish, are usually migratory species, meaning they do not remain in Seychelles waters. This is why it is necessary to regulate the high seas better to ensure the survival of these species. Seychelles is the fourth country in the world and the first in Africa to ratify this treaty and Barbe added that given the island nation’s is surrounded by the ocean, the country is also planning on advocating for other signatories to join this treaty. “This is especially important with neighbouring countries in the region. We hope that there will be at least 60 signatories by next year,” he added. Barbe said Seychelles will also be advocating for and establishing additional Marine Protected Areas in the region and will be working with other countries to discuss processes and modalities to ensure that all countries in the region benefit from this. 

The Confucius Institute of Seychelles confirmed there are around 3,600 Seychellois who have accessed its services over the past 11 years during a ceremony to commemorate its 20th anniversary of the first such institute being set up in Uzbekistan. The director of the Confucius Institute in Seychelles, Zhang Jianmei, told SNA that over the years there has been a lot of interest in learning Chinese. «Some people are learning for their jobs, some need to learn the language for business and some people are interested because they plan to visit China or study. We also have students from the Seychelles Tourism Academy who are learning so they can communicate with Chinese visitors,» she said. Zhang said that since the institute was set up in Seychelles in 2013, the teachers who have come to Seychelles to teach «We've tried very hard to adapt and to meet the needs of the Seychellois people who are interested in learning the Chinese language and culture. Until now for the past 11 years altogether 3600 Seychellois have joined us in the Confucius Institute to study Chinese. We are very proud of this.» Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and educator from over 2000 years ago whose works and teachings have greatly impacted Chinese culture. Jiang explained that the first Confucius Institute to be founded outside of China was 20 years ago in Uzbekistan, which was named the Oriental Institute. In honour of this, the Confucius Institute of Seychelles commemorated the 20th Anniversary of the founding of this first institute. During what they described as Confucius Day, the Chinese Medical Team showcased an ancient traditional Chinese health and fitness regimen called Baduanjin. Additionally, they were also displaying examples of calligraphy, paper cutting, handicrafts, and ink paintings where guests present at the ceremony could participate. The ceremony was also an opportunity for the Institute to present certificates of completion to people who have completed different levels of the Chinese language class. There were also presentations from students who participated in the Chinese Bridge competition and who also got the opportunity to visit China last month, where they described their experiences. «I have great expectations for the development of the Confucius Institute in Seychelles. At the very beginning of September this year, President Xi Jinping and President Ramkalawan elevated the relationship between the two countries as strategic partners and they encouraged more people to visit each other, they also encouraged more outstanding students from Seychelles to learn in China. They also encouraged more business collaboration, especially with the chartered flight between Chengdu and Mahe. I think there will be more frequent people with these two countries, therefore, more Seychellois people may be interested in learning the language,» said Zhang. 

The Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) and the Seychelles Bankers Association (SBA) have joined forces to hold an awareness campaign from October to December to educate the public on how to avoid the pitfalls of fraudulent financial transactions. The two entities revealed in a press conference on Monday that this initiative comes after they noticed an increase in the number of people being scammed. «In recent months there has been a rise in fraudulent financial activities, particularly in internet banking and this is a growing concern for the banker' association as well as the central bank,» said the SBA chairperson, Audrey Pothin. According to their figures, 120 clients have been scammed from the month of January to date. The authorities explained that there is an increase in incidents of phishing and investment fraud, as well as other types of digital fraud, that they suspect originate from international crime syndicates with ties in Seychelles. Phishing is the practice of tricking Internet users through the use of deceptive email messages or websites, into revealing personal or confidential information. Investment scams are where potential scam victims are offered fake investment opportunities, promising high returns with little to no risk. These are done through fake websites, documents, and communications that appear legitimate, convincing them to invest substantial amounts of money. Meanwhile, in the cases the banks recorded, all the customers lost money and Pothin revealed that there were a few where the banks were able to recover some of the funds as they came in to report the fraud in time. The banks' records also show those scammed were aged between 30 to 40 years old and were from lower salary brackets. «When you think that some clients have been robbed of around SCR 100,000 ($ 7,200), this is money that some have taken years to save for,» said Murugan Pillay, a member of the SBA The CBS governor, Caroline Abel, also stressed that «with the evolution that is happening in banking, clients now have to take some of the responsibilities of keeping their bank accounts and details safe.» She said, «In the past when we had an account, we had a bank book and went to the bank for transactions, now our bank accounts are on our computers through internet banking, our mobiles through the many apps and in our purses through cards.» During the awareness campaign, the two institutions will be teaching bank clients what to watch out for when they are doing financial transactions on their Internet banking platforms or mobile banking platforms. Both bodies have agreed that members of the public should not carry out any financial transactions if they are unsure of the sources, and call the relevant institutions for clarification if they are ever in doubt. 

The head of an African Union delegation that was in Seychelles to conduct a humanitarian mission, has commended the island nation for its exemplary disaster preparedness and response efforts, specifically regarding the December 2023 flooding disaster. According to a press statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Monday, the delegation was led by Mahlaba Ali Mambathe Ambassador of Eswatini, chair of the Bureau of the Permanent Representative Council Sub-Committee on Refugees, Returnees, Internally Displaced Persons, and Migration in Africa.   The AU delegation conducted a humanitarian assessment mission in response to the severe flooding that devastated the North of Mahe, the main island in December 2023. Heavy rainfall in the first week of December last year caused severe damage to roads, flooding, and landslides resulting in damage to several properties and causing the death of three people. In support of Seychelles' disaster recovery efforts following the devastating events of December 6 and 7, the African Union (AU) made a donation of $200,000 to the government. During discussions with the delegation, Seychelles' Minister for Internal Affairs, Errol Fonseka, expressed his sincere appreciation to the AU delegation on behalf of the government and the Seychellois people. He acknowledged the response and critical donations made by the AU to support disaster recovery efforts. The delegation AU delegation with the Minister of Internal Affairs and other high officials. (Ministry of Internal Affairs) Photo License: CC-BY   Fonseka introduced key team members who have been leading the response, and the relevant representatives provided a briefing on December 6th and 7th events and outlined the significant impacts on the affected communities. A highlight of the meeting was a presentation by Jean-Luc Mondon, a consulting geologist with the Department of Risk and Disaster Management (DRMD). Mondon presented a comprehensive overview of the geological assessments conducted and the ongoing plans to mitigate risks in the high-risk sites identified in the northern region of Mahe. The presentation offered a thorough understanding of the geological threats and the strategies to prevent future disasters. In his statement, Ambassador Mamba praised the country's multi-sectoral and coordinated response. «We are here to observe and assess the notable disaster management efforts undertaken by Seychelles. The swift and coordinated actions that assisted the victims, alongside ongoing efforts to assess and mitigate risks, are truly commendable,» he said. On his side, Fonseka highlighted the ongoing challenges Seychelles faces in managing disaster risks and the government's commitment to continuous improvement. «While we face long-term challenges in addressing natural hazards, we remain dedicated to learning from our experiences and enhancing our preparedness for future disasters,» he said. The AU delegation's visit shows the importance of regional cooperation in disaster response and highlights Seychelles' proactive efforts to strengthen disaster resilience, according to the statement. The delegation toured affected areas impacted by the heavy rainfall and during the debriefing, Rita Amukhobu, head of the Humanitarian Affairs Division, highlighted the unique challenges Seychelles faces in housing development due to its mountainous terrain, unlike the flat lands of mainland Africa. She commended the government for its effective mitigation measures, supported by Swiss expertise, noting that many African nations do not face such specific challenges. Meanwhile, Fonseka elaborated on strategies developed with Swiss and local experts to address boulder-related risks, citing the similarities between the two regions. This collaboration, he said, has greatly enhanced Seychelles' ability to manage these threats. Amukhobu also stressed the need for greater public awareness, especially among families in disaster-prone areas. «Residents must be more conscious of the risks when building their homes, as these dangers are life-threatening and preventable,» she warned. 

The death toll from powerful storm Helene jumped to at least 93 on Sunday, with one county in North Carolina alone reporting 30 deaths, authorities said, as rescuers battled to reach people in need across the southeastern United States. The storm response took on a political tinge after President Joe Biden and the two candidates vying to replace him, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, announced plans to soon visit hard-hit areas, some of them in key battleground states in the November election. High winds and torrential rain pummeled towns and cities across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Homes were destroyed, roads flooded out and power cut off to millions. «We're hearing (of) significant infrastructure damage to water systems, communication, roads, critical transportation routes, as well as several homes that have been just destroyed by this,» the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, said Sunday. At least 93 people were killed in the extreme weather -- 37 in North Carolina, 25 in South Carolina, 17 in Georgia, 11 in Florida, two in Tennessee and one in Virginia, according to tallies from local authorities compiled by AFP. That total was expected to rise. «We have another devastating update. We now have 30 confirmed losses due to the storm,» Quentin Miller, the sheriff in North Carolina's Buncombe County, which includes the tourist city of Asheville, told a briefing. Flood warnings remained in effect in parts of western North Carolina, amid fears of potential dam failures. Conditions were expected to improve in the affected areas by around Tuesday, National Weather Service director Ken Graham said. Nearly 2.2 million households remained without power on Sunday, according to tracker poweroutage.us. US Department of Energy official Matt Targuagno said that crews were working hard to restore electricity but warned it would be «a complex, multi-day response.» Thousands of people continued to seek assistance in shelters run by the American Red Cross, organization official Jennifer Pipa said. - Bridges washed away - Helene blew into Florida's northern Gulf shore as a huge Category Four hurricane with winds of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour. Even as it weakened, it wreaked havoc. North Carolina saw some of the worst of the flooding, with Governor Roy Cooper saying rescuers were being forced to airlift supplies in some areas due to damaged or flooded roads. «I don't know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they are experiencing right now,» Criswell said on CBS, adding that more search and rescue teams were being deployed. William Ray, director of the state's emergency management department, warned that conditions were still extremely dangerous. Hundreds of roads across the region remained closed, with several bridges washed away by floodwaters. Four major interstate highways were closed across North Carolina and Tennessee, with «multiple» bridges still out, said Kristin White of the US Department of Transportation. Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina each had more than 100 road closures, she added. In the Georgia city of Valdosta, the storm ripped the roofs off buildings, and left road intersections a tangle of felled utility poles and trees. «The wind started really hitting, like, felt branches and pieces of the roof hitting the side of the building and hitting the windows,» said Valdosta resident Steven Mauro. «And then we were looking out and then literally this whole street, just everything went black.» Trump, the Republican former president seeking another term, will visit Valdosta on Monday for a briefing on the disaster, his campaign said. Biden, who has approved federal aid for several states in the wake of the disaster, intends to travel to hard-hit areas this week, «as soon as it will not disrupt emergency response operations,» the White House said Sunday, later adding that Harris would do the same. «We will stand with these communities for as long as it takes to make sure that they are able to recover and rebuild,» Harris said Sunday evening at a campaign rally in Las Vegas. Biden was scheduled to speak about the post-storm response from the White House on Monday. © Agence France-Presse

Israel carried out an air strike on a Beirut apartment block on Monday, a Lebanese security source said, killing four people in its first such raid on the heart of the city since the outbreak of the Gaza war last year. Israel has turned its focus from Gaza to Lebanon in recent days, carrying out attacks on Iran's regional allies. Strikes on Hezbollah targets killed the Iran-backed group's leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday. Monday's drone attack targeted a «flat belonging to Jamaa Islamiya», a Lebanese Islamist group, the security source said. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a secular left-wing group, said three of its members were killed in Monday's strike on Beirut's Kola district. The group said in a statement that its military security chief Mohammad Abdel-Aal, military commander Imad Odeh, and Abdelrahman Abdel-Aal were killed. The Israeli military said it had launched fresh strikes on dozens of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon's Bekaa region on Monday. Israel «will continue to attack powerfully, damage and degrade Hezbollah's military capabilities and infrastructure in Lebanon», the army said in a statement on Telegram. - 'Largest displacement' - Television footage showed the partially flattened floor of the building targeted by the strike, in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Kola, near the road linking the capital to Beirut airport. AFP journalists reported drones flying over the Lebanese capital throughout Sunday. Israeli attacks have killed hundreds in Lebanon since last Monday, the deadliest day since the country's 1975-1990 civil war. Lebanon's health ministry reported at least 105 people killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday, with 359 people wounded. In the last week, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 700 people, including 14 paramedics over a two-day period, the ministry said. UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said «well over 200,000 people are displaced inside Lebanon» and more than 50,000 have fled to neighbouring Syria. Prime Minister Mikati said up to one million people may have been uprooted, in potentially the «largest displacement movement» in Lebanon's history. - Yemen strikes - Israeli aggression on Lebanon has sparked fears of an all-out war in the Middle East. Israel said it also carried out strikes in Yemen on Sunday, targeting Iran-backed Huthi rebel positions. Huthi media reports said those strikes killed four people and wounded 33. The raids in Yemen came a day after the Huthis said they launched a missile at an Israeli airport, trying to hit it as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning from New York. The Israeli military has said its operations in Lebanon aim to eliminate Hezbollah's leadership and capacity to attack Israel. It said the air strike that killed Nasrallah on Friday also «eliminated» another 20 Hezbollah members, including senior leaders. Israel also said another strike on Saturday killed Nabil Qaouq, a member of Hezbollah's central council. Hezbollah has yet to officially announce his death, but a source close to the group said Qaouq had been killed. Analysts told AFP Nasrallah's death leaves a bruised Hezbollah under pressure to respond. - Calls for halt - World leaders have called for a de-escalation to avoid a wider regional conflict. French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Lebanon on Sunday night -- the first high-level foreign diplomat to visit since the Israeli strikes intensified -- and said Paris sought «an immediate halt» to Israeli strikes. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry issued a statement early Monday, calling for Lebanon's «sovereignty and territorial integrity» to be respected. US President Joe Biden -- whose government is Israel's top arms supplier -- said Sunday a wider war «really has to be avoided». Pope Francis, asked about Israeli air strikes on civilians, said a country «goes beyond morality» when defence is not proportional to the attack. In Gaza, the territory's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes Sunday killed several people. Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity. Of the 251 hostages seized by militants, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,595 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The UN has described the figures as reliable. © Agence France-Presse

With typhoon Yagi battering Asia, storm Boris drenching parts of Europe, extreme flooding in the Sahel and hurricane Helene racing towards Florida, September so far has been a very wet month. But while scientists can link some extreme weather events directly to human-caused global warming, it remains too early to draw clear conclusions about this sodden month. «You will always have some sort of extreme weather events, but their intensity has been magnified by global warming, especially in the context of rainfall,» Paulo Ceppi from Imperial College London's Grantham Institute told AFP on Thursday. «That's probably one of the common drivers of these different events in very different parts of the world.» Early indications from monthly data show some record-breaking precipitation levels in the regions affected. In central Europe, the torrential rains accompanying storm Boris were «the heaviest ever recorded» in the region, according to the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network of scientists, inundating homes and farmland. Global warming has doubled the likelihood of severe four-day downpours since the pre-industrial era and the costs of climate change are «accelerating», WWA said in a report published Wednesday. Meanwhile in Japan's city of Wajima, more than 120 millimetres (4.7 inches) of rainfall per hour from typhoon Yagi was recorded on the morning of September 21 -- the heaviest rain since comparative data became available in 1929. - Hotter, and wetter? - «Attributing different weather patterns around the world at the same time to climate change is very challenging,» said Liz Stephens, science lead at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. «But the fundamental principle remains that for every 1 degree Celsius of warming the atmosphere can hold seven percent more moisture,» she told AFP. With global warming on track to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times «you can do the math pretty quickly and that will have a measurable impact,» said Ceppi from the Grantham Institute. The 2024 northern summer saw the highest global temperatures ever recorded, beating last year's record, according to the EU's climate monitor Copernicus. A hotter planet, in other words, could also signal a wetter one. The sweltering summer in the Mediterranean this year «gives a lot of extra evaporation, pumping more water vapour into Europe if the conditions are right and allowing for all that moisture to be dumped in certain places,» Ceppi said. «The global temperatures -- both over the land and the ocean -- were anomalously high during August-September despite La Nina-like conditions evolving in the Pacific,» Roxy Mathew Koll at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology told AFP. «Anomalously high temperatures assist in supplying additional heat and moisture for storms and weather systems to intensify.» La Nina refers to a naturally-occurring climate phenomenon that cools the ocean surface temperatures in large swathes of the tropical Pacific Ocean, coupled with winds, rains and changes in atmospheric pressure. In many locations, especially in the tropics, La Nina produces the opposite climate impacts to El Nino, which heats up the surface of the oceans, leading to drought in some parts of the world and triggering heavy downpours elsewhere. Currently, «neutral» conditions prevail, meaning neither El Nino nor La Nina are present. Large swaths of South America and Southern Africa suffered from drought in 2024. The global September update from Copernicus is due early next month and will provide hard data on precipitation levels. © Agence France-Presse

Illegal poaching, overfishing and climate change are some of the biggest challenges the population of sooty terns is facing on Seychelles' Aride Island, said an official of the Island Conservation Society (ICS).    Anthony Bentley, the Aride Island manager, gave details on the ICS annual census on the sooty tern. This year, through the census, ICS noted a 36 percent decline in the number of sooty terns on the island compared to last year. Bentley said that these impacts are especially apparent during breeding season. The sooty tern is a medium-sized, highly pelagic seabird with contrasting black and white plumage and a distinctive wideawake call. They are extremely sociable, forming very large nesting colonies on open ground. «A combination of factors is causing this decline on Aride and in the Seychelles. Overfishing and climate change are two of the biggest causes of the sooty tern population declines. Lack of food due to overfishing and shifts in climatic patterns affect sooty terns foraging and the impacts are higher during breeding season when adults need to have a more limited foraging area due to the necessity to return to the nesting sites to incubate eggs and feed chicks,» he told SNA. Bentley said that illegal poaching also «remains one of our biggest problems. As a protected island, the taking of eggs or animals is strictly prohibited, however, it still takes place every year. This year we have found evidence of poaching of both eggs and birds on the island which has a direct negative impact on the survival and breeding success of Aride.» Aride is the most northerly of the Seychelles granitic islands. (Gerard Larose) Photo License: CC-BY  The census found that this year the total population of sooty terns on Aride was 4,519, the second lowest on record, compared to 7,659 in 2023. Bentley said they are noticing the birds moving away from traditional nesting sites and nesting in enclosed forests in very low numbers. Furthermore, there is a continued long-term decline across the Seychelles. The island nation has already lost 70 percent of sooty terns and areas like Aride are still seeing declines. Research in other areas of the western Indian Ocean concluded that the risk of extinction in sooty terns is 1 percent by 2,100. On poaching on Aride, the most northerly of the Seychelles granitic islands, Bentley said the low breeding success of several colonies due to these interferences means a continuous decline in the population and that at least two sooty tern colonies had eggs poached. The colonies had 798 pairs, and only 11 chicks managed to fledge the nest. «Sadly, it is not just eggs that poachers take, they also kill and take adult birds for bush meat. We found 15 dead sooty terns that were killed on the island last week. Along with four tropical shearwaters and 11 wedge-tailed Shearwaters. The poaching of birds and their eggs on Aride continues to add extreme pressure on an already struggling species. If these activities continue Seychelles and Aride could very easily see the extinction of the sooty Tern. History tells us that this is possible, many species of birds are now globally extinct due to exploitation by humans, the Passenger Pigeon and Dodo are prime examples of this,» Bentley stated. The Island Conservation Society does regular poaching patrols and necessary work to the landscape such as removing vegetation that gets in the way of the birds nesting, but is more to be done. He emphasised the urgent need to extend the existing two-year ban that was put in place by the Ministry responsible for Environment.   Since 2021, ICS has been working with Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, to conduct national scale censuses of sooty terns and based on the information a national decline in populations was recorded hence an imposed ban on harvesting of sooty tern eggs until the 2025 season.  «To better understand the impact on the population, ICS had recommended that the ban on sooty tern egg cropping should be for a minimum of two cycles, each cycle being at least six years corresponding to the time that a fledgling would require to return to an island and become a successful parent. Thus, the recommendation was for a 12-year ban. A review of the existing 2-year ban is highly recommended,» said Bentley. He emphasied the importance of spreading awareness and educating especially the youth in regard to issues such as poaching. «ICS was fortunate to be granted funding from the Global Economic Fund for use on Aride and other islands. Some of this money will be used to tackle illegal poaching on the island. Equipment such as thermal imaging drones is to be purchased to help identify poaching activity that can be resolved quickly. Moving forward, educating the younger generation on the impacts of illegal poaching and other human impacts is essential. We must do all we can to ensure biodiversity in the Seychelles continues to flourish,» he said.